Rant: Our healthcare "system" sucks.

[Coventina]

My 95 year old grandmother has had swallowing trouble for years.

Three years ago she had an esophagram, which we were told showed nothing.

Her Cigna insurance refused any further investigation into the matter.

Now, she's practically choking with every bite.

She FINALLY got approved to have another esophagram. Immediately, the tech called the doctor in.
Turns out she has a MASSIVE hole in the back of her throat, causing the choking.

They said the esophagram three years ago should have caught it, as they said this had to have been developing for five years or more.

Now, it will require surgery, or a feeding tube for the rest of her life.

I just got off the phone with my grandma, she's opting for the surgery, because she doesn't want to have a feeding tube. She'd rather take the risk of the surgery.

I'm going to try and talk my dad into taking legal action against Cigna, but he probably won't. (He has her medical power of attny).

Anyone who says healthcare for profit is a good idea can eat my shorts.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. Such a good thing you got another one.

Hug on gram. She'll need the support. Good job finding the problem.

[genxlib]

2. Help me understand

Where does medicare come into the picture? With someone that old, I would expect them to be the payers

I agree with your premise regardless.

And wishing better health for Grandma

[Coventina]

4. I'll admit that I don't know much about Medicare

So, someone might know better than I.

She has Cigna insurance through Medicare, I guess?

All I know is that whenever I take her to an appointment, it's at a big Cigna facility.

[dflprincess]

5. She may have gone for a Medicare Advantage plan rather than traditional Medicare

or her supplement is through Cigna.

And keep in mind it wasn't so much the health care system that was at fault but the for-profit middleman standing between your grandmother and care.

Never, never, never go with a for profit insurer if you have the option for a non-profit one and can make the choice. Not that the non-profits are that much better but they tend to be subject to more oversight which helps keep them a tad more honest.

[area51]

3. I am so sorry what happened to your grandmother.

For-profit, unregulated health insurance sucks.

[luvtheGWN]

6. I sure wish your Grandmother lived in my country.

The only thing standing between healthcare and the American patient is the for-profit insurance companies and the for-profit healthcare institutions.

If only more folks understood that capitalism does NOT WORK when it comes to healthcare.......

[TheFrenchRazor]

7. i have found that doctors seem determined to quickly tell patients "they're fine," if they can't

figure out what is wrong with them with a couple quick, easy tests that give very clear, obvious results. if a patient's case is at all complicated or unclear, they simply tell them "they're fine." as you noted, this makes it hard for patients to go to other doctors, not only because of insurance denial, but because the next doctor is immediately suspicious that the patient is a "problem customer," or a mental case or something. i am definitely not impressed with the state of the medical profession in my area.