MEDICARE ANYONE?

HOW IS YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE WORKING?

Whatever they say about Obama Care, it simply can’t get any worse than what we have now.

Let me tell you what just happened to me:

Back in mid August, I had a pretty severe pain in my ear when I ate. I made an appointment and went to the doctor. She spent about 35 seconds looking in my ear, moving my jaw, and diagnosed TMJ. No treatment, end of appointment. I went to see my dentist, who thought it could be caused by a minor infection under an implanted tooth. He took the crown off the implant (which was really a tough job, for both him and me)! He scraped the gum clean, injected antibiotic and told me that, if that were causing the trouble, it would be well in about two days. He also had a recent X-ray which indicated no problems.

It didn’t get well; in fact it has been slowly getting worse and gives me excruciating pain in my ear. So, I decided, I would need to see an ENT specialist. The specialist won’t see me without a referral from my doctor. My doctor has moved to a new office, where they have set up a fire-wall telephone system. You can’t get through to anyone; one must leave a message, which is then ignored. It is now the middle of October, and I still have no real diagnosis of my condition. I suppose it could be TNJ, but, I find it hard to believe that this escalating pain inside my ear is something so simple.

Here is what I have learned from this experience: More and more doctors are offering "Concierge Service" to Medicare patients. For a fee up-front of $1,000 or more per year, you get all the services that "Medicare doesn’t pay for." In reality, that means preferential treatment. If you are wealthy enough to pay for the favor, you go to the head of the queue. This is not "fee for service" but fee "to be served." Insurance companies are deciding what fee doctors should charge, doctors are not getting the super-high income that they were promised in exchange for their years of schooling and high education debt, and we, my friends, are expected to pay for that or die.

This is the best indicator of the need for Universal Health Care with mandatory participation that I have ever come across. Health Care should be equally available to every human.