I Was Not In Position To Shop For Surgeon When My Left Was Was Amputated 3-2014.

[TheMastersNemesis]

Health care IS NOT like shopping at Walmart God Damn It! Ending up in ER with sepsis from a Staph infection MES in my left foot was hardly the time to get in a wheel chair and GO OUT SHOPPING. I get so pissed every time I hear the market place crap.

I would not have survived without decent insurance and Medicare. It is that simple. I ended up with a lost foot and a wound pack on my right leg for 90 days with a 2 inches deep wound 7 inches long in my calf. Plus knee flush 7 weeks later.

The country is in critical condition with the pending GOP wrecking crew in charge. Why aren't voters hunting these GOP people down and accosting them?

[Dave Starsky]

1. Health care, in general, is like having a gun held to your head.

When was the last time you shopped around for a better mugger?

[MFM008]

2. sorry

and I felt 'affected' when I got my knees replaced................
We need reminders of stories like yours.

[KT2000]

3. I tried shopping once -

Was told to get a colonoscopy so called the billing office to find out the cost using the codes from the previous one I had. I asked for approx. cost as if I was having the same thing done this time. They said they were not allowed to tell me that.
So much for shopping around.

[progree]

9. I called an urgent care and asked if they took my insurance plan (naming it)

and I got an abrupt snappy response "sir, we take the majority of insurance plans"

I did check my insurer's website beforehand and it seemed to be in-network but wasn't sure. And I read articles saying that insurer's websites are notoriously inaccurate and out-of-date and if you rely on it and you are wrong, you are fucked, not them. Or maybe the facility is in-network, but the doctor that sees you there isn't.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the glories of the free market.

[spooky3]

4. Here was my response to a grad student who advocated

Market based solutions:

"If the market worked in health care, the US would have the highest quality outcomes and/or the lowest prices in the world. But instead we have by far the highest prices, and rank in the 30s on several important outcomes, e.g., infant mortality, life expectancy."

To my surprise, he thought for a bit and said that was a good point.

[LAS14]

5. "Shopping" from an emergency room gurney is not on.

How can the proponents not be affected by this??????

[superpatriotman]

6. Best friend passed in December 90 days after leg amputation

Please keep it clean and watch for infection.

[Blue_Roses]

7. Wow! I would be interested in hearing your story...

I too, ended up in the ER with bacterial pneumonia, that turned septic and an MRSA infection in my left foot. (I had slipped in the shower from being so sick and broke my foot)

This happened last March and I'm STILL recovering. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks and ended up coming home with a PICC line and IV meds. The doctors wanted to amputate my foot, but I profoundly said NO. And I'm glad I did.
Just a long saga all the way around.

I can relate!

[pnwmom]

8. I am so sorry that happened to you. And it drives me crazy, too.

When a doctor sends you to a specialist, you don't say, "Can you give me the name of the cheapest one?"