To the Men of DU - tomorrow, I have to strip naked for a woman, then she will "feel me up".

[Denninmi]

Minds out of the gutters, guys.

I'm having my annual physical, my internist/PCP is a woman, and it doesn't bother me a bit.

Men tend to avoid routine medical care, physicals, etc. Many men only see a doctor under emergency or semi-emergency situations.

Guys, it's really important, especially in your 40's and older. A routine physical can catch many diseases early, when they are the most treatable. And, it's good to have a regular PCP who knows you and your health history.

So goes my Public Service Announcement for the day. Probably not the only kind of PSA I will experience tomorrow.

Just think about it.

[HarveyDarkey]

1. I knew that's what it was

Not all of our minds are in the gutter all of the time, anyway.

[Denninmi]

4. Don't get me wrong

I enjoy a good gutter at times.

[HarveyDarkey]

7. Well me too, sometimes more often than not

My last doctor was a woman, so I know the feeling. The prostate exam was the worst, I'm glad her fingers were smaller than the male doctor she replaced after he retired.

[NYC_SKP]

2. I would gladly pay....

...oh, wait, I already do.

$1,432/month for COBRA...

PLUS a $20 copay.

[Denninmi]

3. Yikes.

I thought my policy was bad, $220 a month.

[NYC_SKP]

5. It is brutal. For one person. That's more than my mortage. ACA will cut it in half.

It's killing me.

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. "$1,432/month for COBRA... " really?

.
.
.

That's over 17 THOUSAND DOLLARS a year . . . for healthcare.

And it's not cumulative -

you can pay that 17 grand a year, and after you stop paying in, lose the employment, the money is gone -

just plain gone after a short period of time, (18 months).

MAN! - I'm glad I'm in Canada.

My "income" for the last 6 years never topped 7 thousand -

BUT I GOT HEALTHCARE

oh - links:

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/insurance/11/intro-cobra-health-insurance.asp

http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/healthinsurancebasics/a/COBRA_basics.htm

http://healthinsurance.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=healthinsurance&cdn=health&tm=262&f=10&tt=2&bt=7&bts=7&zu=http%3A//www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-consumer-cobra.html

Interesting Acronym -

COBRA = SNAKE

CC

[Bunnahabhain]

15. He's already lost the employment

That's why he's paying COBRA. Instead of his employer picking up the lion's share of the bill he's paying all of it.

This is not to say OHIP is "free," btw. Outside of generally higher rates of taxation my friend had to pay $900 direct tax to OHIP. Oh wait. It's not a tax. It's a "levy."

[ConcernedCanuk]

17. I'm 62, never paid OHIP (our healthcare) a dime other than small deductions off my paychecks.

.
.
.

By small, I mean less than 3% of my pay - never missed it.

Now, no income other than retirement benefits, I pay nothing.

OHIP does not cover everything, no plan does.

When I had good employment, I paid a supplement, again, a tiny sum so I was entitled to a private room (not really a necessity), and a few other "perks" if you will like TV/phone and so on.

But I could get a heart transplant or such, and would not cost me a dime - my savings and my home would be intact on my recovery.

If I did NOT survive such an operation, my estate would be intact for my beneficiaries.

USA is a wee bit behind on that . . .

But they are good at WAR!!

CC

[Bunnahabhain]

18. You might not have paid it

But others sure as hell did. That money doesn't come from the tooth fairy!

Listen, I was born and raised in Ontario and my entire career has been in health care. There's really not much you can tell me about OHIP. Heart transplant you say? Did you know in 2010 Ontario only did about 60 of them? That in all of Canada only five provinces have the capability to do them? In 2010 about 160 transplants in all of Canada happened. Read here: http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/c.pvI3IeNWJwE/b.3581729/

I grew up on southern Ontario. Let's look at CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) wait time for Windsor: http://www.waittimes.net/surgerydi/en/Data.aspx?LHIN=&city=Windsor&pc=&Modality=4&ModalityType=8&dist=25&str=&view=0&period=0&expand=0&Type=0&

You cannot even get a simple CABG in Windsor! This is an MSA of over a million people. You have to go to London. Family has to pay to stay somewhere, patient is not in their home city, etc. Also, notice what the province wide wait time is for a CABG. 42 days! I could get one tomorrow in the US. (Cue, "But you have health insurance." Yes, I do and I can get a CABG at the drop of a hat which is the point.)

I really want the US to have a universal coverage plan; it's what I think a civilized society should do. However, I do not think it should model Canada's version of this nor do I accept the typical Canadian hubris about the state of healthcare in Canada.

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. " typical Canadian hubris about the state of healthcare in Canada."

.
.
.

I have no idea how old you are, nor how many times you may have benefited from our system.

I have benefited from it a few times, not a whole lot, but when I was poor it saved my life.

No, the money did not come from the "tooth fairy" - it came from contributions made by millions over their careers,

and as you should well know, it's only a small percentage of the contributors ever "use up" their contributions.

Now, it's one thing to criticize our system, which in some ways may deserve it (nothing is perfect),

but there are less than half a dozen (if that) systems that work better than ours.

