Susan said:US Govt's Blocking Medical Care?
The nurse practitioner said that she might order the copper test, but
that she doesn't know the code, & doesn't know anyone to ask.
She may not know the code, but I'm sure the biller in the office does,
or at least is intelligent enough to grab the office copy of the latest
CPT code book (and HCPCS codes for Medicare) and look it up.
Quoted message said:She said that the govt is getting very strict, & is not allowing them
to
Quoted message said:order bloodwork, even the CBC.
I'm getting the CBC (which isn't much) at the cancer center, but only
because I have third-stage cancer.
So far, I can't get a doctor to order any other bloodwork. I'm
working
Quoted message said:very hard, still trying to find a way to do so, going on over two
years
Quoted message said:now. I don't give up. However, I'm very sick & tired at this point,
&
Quoted message said:would appreciate some help. [Suffering to death, due to a failed
medical system & won't-work doctors, ain't no fun.]
I think you need to have a long talk with your doctors about your
condition. Make sure you know exactly what you're up against and if
there's any realistic expectation for a remission/cure. Then ask about
the extra blood work.
Quoted message said:The govt (& global corporations, insurance companies) seem to be
completely shutting down the medical system, ... under a ton of
hassles,
Quoted message said:rules & regulations, fees/premiums, propaganda/lies, & penalties.
As someone who had to deliver the bad news to the docs she worked for
when Medicare first capped their "allowed" amounts back in 1992, I know
all about this. It's amazing how little insurance companies were
willing to pay for some incredibly intricate procedures that took
several hours; for some reason they thought the docs would accept $112
for a procedure that the average office billed at $2400. I then
learned that the insurance companies were using allowed values that were
20+ years old. The doctor I worked for previously retired when Medicare
slashed the amounts they allowed for lab tests and changed the laws to
require providers to accept those amounts as payment in full.
The insurance companies don't like to part with money. It's amazing
some of the hoops I had to jump through just to get some regular fees
allowed. They find every excuse to raise premiums and deny coverage.
Did you know that if you were ever prescribed an antidepressant, and it
doesn't matter how long ago it was, you can't buy private insurance
coverage, or it's damn near impossible to find a company who will cover
you without having you pay your entire income in premiums? Medical
malpractice insurance premiums are another joke. Why should a GP who
has never had a complaint against them have his malpractice premium go
up 300% in a year just because one doc - who may not even be covered by
the same company - got nailed with a 7-digit settlement? Doesn't make
sense to me at all.
Quoted message said:The govt seems to want the medical system to function, like other govt
agencies, which means not at all (aka "dead in the water"😉.
However, with medical care, this does leave people literally dead
(murdered).
You know, the government has little control over what private insurers
and doctors do. I recall that you mentioned in another thread that you
have Medicare and GEHA, and with both of these you're dealing with
government entities. Medicare doesn't cover everything and only pays
80% of the allowed amount. I think GEHA only pays that 20% between the
Medicare payment and the allowed amount, which, if you were seeing
doctors who aren't Medicare participants, means you get stuck paying the
difference.
I think that the way to solve the health care crisis in this country is
to make Congress, Senate, etc., go through the same hassles as the
average person who has insurance. Only then would we see real change.
Kimmer
kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom
