Re: I’m More Afraid of Doctor’s Bills than Hypodermic Needles

lkelson83 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:51:09 -0000

Damn, I can't believe you haven't gotten new specs still...and if I remember correctly I think it's been longer than 3 years! For the stomach issues, did you ever try any OTC meds?

Re: I’m More Afraid of Doctor’s Bills than Hypodermic Needles

lkelson83 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:32:59 -0000

Neil,

Most services will offer health insurance (provided you work full-time), but many of these coverage plans don't kick in for 3 months. The last company I was with worked this way--only we had to come to them to ask for the insurance papers--they didn't set it up for us. At my current job (a legit company) I immediately have medical, dental, and vision coverage. I also receive short and long-term disability coverage. My deductible is $1200 though, so that's the quasi-catch. Still, it's good coverage all things considered. To answer your question, different services handle employee health insurance in different ways. The tragic irony of EMS, though, is that most of these coverage plans are minimal.
I'm no expert on health insurance either, but it's a complicated issue that Americans are left with figuring out on their own. Why can't we just go to the doctor, pay a small flat rate, and be done with it? But no, your coverage is only good for such and such amount of dollars or "we don't cover preexisting medical conditions." Our Healthcare system is so fucked and makes absolutely no sense. No black and white, it's all gray. I am on the socialized medicine bandwagon, but I also realize that system has its faults too (LONG waits).

Re: I’m More Afraid of Doctor’s Bills than Hypodermic Needles

lkelson83 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:53:54 -0000

You know insurance/Healthcare is the problem when money takes precedent over personal welfare in deciding whether or not to seek treatment. There's so much that goes into it, and no two coverage plans are the same. Co-pays, deductibles, what am I covered for?, when does my insurance kick in?, etc. I've also been on the "Self-care" plan for awhile (up until this past week), and it too served me well up until a couple months ago when I pulled my back. I knew it as soon as it happened, but I've avoided going to the Doc b/c A) I wasn't insured and I knew the visit and X-rays would cost a boatload and B) I'm scared that I might actually have some real damage (if so, I'd be out thousands). So right now I'm content with dealing with the minor pain and insomnia that goes with it.
What's more disturbing is that this attitude has spilled out into the streets and homes of the uninsured (or barely insured). For any Priority 3 call (non-emergency, but in need of a hospital), pt's on medicare/medicaid will not be reimbursed unless we prove that they are either "bed-confined" or have "postural instability." If not, Mom and Pop are gonna have to foot the ER bill as well as the ambulance bill. Is it any wonder people refuse treatment? The one I'll never forget for as long as I live was a patient I had when I worked down in Louisiana this past Fall--October to be exact. Before I continue, I want to apologize if I ramble incoherently or use any medical jargon--I'll try not to. It was 1:00am and it was as foggy as I've ever seen. We were dispatched to a 55 y/o male w/ "anxiety," way out in the sticks--about 45 minutes from our substation, and that's going lights and sirens. When we got there the patient was sitting in a LA-Z-Boy recliner in his living room, and looked none to pleased to see us. He wasn't mad at us, but at his wife for having called 911. He initially declined our assessment, but with some convincing from his wife he finally acquiesced. His heart rate and blood pressure were elevated and his O2 sat was 90% (normal ranges are 95-100%). The patient said his left calf had been hurting him for about an hour and it won't go away. His wife also mentioned that he looked jittery and a little SOB (short of breath). This immediately triggered concern because his symptoms were indicative of a life-threatening emergency. The patient denied any chest pain, SOB, or anxiety. He denied transport to a hospital because he didn't have insurance and couldn't afford the "big bill." An ambulance bill for that service would have cost him anywhere from $800-1000, and that's not including the ER bill. I pleaded with the patient and his wife to have us take him, knowing full well that if it was a blood clot he could be dead in a matter of minutes if it broke loose. I went so far as to call my medical command Dr and have him talk to the wife via cellphone, but to no avail. They both heard me tell them the risks, but he was hell-bent on staying and his wife was reluctant to convince him to go. This frustrated the hell out of me because not only did we come way out here in the middle of the night, but the patient was refusing treatment for something that could possibly be a true emergency. The patient told me "If the pain gets any worse we'll drive ourselves to the hospital." After exhausting all methods to convince him that transport to a hospital was pertinent, he ultimately declined, signed a refusal, and we headed back to the base. Not five minutes from the station we hear our pagers go off, displaying that very same address. Then came the dispatch over the Radio: "Medic 59 we need you 10-8 (start enroute) for an emergency. Signal 9 (cardiac arrest)." The fog was even thicker now, making the trip back there that much more difficult. When we finally arrived 50 minutes later, the local fire department was already on-scene doing CPR. I told them to stop so I could do a quick check on the pt. The first thing I noticed--and this image was unmistakable--was that he was purple from the nipple line up. Worst fears confirmed, he threw a clot and suffered a massive PE (pulmonary embolism). The patient's neighbors looked on in shock and his wife was crying hysterically for us to help him. This man could not be saved, but for the peace of mind of his wife I took over the call. I knew I was treating a corpse. I loaded him up with all the drugs and tubed him enroute, but to no avail. No amount of epinephrine, atropine, oxygen, or electricity was going to bring him back. When we got to the hospital the ER doc took one look at him and called it: "TOD 3:58." Declared dead at 3:58am...damn, I was just talking with this same guy 2 hours ago. The hardest part, as it always is, was consoling the wife afterward. I'm not good at so I kept it brief with an "i'm terribly sorry for your loss," followed by a hug. A few minutes later, we were back in service, on our way to the base. It still haunts me to this day that he's dead because he didn't want to pay the "big bill."
Unfortunately, refusals are becoming more prevalent these days, with the main reason being people cant afford the treatment and thus, would rather risk the consequences.

Re: And I’d like to dedicate this one to Gram Parsons…

lkelson83 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:33:40 -0000

Drugs serve their ultimate purpose...they make life tolerable.

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Re: I’m More Afraid of Doctor’s Bills than Hypodermic Needles

Re: I’m More Afraid of Doctor’s Bills than Hypodermic Needles

Re: I’m More Afraid of Doctor’s Bills than Hypodermic Needles

Re: And I’d like to dedicate this one to Gram Parsons…