Originally Posted by Vrae

What a friggin hassle (that’s an understatement) for you Painman. Just what you need, a little more stress. It seems as though everything is a fight. Fight the doctors to listen, fight insurance to pay, fight the stress and pain from fighting all the damn time. The healthcare system in the U.S. has become that of a third world country. The costs that are billed for care are obscene, if not laughable. Bram is right, there’s no money in a cure. It doesn’t matter if it’s cancer or CRPS.

I am a casualty of being self-employed, and premiums became out of my reach when the economy went in the toilet back in ’08. We held on until 2010 until premiums for JUST ME were over $1k per month! Right, I can totally afford that, and the co-pays, Rx, etc. I am now at the mercy of my state’s system. I waited a full year to see a neurologist. I had access to a primary care doctor right away, who at my first visit said I was out of his scope of practice and wouldn’t so much as prescribe gabapentin. Can you believe that? Like I’m looking to take anti-seizure medication for the hell of it. He ended my visit by telling me I need health insurance. Wow, he’s a really smart guy, hu?

I would file for disability, God knows I qualify, but since I was self-employed, my accountant didn’t tell me that because I am self-employed I should have filed taxes a certain way to be covered. If I had filed taxes differently, I would have been covered. So basically it’s like I didn’t work for 10 years and I no longer have work credits. That too is laughable. I have worked harder being self-employed than I have worked at anything in my life. I have worked since I was a young grade school kid throwing newspapers. All I can think is all the years I paid in. I want my money back!!

Anyway, I hope you are somehow able to get the help you need. I feel for your situation.

Originally Posted by zookester

Yes, the new health care may offer reduced costs and sliding scales BUT doctor's will still have a choice as to whom or what conditions they will treat.

As a chronic pain patient already knows it is difficult just finding a compassionate doctor willing to take on the complexities of such.. it will be worse as these new laws take effect. Not only will it be more difficult to find a doctor it will be even more difficult to get an appointment. Wait list for specialists will be much, much longer and that is a guarantee!

I feel badly for anyone fighting the workman's comp battle but, to blame doctors for the mess that it is not fair. They aren't the problem it is in part the fault of many, many individuals who choose to be fraudulent and corporations who blatantly disregard the safety of their workers and then spend millions to fight paying for care rightfully deserved by the person suffering, so that they can continue operating in hazardous ways.



Just my two cents,
Tessa

Originally Posted by fbodgrl

I really don't want to go too off topic as respect for the OP of the thread, but I feel I had to say something. Tessa I'm assuming you have health insurance and haven't yet got to the point where you are fighting with the state for Medicaid or being turned down for private insurance because of preexisting condition(s). You may be a little more supportive of the new system if that was the case. I am paying out of pocket for every appointment, test, hospital visit and prescription. I can't wait until I am able to get health care again because of the new system. Even when I was working and had great insurance ( paid for by my employer) I believed everyone should be able to have affordable health care.

I don't believe the affordable health care act is perfect by any means and was not the plan Obama originally intended. I think a lot of people are jumping the gun thinking that there are going to be many problems when we really don't know until it is fully in effect.

Originally Posted by zookester

Oh trust me - I have dealt with every aspect of not having insurance or having pre-existing conditions!! My first born spent most of her 6 years of life in the hospital fighting for her life and we had no insurance. Years later, I was diagnosed with cancer and fought for every single treatment including chemo/radiation multiple surgeries, transfusions etc., without private insurance.. my husband sustained a fracture of his spine at work just last November so YES we are intimately familiar with WC and other insurance or lack there of .. issues. ;

My words were only to say that it will be more difficult to find doctors willing to treat those who are on the new plan. I also stated how much more difficult it will be to get an appointment because wait lists will be high. I was not saying anything against or for this new healthcare policy just making comments as to future difficulties such programs can cause. If I offended you or anyone else that was not my intention at all.. I am just as angry at our system (WC/Medicaid/Medicare) as the next person!!

Lastly, I pointed out that it is not the fault of the doctors that WC makes people jump through endless hoops trying to get treatment rightfully deserved - it is WC state laws that doctors are required to follow.

Originally Posted by Jimking

Vrae, that is a very bad place to find oneself! Like I stated in my earlier post, whether one likes the idea of Obamacare or not, that really is not the issue, but it could work in your behalf. Pre-conditions eliminated, affordable rates and subsidized if need be. But the issue could be what an earlier poster had stated in that many doctors may not except the coverage. That can happen but what may come out of it is if millions are effected by this behavior, pressure to change the system quickly could take place also. At one point we lost our coverage because of the economy and I had to pay out of pocket for my wife's care. We came within a hair's width of losing everything. I contacted my congressman whose staff helped us keep our home by keeping the dogs off our backs and sped up my wife's SSDI, which took 3+ years to acquire. The stress was horrible.

Originally Posted by Jo*mar

Just a small reminder that our guidelines do mention limiting of political type discussion/comments.

We know with health care changes there will be some discussion, which is fine, but leaving the politics out of it will be best for all of us.
Just helps to avoid arguments and bad feelings..