The uninsured and those with Medicaid
Posted By: me on 2007-02-02
In Reply to: Emergency Room - ERMT2PA
often use the ER for their medical care. I was in the hospital with gastroenteritis because I was having syncopal spells from dehydration. While still undergoing testing in the ER there was a woman on the other side of the curtain who had a headache. She called a friend on her cell phone and had her friend come keep her company. They talked nonstop. I have migraines and I want quiet when I have them. This woman had never even taken anything for the headache, just came to the ER. An incidental finding was thrush because she had a baby and when the baby dropped the pacifier the mother stuck it in her mouth to "clean" it.
I also type ER reports. What gets me is when the patient has abdominal pain for 2 weeks and never sought treatment, then decides to come to the ER.
Our local "indigent" ER is also in the only hospital to take pediatric patients, so if we should have to go to the ER we go to that one. We thought my son had appendicitis and took him and were told they had no acute beds and he'd have to wait, yet they took several with flu symptoms ahead of us, so he was considered acute but not only no bed, but no care. Although as I type this, I'm thinking we had no insurance at the time as DH has changed jobs and we couldn't afford Cobra. We were less than a week away from having insurance, but had none at the time of the visit, although we did pay the bill in full, so maybe that played a factor in things.
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We've been uninsured for over two years now.
I've been debating whether to continue doing MT work or find a full-time government job with bennies (and probably out-of-state travel AGAIN) just so we had insurance.
But because of having Medicaid...sm
Those who abuse the Medicaid system look at it like who cares when I take my child, it'll be paid for. The ER docs know when Friday night comes, in comes tons of children who could have seen an walk-in doc all week long.....these are not urgent cases. The moms sit on cell phones, talk to everyone, it becomes a free for all night at the ER.
Cuts in medicare and medicaid are about to take place
I have mentioned this but it was always deleted as I think the monitor thought I was talking politics.
There will be a marked decline in coverage for services to medicare and medicaid patients and I believe to offset this, medical facilities are finding ways to cut costs.
The cuts will be significant. You could do a Google search for Deficit Reduction Act. Radiology will be most severely hit, especially stand alone facilities.
Many physicians in my area don't want to take Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare
or other insurances because the insurance companies require a huge buydown of charges and then disallow quite a bit for being "above the reasonable amount."
For example, I had double insurance of Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Tricare when I had surgery. The bills totaled $15,000. Blue Cross knocked $5,000 off the physician's $7,800 bill, paid him $600 and left Tricare and me to deal with the $1,200 balance. Tricare wouldn't pay because they disallowed the amount as unreasonable, the physician's office forced me to make payments on it, and I had to fight just so I didn't owe them another $1,200. It was ridiculous that I had double insurance coverage and wound up owing anything. Meanwhile, the doctor didn't even get paid that much, and he did my presurgery appointments, the actual surgery, two postsurgery appointments to remove hardware, plus coordinating everything between cardiology, radiology, anesthesia, laboratory, surgery, and having special equipment trucked in from out of state.
If I had not had insurance at all, I would have had to pay the entire amount. I think it's crazy that noninsureds have to pay the full amount but insurance companies can disallow or buy down the amounts due. Anyway, you hit a big rant of mine. Shortly after I lost my Blue Cross coverage, my son needed to be seen but we couldn't find a provider to even take Tricare at all. So much for my husband serving his country and being away from his family in the line of duty. The doctors get rich and refuse to treat military personnel who fight for their freedom. Talk about a total lack of appreciation.
I asked about this too, you can get medicaid if you get hospitalized and spend a certain amount.
If you have out of pocket expences equalling up to 2000, then you can get Medicaid. I think it is still based on your income, but it is not as strict as it normally is. You have to still pay that first 2000 but they do help with future bills.
Will I not get paid if the hospital isn't reimbursed with Medicare/Medicaid?
I was told by a coworker that California is in so much debt that I may not get a paycheck if CA goes bankrupt because the hospital I work for will not be getting subsidized any longer....
could this be true?
oh our lovely government does give illegals medicaid, foodstamps, and housing so in term we give tha
i have been through some rough times lately and had to apply for some help. there are signs, big signs, all over our offices saying "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LEGAL TO GET HELP". so we and our government do give them our benefits whether they are legal here or not. now that is messed up. i am helping to support them so they can take away my jobs and i can't even support my kids and yes i get benefits, wow $75 a month in food stamps which lasts not even a week in a household of 6. don't get me wrong, i am thankful for any help at the moment, but i get penalized for trying to work my tail off and still can't survive.
there was recently an article in our local newspaper where one of our local school districts tried to charge $1000 a year for each illegal student enrolled. it was bulked and the illegals got a lawyer to sue for discrimination. the school district merely stated that they had to HIRE extra teachers that could speak the foreign language just to teach these children and were trying to offset some of the expenses. ridicilous!! so again our taxpayers money is paying to educate illegals as well.
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