the wonders of American healthcare
2021-Jul-09, Friday 09:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mellowtiggerI can't get a dental appointment. I've been calling off-and-on since January. When I go to the Aetna website to find dentists that are "in network" for my insurance provider, they show me a list of only 50 names based on my address, I think. The problem is that those 50 slots are all taken up by 2 addresses, large clinics with lots of dentists who are authorized to work there. I can't get an appointment at either location. Just now, I was on the phone on hold for 25 minutes at one of them (again) when the line dropped. The hold music was playing, and the call just dropped.
I tried clicking the button on the website to download the list of providers from Aetna, but I just got the same list of 50 dentists at 2 addresses. :(
In addition, I saw a long thread on Twitter today that finally explains why I got that mystery bill from the anesthesiologist when I had sinus surgery.
It's ridiculous. Many civilized nations have some form of single payer system (not the same as socialized medicine). We could eliminate so very much waste if we disconnected our various healthcare payment plans from employers who have to negotiate these plans for us. Imagine how much time, effort, and cost would be removed from the shoulders of employers themselves if we had a unified national system.
And I keep getting hit with bills from the physical therapy sessions early in the year. Over and over again. I think I'm paying $1K from my own pocket for just a few hours of training. I still had to buy my own exercise straps and equipment too.
Why does anyone fight so hard to maintain the current system of gross inefficiency instead of changing?
I tried clicking the button on the website to download the list of providers from Aetna, but I just got the same list of 50 dentists at 2 addresses. :(
In addition, I saw a long thread on Twitter today that finally explains why I got that mystery bill from the anesthesiologist when I had sinus surgery.
How can a hospital covered by your insurer hit you - and not your insurer - with a bill? Simple. A private equity company has convinced each of the medical professionals you interact with to secede from the hospital's payroll and form an LLC.
- https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/1410974464666308609
- https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/1410974464666308609
It's ridiculous. Many civilized nations have some form of single payer system (not the same as socialized medicine). We could eliminate so very much waste if we disconnected our various healthcare payment plans from employers who have to negotiate these plans for us. Imagine how much time, effort, and cost would be removed from the shoulders of employers themselves if we had a unified national system.
And I keep getting hit with bills from the physical therapy sessions early in the year. Over and over again. I think I'm paying $1K from my own pocket for just a few hours of training. I still had to buy my own exercise straps and equipment too.
Why does anyone fight so hard to maintain the current system of gross inefficiency instead of changing?
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Date: 2021-Jul-10, Saturday 01:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-Jul-11, Sunday 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-Jul-11, Sunday 08:10 pm (UTC)