"Canadian hubris" ??? - that's a little bit extreme methinks.

CC

[Bunnahabhain]

22. That's your opinion.

My opinion on the Canadian hubris surrounding healthcare is based on three things: my education (public health, policy and administration, and clinical background), my actual work within both the US and Canadian healthcare system, and my lived experience of over four decades of being Canadian which includes untold hours of listening to my friends and relatives back home give me their opinions on the healthcare system of both countries.

We're both equally entitled to our opinions. You share the same lived experience as I do, being Canadian and interfacing with OHIP, but you lack the other two components. I'm not saying my opinion is better than yours but am pointing out my opinion was not formed in a vacuum but rather from within a rich context of education, work, and lived experience.

Back OT, let's commend our thread starter on pushing preventative screening.

[NYC_SKP]

16. Thank you for the links! COBRA is a trap, if you qualify you have to use it.

Or go without.

I resigned from a job in March and have spent months trying to a cheaper policy but Anthem carries the plans I want and also host my COBRA plan.

They have no incentive to give me a cheaper plan. They've rejected my application for it taking too long for me to answer one request for information after another, they suck.

I can't qualify for HIPPA for being denied because I qualify for COBRA.

It's a trap.

I look forward to reading the links.

[trof]

6. My last 2 'family practice' physicians have been women.

The first was/is a close friend of many years.
Sadly she retired.
(We're both in our 70s.)

I am much more comfortable with a woman doctor.


I just feel that she really has my best interests in mind for healthcare.
She's a sweetheart.
Spends as much time with me as we need.
No hurry.
Answers all my questions.

Call me sexist, but I think women make the best GPs.
Oh yeah, I'm a 72 year old guy.

[RushIsRot]

8. Turn your head and cough, please.

[Demo_Chris]

9. I cannot afford medical care I actually need, which means I don't get it...

Sucks, but that's America. If you are one of the top 10% or older you get medical care, otherwise you have the internet and (if you believe that crap) prayer.

[HipChick]

10. Right..

i better go to bed..nothing to see here

[Gidney N Cloyd]

14. That's what the doctor said...

[Art_from_Ark]

11. Yup, emergency or semi-emergency situations only

I have to be in a lot of pain or discomfort before I'll go see a doctor.

[davidpdx]

12. Good luck

I had my check-up recently along with a tube shoved down my throat (better then up the ass I guess). I have had some problems with excess bile in my stomach. My cholesterol was sky high and I've started on a diet, exercising and taking Omega-3. Hoping to get it down close to 200 by early next year. So the weight, bile, and cholesterol were the main issues. All controllable if I get off my butt and do something about it.

[Aristus]

20. Back when I was a Medical Assistant, one of my jobs was to serveas a chaperone

for a female DO with male patients visiting for general physicals, or for STD checks. I'm glad to hear it doesn't bother you to have a female provider, and it shouldn't. But if it did, you could request a chaperone for the visit.

Needless to say, now that I'm a Physician Assistant, I always, always, always have a female assistant present when doing breast or gyn exams. Even if I'm just taking a quick look at a rash on a female patient's butt. Liability is one thing, but patient comfort and security is my prime concern.

[Denninmi]

23. I understand why it's done with a male HC provider and female patient.

Honestly, I never considered the possibility it would go the other way. Why would a man need a witness? I doubt female providers would do something inappropriate often enough to merit it. Male providers, either, for that matter. Alas, we live in an imperfect, litigious society.

[Aristus]

25. The patients in questions weren't minors or anything, but they were still pretty young.

18 or 19, etc. I expect the increase in the reports of teachers initiating sexual relationships with their male students may have something to do with it. Or it may be this provider just wanted to avoid even a hint of impropriety, and who can blame her?

[Denninmi]

24. BTW, she was really impressed with my weight loss and fitness routine.

The summary printout they gave me afterwards said "Congatulations, keep it up."

Which helps, very motivating.

[Bunnahabhain]

26. Great news

Keep up the good work.

[Taverner]

21. Call me sexist but I prefer female doctors

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

27. It's worse when your Doc has trainees in tow ...

Doc: "Please, students, check Mr Bozo's prostate. And be sure to thank Mr Bozo for supporting educational efforts."

Bozo: "Thanks, Doc, can I have a script for medical marijuana now?"

Doc: "No, but almost as good: here's a cook-book for things made of tofu"

[mythology]

28. I had that when I needed my appendix out

After about half the med school class poked my stomach to see if they could make me say it hurts, I had to stop. It was bad enough that I waited until I couldn't stand upright before going to the hospital (I blame having a nurse for a mom, I couldn't get away with faking illnesses, plus nurses are a sturdy lot), but then to have an extra 10-15 med students push on my appendix made me want to cry.

[Bucky]

29. You knucklehead

You don't get to write a woman's gonna "feel me up" and then tell us to get our minds of the gutter.

But, yet, a routine physical (started mine last year at 48) is the smart way to age.

[Denninmi]

30. Really?

I just did!