If a doctor's office told you this, what would you think?

Question

A month ago I injured my back, went to the work comp doc. and he said I had a middle and lower back strain and contusion. He gave me some meds and put me on a restriction. Eventhough he gave me a referal to a back specialist, at my request, the work comp. people are trying not to send me to the specialist. I decided to pay for it myself and called a few specialist, and one told me they do not accept work comp or cash, that if I did not have insurance, they did not want to see me. I felt a little upset by that, am I the only one, or does anyone feel that medicen has come down to the dollar instead of helping people and saving lifes. Think about this question for a while, and let me know what your true thoughts are. This question will be decided by vote for best answer.

Yeah I like some of the comments, just to give you another example, My mom has medacare, her medicen costs her around 700.00 a month, this includes a mechene that provides air for her, and her share cost is 1400.00 a month. Even the people that get medicare cant offord to get the medicen they need.

Work comp told me I had no choice but to goto the doctor they told me to, and if I went and got my personal doc. they would not pay for it nor would they look at the medicl findings from it, for example, if I got a mri, and I paid for it and got it on my own, they would not look at it nor would they let the work comp doc. look at it???

I am from Florida, but I would imagine Ca. is just as bad

Answer 1

I do agree that medicine has come down to dollar. I also think that its weird that the drs office does not accept cash patients.
Work Comp cannot deny you seeing a specialist if your primary dr referred you, whether it was at your asking or not.
I would find another specialist and see them.

Answer 2

The medical system has always been about money. The question is how best to use it to benefit the consumer.

If you look at the places where the healthcare system is not about money - communist (old) russia and china - you will see a second rate health care system run by idealists who burn out in the face of human laziness, ignorance and inability to do things for themselves.

If you look at the places where the healthcare system is good (Europe, Canada, Australia, Singapore) doctors are motivated by money and they do a good job for their customers.

The troubles then arise as to how we should use the money.

Fee For Service
This is the usual set up. You go to a doctor. The doctor does a thing (test or procedure or consult or whatever) and you pay the doctor money.

Problems: overservicing - especially in govt funded fee for service where the doctors get patients to come back 3 times a week for minor things and charge govt - patients comply cos it's free - taxpayers foot the bill.

HMO - the recent trend in the USA. The insurance providers hold the purse strings and say what they will and won't pay for. eg. They will pay for the patient to have a neurology opinion, but they won't pay for the CT scan of the head.

Problems: HMO system will tend to insist patients go through the simplest basic procedures and opinions first and will not allow more high tech procedures and investigations. In some instances this is time wasting and has resulted in bad outcomes for the patients.

The IDEAL ...

The Mandarin's doctor.

In ancient China, the Mandarin had a doctor who looked after him. The doctor was paid money when the Mandarin was well and healthy. The doctor was not paid money when the Mandarin was unwell. The doctor had incentive to get the Mandarin well and then to implement preventative strategies to KEEP the Mandarin well.

This would seem to be the best thing, but I am not sure how it would be implemented on a population level.

Answer 3

Let me guess--you live in California.

Many states, like California, catch injured workers in a trap. If a doctors knows, or suspects, that you have a work related injury, they don't want to get involved because it's an administrative headache--it doesn't matter that you're willing to pay. With all good intentions, many states passed laws saying that workplace injures must be paid for by the employer. I feel sorry for both you and the doctor.

The only real solution is to do what every other industrialized nation has done and have universal health care so that being able to afford medical care is not dependent on any particular employer. I think it's stupid to have one system for treatment if you're injured at work, and a totally different system to treat the exact same injury if it occurs at home.

I guess I'm saying don't blame your doctor who has a mortgage to pay like the rest of us (maybe larger however). Blame the insurance companies--they're the ones with all the money, and they're the ones making up the stupid rules so that you'll give up and try to pay for own care.

Answer 4

I definitely agree that it's about money. I don't feel that insurance companies should be dictating what treatments people should receive. I just had to stop a treatment because my insurance changed and the new insurance won't pay for it. As for the doctors, many don't want to be involved with workers comp because it may go to court and they don't want to get involved in that mess. Workers comp insurance companies will call doctors and even pick doctors for you that are instructed to find little or nothing wrong and get you back to work ASAP. (in the US) Anything to spend as little as possible. As far as doctors not taking cash, I don't understand THAT at all! they'd get more that way than through insurance. With insurance, they get a negotiated price MUCH lower than what they charge. Doctors don't make anywhere near what they used to make before managed care. Many are not well off anymore.

