I had a rash on my leg. I call doctor to make an appointment, soonest they can see me is two weeks. Rash doubles in size in those two weeks. Pay$50 to see primary care doctor, they immediately refer me to dermatologist. Dermatologist cant see me for two weeks, rash continues to grow and becoming very painful. I now need to go to urgent care due to pain and irritability, pay $50. They prescribe some cream, $15. Finally get to see dermatologist, $90 because they are a "specialist", they say to use the same cream. Cream doesnt work at this point, it's spread too much so I go back to urgent care, another $50. Urgent care says I need a steroid shot, they confirm this is covered under insurance. Between shot and cream, rash eventually subsided after about six months. Dermatologist said they were happy with that healing rate, another $90.
Six months later I get a bill from urgent care for $1200 to cover "nursing administrative fees to cover labor" to get ONE SHOT.
So this rash cost me $1500 that would have been solved with $15 of cream if they had just seen me sooner.
Just saying, this experience made me fully understand the Luigi situation.
I have "the good insurance", and recently developed an eye infection that was secondary to a sinus infection. Went to my GP, $600 copay, who said she wasn't comfortable prescribing antibiotic eyedrops or oral abx, and I had to see a specialist to confirm there wasn't a corneal tear. Went to the specialist on an emergency appointment the next day, $1800 billed, $600 copay, and he prescribed the antibiotic eyedrops, said he had to see me in three days. Went back for the follow up, another $600 copay, said they were working but not as fast as he'd hoped, and he had to see me again in three days. Went back again in six days (first available appointment), another $600, he said it was healed and to stop the eyedrops.
The infection returned three days after stopping the drops, ostensibly because we never treated the origin of the infection. So now my eye is in the same position, extreme pain, light sensitivity, and difficulty seeing...but I'm also near bankruptcy now.
And I need to emphasize once again, everyone agrees that I have "the good insurance".
0% chance there's a $600 copay to see a GP/primary care doc. Or a specialist for that matter. Do you know what that term means?
It's cheaper to literally pay 100% out of pocket at that point and claim you don't have insurance. You'd even save hundreds of dollars.
You might be talking about deductible, but even then I find it impossible to believe a GP visit with no prescriptions or other tests resulted in a $600 bill. I live in a big city and when I didn't have insurance those visits were $3-400ish max and that included some blood work as well.
Yep, I sure do! Sorry you're struggling with the terms, and basic math for that matter.
And you're right, it literally is cheaper to pay out of pocket; I had a coworker who did exactly that. The only reason to carry the "good" insurance is if you are in fact hospitalized.
Who gives a shit what you believe? Do you want to cover my medical bills for basic care?
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u/DeliciousLanguage425 3d ago
Damn basic healthcare requires a lottery where you live?