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
