Frustrated...

Healthcare

Can I just rant for a bit? Healthcare has been a politically hot topic for quite some time- rightly so. Our system does not work. Working in healthcare, I probably hear more than my fair share of ridiculous situations that shouldn't have to happen. For example:

Remember how in Thailand, I took a nice crash on a rented scooter on a island? Well, a week later I still couldn't lift my shoulder and I started to worry that maybe I should have it in a sling or be doing something else for it. At this point in time we were up north in the city of Chiang Mai. A backpackers paradise full of expats. Well, after asking around, people kept telling us to just go to the hospital. So we did. It ended up being a great "field trip" experience for me. In Thailand they have both public and private hospitals. We went to a private hospital and in 1.5 hrs I  had checked in, met with an orthopedic surgeon, had an x-ray taken, reviewed the results with the surgeon, paid my bill in cash and was on my way with a CD copy of my x-ray. Pretty amazing right? Not as amazing as bill- 

$21

Lets compare that to situation #2. I arrived home from Thailand. I had a bug bite from the last place we stayed Chiang Rai. I was pretty sure it was probably a mosquito bite- but it wouldn't heal. 3 weeks later I called up a fellow nurse in the wound clinic, he took a look at it, gave some suggestions and advised me to see a doc the next week if it wasn't better. Well the following week it was still gross. Like pussy- won't scab over because it is too pussy- gross. I took the advice of coworkers and others and called up to check in with a doc at the wound clinic. I was worried if I went to a primary care doc that they might just send me to a specialist anyway. Well at the doctors office, he cultured the pus, told me to put a different antibiotic ointment on it, and gave me some bandaids. The bill-

$922. AHHHH!

Oh but lucky me, since I pay a handsome amount to have insurance, they worked with my insurance company to lower the bill to 

$579. Oh, how kind, right? 

Hmm, anyone else see my frustration? 10 minutes for a bandaid and antibiotic ointment and it cost a fortune! I tried to work with my insurance company and the wound clinic because I was so irate- and didn't make a different. So I am now $579 poorer. 

Now I know I do not have a solution for the healthcare system. But I do think that no matter what the solution is, patients should have a chance to know what their bill will be before they purchase their care. Kind of like a grocery store- can't afford the nice steak, you make do with some ground beef. Told Mike after this experience, I am totally okay with moving to Thailand :)