Medical Systems

Um...havent seen SICKO yet. Too depressed to. When I had insurance, I didn't worry about the costs b/c back then, I had it under my mom's work. She had a PPO from a utility company so awesome coverage. Then I didn't have insurance and I thought I wouldn't ever need it again. I thought I'd been sick as a once in a lifetime sort of thing. Even afterward, I tried to get insurance and found it was super hard 'cause I had been sick so bad once upon a time. They made it unaffordable and unworth buying it. Then, I got sick again. I weigh ER visits because they always seem so much more expensive. I never use ambulances.

If I quit working I would be able to get social security disability insurance, maybe. I only been working 12 hours every other week. But I still make too much and that's at 11/hour. If I don't pay on all the hospitals bills that are coming in, even if its a dollar; within time, they can take me to court to garnish my and my husbands' wages. I look at how other countries seem to work better or worse health care and feel envy.

Hi Joie,

I am sorry to hear that the movie seems to be true.

I do live in the lucky country as here we can do 15 hours at about $25 per hour. As my wife does not work and we have three kids she also gets paid and then we also get child support in round figures all combined about $1500 per week.

In Australia the government looks after it most vulnerable this also includes homeless and even visitors from other countries (Tourists ect)

I do heal for all of you as I know we have private insurance for medical in Australia and getting them to approve procedures is very hard as they are looking after the bottom the line (Their profit). It sad to think in what is meant to be first world countries that you can be treated so badly when you are at the lowest point of illness. And let’s face it is only due to companies wanting to make profit.

I know from the movie “sicko” the cost of medication was thru the roof. Here I get tramadol 200mg SR x 180 tablets, oxycodine x 90 tablets, panadine forte x 320 tablets, valium x 180 tablets, voltarine x 180 tablets, lirica x 320 tablets and some other for the grand total of $5 ($3 US)

You have to ask why different countries are so different. I have worked in the US and if I had got sick in the US the Australian government would pay as I am an Australian citizen and they have agreement with the US government. I think it is the same as if you came to Australia you would not have to pay in an Australia hospital who sick is that!!!!

I look forward to the replies as many people here do not believe the movie as we have nothing like this in Australia and cannot understand how it would be possible for the government to do!

Thanks and I hope you all have a low pain day

David

David,
Do you have an extra room at your house? I think I may move to the land down under!

PaLady

I'm afraid I haven't watched that movie but I have to say that our health care is horrible here in the US. Even on Worker's Comp like I am on they look at my primary ins first which they should not even touch. Everything should (IS) covered under my WC claim! I have had them send me bills for 113 bucks for doctor visits or even when I had my very first fusion surgery on my lower back I got a dr bill from the hospital for a grand total of 119,003.47 which I found outrageously high!

Prescriptions too are way out of control and I cannot imagine having to pay out of pocket for my medications. One of my meds is called Topamax and I get 28 day supply each month. For 28 days its 389 bucks! My sister takes the same medication for her migraines and she has to pay out of pocket for hers so I know how much it costs for her to get hers and I think it is crazy that it is so much.

Anyway thought I'd put my two cents in.

Scarred

David,
Please keep in mind that Sicko does take some artistic license. Yes, there are problems with the health care system here in the U.S. Yes, people fall through the cracks. Part of the problem is that there is no nationalized health care system. Free, or very cheap, public health care is dependent upon state & local governments. I live in a large city & pay plenty of property taxes & sales tax (the highest rate in the U.S. actually, though all of my overseas friends are exceptionally jealous of the "low, low taxes" they claim I pay). The public hospital in my city gives practically free health care. For example, my brother was injured & fell into a coma. His entire bill (no insurance) for the ambulance, 4 MRI's, meds, 4 specialists, ICU care for 4.5 days, plastic surgery, take home prescriptions (antibiotics & pain meds) & follow-up care was $300. The bill was actually paid by the person's property insurance where he was injured so he paid nothing, but in any case even if he himself would have had to pay it would have only cost $300 [I couldn't even believe it! We had to call to double check that there wasn't some kind of accounting error. At a private hospital in the same area the same care could have easily cost $30K]. We also have over a dozen free clinics available & people can get certain medications there for very cheap.

