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I have a fairly minor stomach ailment the last few days...
So my next question is: Why is it so difficult to find a regular doctor in my county who will see me on an income based sliding scale. This phenomenon seems to be unique to my area. Even to my county, I can find even Free clinics in Montgomery county who will see people when they are sick. But not me. I live in Greene County. I'm not allowed to go to them unless I lie about my address. So my choice is to go to the urgent care for a fairly minor ailment that is just ailment enough to keep me from going to work, because now I'd be required to have a NOTE saying I really was ill before I can go back to work. (Notes required now by most employers because of people who call off and say they are sick when they really are not sick, they just have no work ethic and don't want to go to work.) And they charged me almost $100 (on a sliding scale mind you) that I can't afford to pay.
What the hell is wrong with us. We are the richest country in the world, and yet average everyday citizens cannot get medical care when they need it. The government has thoroughly F'd up our health care, and caused these rising costs both of medical care and insurance. Now they need to quit arguing and FIX the problem they caused back in the 1980's. Back then I could afford health care, but couldn't afford to buy a house. Now I own a house I can't sell, and can't afford insurance OR medical care on the rare occasion I need it. No joke... it now costs at least 10 times what it did back then. What else has inflated that much? Milk? no... 3X as much. Gas? Nope... believe it or not even at it's highest, only 5X as much. Incomes? No... Min wage is about 2X as much, and my income after I count tips and commission from back then is actually probably less per hour. base hourly rate: maybe MAYBE 2X as much. I would seriously have to pay a third of my income to buy insurance through work, and then I would be sick indeed once I lost my home from not being able to pay my ordinary bills. This is why people abuse the ER by going in for very minor problems. Their doctors WILL NOT SEE THEM WITHOUT CASH UP FRONT, and often when people are sick, they DON'T have cash that day.
Note: (I know many have heard this rant before) last time I had insurance, I paid in 1500 over a 6 month period, and the first time I tried to use it to fill a $40 prescription from my dentist, they refused. They told me to go ask my doctor for a DIFFERENT (not generic version... DIFFERENT) medicine that had already been proven ineffective. Then they told me that the other medicine was only $30 and they wouldn't pay it anyway because my copay on prescriptions was not the usual $5-$10... but a shocking $40? WTF? So for those of you who think I am irresponsible for not having insurance... That was the point at which I refused to continue to pay into a system out of which I was getting exactly $0 benefit.
I would certainly appreciate anyone telling me where I can find a doctor to see me for this stupid minor ailment so that when I feel better I can have a stupid note to return to work. and they have to be willing to bill me. Out of this check, I have to pay my mortgage, and after that there is $70 out of which I have to eat for the next 2 weeks, and have gas to drive back and forth to work. That's going to be a tight fit any way you slice it. Meanwhile, I'm going back to bed (for the third time this week) because I feel like utter shit.
What the hell is wrong with us. We are the richest country in the world, and yet average everyday citizens cannot get medical care when they need it. The government has thoroughly F'd up our health care, and caused these rising costs both of medical care and insurance. Now they need to quit arguing and FIX the problem they caused back in the 1980's. Back then I could afford health care, but couldn't afford to buy a house. Now I own a house I can't sell, and can't afford insurance OR medical care on the rare occasion I need it. No joke... it now costs at least 10 times what it did back then. What else has inflated that much? Milk? no... 3X as much. Gas? Nope... believe it or not even at it's highest, only 5X as much. Incomes? No... Min wage is about 2X as much, and my income after I count tips and commission from back then is actually probably less per hour. base hourly rate: maybe MAYBE 2X as much. I would seriously have to pay a third of my income to buy insurance through work, and then I would be sick indeed once I lost my home from not being able to pay my ordinary bills. This is why people abuse the ER by going in for very minor problems. Their doctors WILL NOT SEE THEM WITHOUT CASH UP FRONT, and often when people are sick, they DON'T have cash that day.
Note: (I know many have heard this rant before) last time I had insurance, I paid in 1500 over a 6 month period, and the first time I tried to use it to fill a $40 prescription from my dentist, they refused. They told me to go ask my doctor for a DIFFERENT (not generic version... DIFFERENT) medicine that had already been proven ineffective. Then they told me that the other medicine was only $30 and they wouldn't pay it anyway because my copay on prescriptions was not the usual $5-$10... but a shocking $40? WTF? So for those of you who think I am irresponsible for not having insurance... That was the point at which I refused to continue to pay into a system out of which I was getting exactly $0 benefit.
I would certainly appreciate anyone telling me where I can find a doctor to see me for this stupid minor ailment so that when I feel better I can have a stupid note to return to work. and they have to be willing to bill me. Out of this check, I have to pay my mortgage, and after that there is $70 out of which I have to eat for the next 2 weeks, and have gas to drive back and forth to work. That's going to be a tight fit any way you slice it. Meanwhile, I'm going back to bed (for the third time this week) because I feel like utter shit.