Insurance Stuff again (OT)

"outsider" wrote in message
...
"Jofirey" wrote in
news:gkDvk.20079$cW3.15088
@nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com:



If it makes you feel any better, it isn't like they get paid $175
every time they see her.

I don't have one of my Medicare payment things handy but I think
they
actually get more like $40 between Medicare and TriCare.

Jo




That's a lot more than I make for 5-10 minutes of my time.

I'll bite. How much does it cost you for support staff for 5-10
minutes of your time? How about cost for facilities? Insurance
premiums? Education?

Most doctors do not make anything like the amount of money the general
public assumes they do. Plenty of them live a pretty normal middle
class existence and are lucky to pay off their school loans by the
time their own kids are in college.

(And yes at one time I knew exactly what most of the doctors around
here earned every year)

Jo

Jofirey wrote:
"outsider" wrote in message
...
"Jofirey" wrote in
news:gkDvk.20079$cW3.15088
@nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com:



If it makes you feel any better, it isn't like they get paid $175
every time they see her.

I don't have one of my Medicare payment things handy but I think
they
actually get more like $40 between Medicare and TriCare.

Jo




That's a lot more than I make for 5-10 minutes of my time.

I'll bite. How much does it cost you for support staff for 5-10
minutes of your time? How about cost for facilities? Insurance
premiums? Education?

Considering the doctor in question (in my original post) doesn't support the
staff of the hospital, I'd say zero.


Most doctors do not make anything like the amount of money the general
public assumes they do. Plenty of them live a pretty normal middle
class existence and are lucky to pay off their school loans by the
time their own kids are in college.

Funny, I asked him if he was related to the orthodontist of similar name I
had when I was 12 and lived here before. He said, "No, but I think I'm
still paying for his house." I got my braces in 1972. That speaks volumes.
Maybe he should have gone into specialized dentistry or orthodontics.

My primary care physician back in Memphis? He went to high school with my
older brother. He's four or five years older than me. He was adding a
"mother in law house" in his back yard by his pool. I remember when this
guy drove an old beat up van. LOL He more than recouped his losses. For
all I know he's knee deep in debt but that isn't my (or his other patients')
problem. He lost his hair in the process, too.

Jill

On Sep 3, 9:04�am, "jmcquown" wrote:
I'm taking part of the "I can relate" thread and starting it over here,
mostly to reply to something Sherry posted. �Hope you don't mind!

Sherry wrote:
On Aug 30, 7:21?am, "jmcquown" wrote:

My doctor is now waffling about whether or not I need surgery. I
think he's figured out I don't have health insurance.

was causing him a lot of discomfort. But the surgeon then wanted to do
a colonoscopy! WHY?
On a patient who was already quickly deteriorating from kidney
failure. BECAUSE HE HAD
MEDICARE, AND A SUPPLEMENT THAT PAID 100%. I swear there are docs that
MILK
medicare and do procedures on people that are just not necessary.

Oh, tell me about it! �For a while Mom was refusing to take her prescription
meds. �She takes a ton of them every day, some of them several times a day.
I looked all of them up and it appeared to me there was some duplication.
(And yes, they were all prescribed by the same guy.) �I'm no doctor. �Maybe
there is a good reason for her to be taking (just throwing this out as an
example) two different medicines for high blood pressure. �But I also think
the sheer number of pills she has to take every day is overwhelming, which
is why she balks at taking them.

So I called her doctor. � I explained the situation to his nurse. �I told
her Mom feels okay, she's not having any symptoms or anything. �I was told
she'd have to come in and bring all her prescriptions with her and they'd
see if things could be changed. �Why do they have to see her?!

I'll tell you what I think. �They charge $175 for an office visit.. �There's
a big sign at reception: �"Uninsured patients must pay $175 office visit fee
at the time of service." �But see, she has Medicare. �And TriCare for Life
pays what Medicare doesn't cover. �So if she walks in the door, boom! �They
get to bill $175.

When I was here in the spring she had a problem. �A short term prescription
got it cleared up. �Still, they wanted her to come back every 2 weeks! �I
ask you again, WHY? �Two guesses and the first one doesn't count

BTW, since I told Mom I was going to take her to the doctor she promised to
(and has been good about) take her pills again. �LOL

How do YOU feel? Do you have a lot of discomfort? If so, I don't think
your doc should approach it
like it's an elective surgery or something, asking you what *you*
want! I would guess that if you
were covered by a good insurance policy, you'd already be scheduled.

Yeah, that's what I figure too. �I feel okay. �I'm back on an antibiotic,
though, because this past Monday I thought I was maybe feeling twinges of
the same discomfort that started this whole thing back in June. �The doctor
had told me to call immediately if I even *thought* it was coming back.

I'm sorry for the rant. I realize this is none of my bizwax but it
really hits a nerve. You deserve the
same care as anyone else, and your ability to pay should NOT factor
into your diagnosis or care plan.
Sherry

Rant away! �I'm right there with you on this. �As for my medical bills, I'll
what I can, when I can. �The bitch of it is I can't even *think* about
getting even a part time job, because taking care of Mom is a full time gig,
you know?

Jill

I know absolutely. I admire you for moving in with your mom. I would
have done the same
thing with my mom. Dad, on the other hand, was not easy to take care
of. We tried bringing
him home, and it did not work out.
Dad was on dozens of pills a day. We had to pay out-of-pocket, becuase
he did not have
Medicare D. The pharmacy bill was $1400 a month. I thought there were
a lot of pills on there
that were not necessary, too, and we did ask the doc to review the
list. He always said he would,
but then he'd usually *add* medicines to it.
Kind of a side-rant, but nursing homes administer
pills from blister-packs, not bottles with loose pills, so there is no
chance of contamination. His
medicines had just been filled a few days before he died.
I asked the nursing homes what they do with the leftover meds, and she
said they destroy them. I understand
they cannot give them to me, because some were scheduled drugs. But I
wanted to donate them
to the "Compassion Clinic" here, where docs treat poor people and give
out free meds. Many were
just common blood pressure, prostate, heart drugs, etc. etc. and the
representatives from the clinic
would have signed them out, not me. They said no, they had to be
destroyed.
Over a thousand dollars worth of drugs destroyed, and people right in
this community too poor to
buy medicine. It seemed like such a waste.

Sherry

"Jofirey" wrote in news:ejHvk.20818$xZ.17350
@nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com:


"outsider" wrote in message
...
"Jofirey" wrote in
news:gkDvk.20079$cW3.15088
@nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com:



If it makes you feel any better, it isn't like they get paid $175
every time they see her.

I don't have one of my Medicare payment things handy but I think
they
actually get more like $40 between Medicare and TriCare.

Jo




That's a lot more than I make for 5-10 minutes of my time.

I'll bite. How much does it cost you for support staff for 5-10
minutes of your time? How about cost for facilities? Insurance
premiums? Education?


Considerable less than this. When I ran my business for 20 years much
less but then I used computers and other technology to lower costs. It
would been insane for ne to have needed 4 support people for one
"earner" which is what I think my GP has (it might even be 5).




Most doctors do not make anything like the amount of money the general
public assumes they do.


I have no idea what most people think but no doctor I ever did work for
made anywhere near (as little as) what I make and trust me few of them
could do what I do. I have no problem with a doctor making good money
but I draw the line at sympathy for them. Well, I guess I have some
sympath with them dealing with all the insurance companies.








Plenty of them live a pretty normal middle
class existence and are lucky to pay off their school loans by the
time their own kids are in college.


(And yes at one time I knew exactly what most of the doctors around
here earned every year)

Jo