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This is a sad story and it is a bit long–
As some of you know, I’m taking classes for a certificate to be a Medical Assistant. I always wanted to be in the medical field. When I used to work through an agency on temporary assignments, I always felt the people in the medical facilities had a different personality–one of caring and compassion and I enjoyed my assignments with them.
Today, in one of my classes, some students did reports on what is wrong with our health care system in regards to insurance, for extra credit. One woman related her story of having a son who was born with a congenital heart defect. Her husband left soon after because he couldn’t deal with him being sick. That left her a single mom and she was able to get on Medicaid so he could have the surgeries and care needed for his condition.
He needs to have his heart valves replaced every 12 years and at his last surgery, he was 9 days away from turning 21–the age where Medicaid no longer provides insurance for him. He had his surgery and was in process of recuperation. At midnight, on the day he turned 21, two doctors came into his room and told his mother she would have to take him home because his insurance has expired. One of them kicked the leg of the bed and said ‘he’s out of here’ and the nurses proceeded to start taking the IVs out of him.
His mother was devasated, she had no idea how she was to care for him–she was taking classes to become a registered nurse but was far from completion. She did get him home. To rub salt in the wound, her son’s cardiologist, who cared for him since he was a baby, told her that he could not care for him for free. He had enough trouble paying for his overhead–this really hurt her.
Yet stories like this happen all the time. People whose insurance runs out and they can’t get coverage because of their preexisting conditions. This will no longer be legal but will not go into effect until 2014. Meanwhile, people like my classmate’s son, may die as a result of not being able to afford to have the medical care they need.
I wanted to be in this field because I felt the people were compassionate–I find that only those who have money will be shown compassion. Compassion now has a price tag. The rub, the hospital that unceremoniously kicked this person out, is a very prestigeous hospital–people with money go there and it is a teaching hospital.
Sorry to rant on but this really got to me–it was the way those doctors treated my classmante’s son after his insurance expired. Couldn’t let him stay to at least get to the point where he could be released. It just broke my heart to see that compassion now has a price tag. No money, no compassion.
What is wrong with this picture? :((
Everything is wrong with that picture! Im sure there are so many stories just like that one, and it is just WRONG!
All you can try to do is bring your own compassion, kindness, and understanding to the hearts of all those you will ever help and treat in your field.
Kalandra
Yeah there are a lot of stories like that, and they are sad. However, please do not beleive that most of the people in the healthcare field are like this, and try to understand that it’s just as frustrating for us as it is for the patients. Even people with insurance cannot afford the care they need due to high co=pay/deductibles and out of pocket costs, not to mention the fact that many procedures, even basic ones like MRI’s require the “approval” of insurance companies, who can deny approval if they think that the patient doesn’t need it. And we who were in the field, many go into the field very idealistic and “just wanting to help people.” Learning that you are stuck between the demands of insurance companies, the need of the patients, and what the doctor orders sours many of us. And unfortunetly, at some point you have to “turn off” a degree of compassion in order to stay sane.
Keeper of the Fledgings
I think the doctors forgot the oath they toke when they became doctors .
Compassion seems to be lost now a days . Yeah and why wait till 2014 ?
Do something now .
Sad and heartbreaking .Oh my goodness how horrible I cant even imagine 🙁 It makes me feel very fortunate to live in Canada with our heathcare (its not perfect but still better than that)
It makes me sick to think of other countries having to live like that. 🙁I think the doctors forgot the oath they toke when they became doctors .
Compassion seems to be lost now a days . Yeah and why wait till 2014 ?
Do something now .
Sad and heartbreaking .While I agree that some doctors have forgotten their oath; I suspect that many wish to uphold it, but are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Insurance companies are the real kicker. As someone with family in the medical field I hear a lot about what goes on behind the scenes. One of my family members actually is employed JUST to try and get insurance companies to pay for procedures and things that get denied.
Recently, my aunt had a serious brain surgery. While she was in surgery the insurance company decided that it wasn’t major and had her kicked out of the hospital after only her recovery time in the ICU. Because my aunt had to travel to find a doctor to do her surgery, my poor aunt had to recover in a hotel room from a major surgery!
It’s not that most doctors and nursing staff don’t want to help or that they are only looking for the all mighty dollar, but we are ruled by a complicated string of bureaucracy. I am glad for the reform… even if it is years away.
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My art: featherdust.comWhile I agree that some doctors have forgotten their oath; I suspect that many wish to uphold it, but are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Insurance companies are the real kicker. As someone with family in the medical field I hear a lot about what goes on behind the scenes. One of my family members actually is employed JUST to try and get insurance companies to pay for procedures and things that get denied.
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It’s not that most doctors and nursing staff don’t want to help or that they are only looking for the all mighty dollar, but we are ruled by a complicated string of bureaucracy. I am glad for the reform… even if it is years away.This. Doctors that work at hospitals must provide a profit to the hospital, or at least enough money to keep it working if it is a non-profit. They also can’t work for free.
I agree that the health insurance companies are part of the problem.
This morning, I had a talk with some of my classmates that were in class when that woman related her story. It is sad and unfortunate. I do agree with Jennifer, insurance companies are part of the problem. You have a doctor who has gone through very expensive training only to be told what to do by an insurance clerk.
I was hit between the eyes by that woman’s story–who wouldn’t be. The instructor even let us out a little early and I could see she was affected as well. What got us was the callous way one of the doctor’s kicked the base of the bed the woman’s son was in saying he’s out of here. We couldn’t believe that! It was bad enough that he had to leave before he should, but it was the attitude of the doctor.