I hope you get what you need and that your back gets better soon! feel better!

Answer 5

Absolutely, its all about the B$njam$ns They don't care about people anymore in America.
The pharmacutical/FDA companies run everything from the foods we eat to the medicine we have to use. The FDA even have the nerve to be greedy enough and risk people lives by putting potentially harmful medicine on the market like vioxx and ephedra but they first said that it was safe and had been tested. Untill people started dieing and law suits started coming their way that means they are gonna have to pay and that hit'em where it hurt in the pocket so now they took them off the market.
Its a shame that the world has come to this especially when you are a tax payer. Its just a shame.
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Answer 6

I understand your pain. I have lived with middle and lower back pain for the past 6 years. I started out having a good insurance plan when I was younger. When I turned 21 I lost my insurance because I was on my parents policy until this age. Now I have a job which provides some insurance, and we pay for the rest. It is expensive and not a very good insurance policy. I went to our Primary Care Provider (PCP) and she referred me to another doctor who then took several x-rays of my spine. He then referred me back to my PCP, who said that there was nothing that she could do. She then referred me to a chiropractor who only popped my back and charged me an outrageous amount for this "service".

I then went back to the PCP and got another referral to a physical therapist. I did all of the physical therapy sessions that were recommended. Still the pain.

All I got out of months of going to the doctor were bills. I recieved bills from the insurance company who refused to pay for the chiropractor and the physical therapy, I recieved bills from the copays for the office visits that sometimes only lasted 5 minutes, and I recieved bills from the physical therapist and chiropractor who were not paid by the insurance.

SO YES! I believe that health care is more about doctors and medical professionals making money than actual health care. When so many are denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions, it is clear that the insurance companies are only out to make money instead of helping others. When hospitals and doctor's offices refuse to see a person who is in need of health care because they lack insurance or Medicare/Medicaid it is evident that they are only in it for the money. When a patient is charged $12 for an ibupropen tablet, (the same ones you can buy by the hundred for $5 at Wal-Mart) it is all about the money.

It is very irritating that people are required to give money out of each paycheck to Medicaid when they do not qualify if they make more than $4,600.00 a year. People cannot affort private insurance if they make $20,000 a year, let alone $5000. I am starting to ramble now so I think that I have made the point that I was trying to make.

Answer 7

I see what you are saying and I feel the same way.I have been on antidepressants for about
9 years on and off.But now I'm sure I need them
so I went to the doctor and got a prescription so that I could get better and feel better again.My depression was getting horrible then a
week after I started taking the medicine I got a
letter informing me that my son's father (not my
husband) but domestic partner makes too much money so I was to be taken off of medicaid.I
told them I need my antidepressants but could
not afford them but they don't care.The sad part is my boyfriend only makes $300 a week.
Which isn't enough to buy food,diapers,pay rent,
and bills every month.It's all about money.I have
been very depressed and could become suicidal without my meds but I don't qualify for Medicaid.

Answer 8

Being a nurse and under standing medicine, yes it has come to dollars instead of patient care. Insurances have ruled how patients are treated. It's ashame and a disgrace, but it is what it is and no matter how hard we protest they still have the upper hand.

Answer 9

My true thoughts are that greedy pharmaceutical companies and hospitals and doctors are going to the bank at our expense...babies are becoming autistic, people are dropping from the over dose and over use of prescription drugs we are having shoved down our throats...of course they don't want you to come in there if you don't have insurance...because they want to be sure when they 'diagnose' you,..with their bogus results,..your insurance company can be bilked but good to 'cure' you ...This is why i don't go to the doctors any more..I would rather research it on line and do it myself, than give it to some greedy quack who gets rich at my expense lol...do I sound a bit disillusioned ?

Answer 10

that one is deffinatly after the buck. like most. however there are doctors more interested in their oath, few and far between. generally they are fresh out of med school. they really care, then after the day in day out treatment they change. the golf course and their bmw need more attention. you are the means to their end. take a lesson from the apprentice. "your fired."