I wouldn't recommend anyone move here from anywhere else in the U.S. b/c you will pay a boatload of taxes. If you do not have a medical emergency, to get into a doctor at the same hospital I have seen people wait 3 months, even when they have fairly serious illnesses. They can get their maintenance meds for $3 a month no matter what it is, but getting into a doctor every month for re-fills is practically impossible so a lot of people do without their meds for weeks at a time. But I know in some sense we are very fortunate. I have met people from other states who weren't even permitted in the hospital to deliver a child unless their bill is pre-paid (in my state labor is treated the same as a medical emergency). At least here, there are some options & a lot of hospitals & doctors' offices, even the private ones, will work with people up to a certain point.

It can really be difficult for some people. I am blessed to work for an large corporation & have just about the best benefits money can buy, but even they are not without problems. They are constantly trying to convince me that I should be willing to accept substandard care as long as it is roughly (VERY roughly) similar to what my doctor recommends. It seems I have quarterly battles with them about this, but I keep reminding myself that at least I am able to battle with them & that is more than some people have.

Plenty of debates have been held over the last 15 years about how to change our health care system. The argument is often made that with socialized medicine people will not be able to go see their doctor whenever they need to. I've heard that is the case in other countries. Friends of mine from Canada & Germany say that often they have to wait for months to get in to see their pain specialists. Has that been your experience in Australia? Usually I can get into see my PM within 48 hours if I'm in a lot of pain. Just wondering how that works out for you.

-frances

Hi Frances,

I am glad to hear it is not all bad!

In Australia we do pay a lot of tax but in return we get great benefits. Prior to my injury I was in the top tax bracket and yes everyone compares our tax system with other countries and up till I had my injury I did not fully understand how lucky we are.

As for seeing doctors I can use any doctor I wish and as my doctor who I have used for the past 15 years he is very good and compassionate and does not believe in swallow this pill and come and see in the morning attitude. But as he is a very good doctor I am not be able to get in to see him straight away this usually means I have to wait one or two days, this is due to he is very busy and has a good practice and I do not want to see another doctor that works at his practise. As for a NS I went to 5 different ones at different hospitals to get their options on what surgery I should have. I am now on the waiting list at the largest teaching hospital in Victoria and I have had the person who books in the surgery ring me yesterday and am scheduled to have surgery late January as they close down the operating theatres for maintance and emergencies only from late 23rd of Dec thru 15 Jan and they do not book surgeries in over this time, so even with this I will have to wait of about 8 weeks. And considering it is free who can complain. When I first did my injury I got an ambulance to the hospital due to not being able to walk and then they got me an ambulance home and had nurses and PT visit me at home every day for 3 – 4 months till I was able to bear weight without a frame. Then we started using the local PT that is ran by the local council twice a week to now. The only reason I have waited 18 months for surgery is that I did not want it and have tried every conservative treatment first. My doctor has a patient that had a discectomy with a month of the injury against my doctor’s advice but it shows if we want it we can get it.

We also have private insurance and from people I have met since my injury they regret having it as they are always fighting the insurance companies for different tests and treatment. And in Australia if you have private insurance you cannot use the public system without the insurance company paying.

In Australia we believe you gauge how good a government is by looking at the most vulnerable and this is why when USA is meant to be a superpower how can people be looked after so bad!

Especially now I would rather pay more tax than have to worry if any of my family got sick they would not be looked after.
Thanks

David

Frances,
I think the area where you live is the exception and not the rule. It took me over 2 months to get in for an initial eval. when I first when to see a pm doc a few years ago. Then the injections started, and while he would tell me to come back in two weeks after I received the injection, when I went to the front desk to schedule he had no openings for 6 weeks. So to get a few lousy injections, which didn't work anyway, took several months. The same happened with the other pm doc in my area who does injections. Neither of them prescribe meds.

I won't get into a discussion now as I'm too tired, but there's a middle ground between socialized medicine, where the hospitals are owned and doctors are paid by the government, and what we have now. That's what's being proposed; the development of some type of reasonable hybrid. Every system has its downside, but just in the past couple of days on this forum we've seen examples of good people without insurance, and that's plain wrong, IMHO. No, evveryone won't afford the same levels of care, but we all should be able to get needed meds and procedures even if we have to wait or use generics. I'd be witout insurance if my cousin wasn't helping to pay for my COBRA. When that ends I will either have no insurance or have to be on Medicaid, if I qualify. IF everyone is forced to be in the pool, that lowers rates for everyone, including employer costs. It's just the insurance companies and pharmaceuticals who don't want to lose their huge profits.

Ok, I'll stop my rant!

PaLady