Also in talking with my classmates, we also agree that none of us were in that room to see what actually happened. People in desparate need are usually angry, agressive people because that is the way they get things and get things done. This is her son–who knows what she said to them–she may have gotten very angry and that’s how the doctor reacted. There is always two sides to a story.
I still want to go into this field and realize that I’m not going to change the world. The idea of helping people is fine but Azurielle is right, you have to turn off the compassion so you remain sane. I can’t help everyone and would seriously burn out if I tried.
I’ve done volunteering in the past and believe me, the directors and social workers I’ve come across have a thick outter layer–they have to. Many people try to take advantage of the system and they have to cut through the bs to determine who is in need and who’s just a con.
I’m glad I was upset with that woman’s story–shows that I haven’t turned into stone just yet.
I know first hand how hard it is. I am a type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed at 16. I am 25 now and my sugars are fully stable. I am on an insulin pump which has saved my life. When I turned 21 I got on my own insurance. My rates started to go up every 8 months or so. Just recently my doctor upped my dose of insulin I take. Instead of 2 bottles I now use 3. My insurance denied it. So I have to buy a bottle of insulin every month which is $100. Also they refuse to pay their half on my insulin pump expensives. I got a bill from my pump manufacture for $3400 last month. Apparently my insurance wasn’t paying and it built up over 6 months. They say my pump isn’t necessary! It is the only reason I am alive now! I really screwed my body up as a teenager. I didn’t takecare of myself at all. I was getting kidney damage and I still can’t feel my feet. Once I got on my pump I recovered. I still have some complications but nothing major.
Any who my doctor can’t help me with this fight. She wrote to them and it didn’t change anything. Did I mention I pay $1200 a month for my insurance. It’s ridiculous!Yes it’s true . It the people who own the hospitals are behind it . They push doctors to make money . So sad what happened to your aunt . Heartbreaking . Yet if anyone talks of health coverage like in New Zealand they complain . People there have medical coverage from the craddle to the grave . Drug companies too . They push drugs and that nearly killed my mother . The drug company wanted some drug pushed and the doctor changed her medicine . She toke it and it very nearly killed her . If she hadn’t gone back to the doctor , she would have been dead in two days .
My dad was dieing of cancer and his doctor just gave him medicine that didn’t help him . And the cost of medicine . Evil . Greed .Oh griffin, Im so very sorry!
I really feel the insurance companys are a huge problem but so is the cost of everything in the healthcare field.
I cant beleive you pay that much a month for health insurance and thats the attitude and response you get from them.. The whole thing is wrong!There is only one insurance carrier I can say good things about, and thats bcbs of Fl. when our youngest son was born at 25 weeks..he was in a level 3 nicu for almost 4 months, and at $8000.00 a day… his total bill came to 480,000.00 … If it was’nt for this insurance company we would have been devastated and would most likely have lost everything. I also think a huge part of the problem is how much health care costs today… even with the level of care he was getting… does that really justify $8000.00 dollars a day?
he even got a monthly shot that was $1200.00 per dose! Why does health care cost so much?
Kalandra
Why does medicine cost so much . Greed . Oh they call it research . But how much of it is just to line the drug company’s pockets .
When I started seeing hospitals go from non-profit to profit, I felt deep down inside me that the quality of care would go down. The reasonsing behind being ‘for profit’ is that they would get investors so that the hospitals could get the latest and greatest equipment. But what good is it when not everyone can afford it? I have health insurance and if something horrible happened to be, that would be the final end of my finances.
State-of-the-art, fancy machines but few can afford them. Who are they really serving?
Part of the reason why it is so expensive to stay at any hospitals, especially not for profits is because you are paying for people who do not have insurance, and you are paying because the insurace companies won’t. Ex. You need an Mri. The cost of a scan is $3000. But each insurance company has a different contract with the hospital. BCBS will only pay 600 towards the MRI. UHC will pay 500. Aetna will pay 700, etc. The hospital overcharges, because if they charged the actual cost of the mri, the insurance companies would pay even less. And out of the 600, part of it goes to the machine use/electricity/pay the doctor/the tech/ but most of goes to offset costs in other parts of the hospital, that don’t make money. (Imaging is the only truly profitable part of a hospital by the way.) And much of the costs of a not for profit hospital is bills for people who do not have insurance, and never pay their bills, so those who do have insurance are charged more, so the hospital can try to break even. For profit hospitals are a different story, of course.
I work directly with doctors/patients/fight with the insurance companies on behalf of my patients/and take x-rays, so I can tell you furstrations from every angle. I know my doctors need the imaging studies. I know the patients, even those with insurace can’t afford them, and I know the insurance companies don’t want to pay for them.
Keeper of the Fledgings
People shouldn’t be valued for the size of your bank account or the paper in their wallet but that is what it has come down to.When life has become valueless,what next?
I,personally,am looked down upon because I own a mobile home and do not have a credit card,don’t want one either,but it is the way folks have become.It is a very sad thing if you ask me.I don’t have all the gold and diamonds or Windstones,that I would like to have but I have what many people seek and never acquire.Peace.I do not worry much,do not have many bills or all that much to lose or give up if disasters happen.And they do in my life,belive me,but I sleep well at night,I have a most treasured thing in life and that is love.I love deeply and am loved the same way in return.To me,these are worth more than any money.Insurance is something I have never had and I will more than likely be one of those people that the medical profession will let die if it comes down to it.The entire medical profession should be revamped.Let’s pray someone finds a real solution to fixing the problems.Let’s hope.But until people are valued for being human instead of how high you stand in “society”,I don’t see any relief in sight.Every act matters.No matter how small💞
(Wanted......Brimstone Lap)
Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.
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