I went to the emergency room tonight....please read on?
Honey, I'm so sorry for your loss. The Doctor should have taken the time to explain this to you. I had the same thing happen to me. I was around 7 weeks pregnant and cramping and spotting. I went to my Doctor and he sent me for an Ultrasound. The Doctor at the Diagnostic Center came in and said that I was pregnant with Twins and everything was alright and that they heard two strong heartbeats. The cramping and spotting continued and I again asked my Doctor to send me yet again for another Ultrasound. This time a different Doctor came in and told me that I have miscarried one twin and the other twin had no heartbeat. I just stared at him. He continued on, in a very cold manner, and said that I would have to have a D & C done to "clean me out". When he left the room, the Technican was still in the room and she couldn't look me directly in the eye. I asked her exactly what he meant and she tried to calmly explain to me that (a) one twin had miscarried and (b) since there was no heartbeat with the second twin, even though I was still pregnant, my baby died inside of me, which is why the Doctor recommended the D & C. You haven't had a miscarriage, but your baby has gone to Heaven to be with God. I'm so, so very sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and I'll say a Prayer for both you and your baby.
I nearly went to the emergency room because of this?
I just had a baby 4 weeks ago through C section. I know my doctor has told me that I should of course take it easy until I've had time to heal. Well tonight I was out in the garage with my husband and parents playing darts. I don't have very good dart throwing form, so instead of just using my arm, I tend to twist my body in the effort of throwing a dart. After throwing a few darts I had sat down for a little while, and during that time I started to have some pain just underneath my chest around my ribs (I mean, directly underneath my breasts). It felt like I had pulled the muscles under there. I just sat there while the pain continued to mount and I was feeling worse and worse. Finally, someone suggested I go inside and lay down until the pain goes away. That only made it worse. I laid down on the couch and the pain only became horrible. I felt like I could barely breathe because the muscles underneath my chest were compressing so tightly. It felt like a knife being jabbed into my ribs. I was gripping my husband's hand and gasping with pain while the tears ran from my eyes. I seriously thought I might pass out from the pain because it didn't feel like it was abating at all. Finally my dad came in and told me we were going to the hospital. I was helped out of the house still doubled over in pain. On the way to the hospital the pain finally eased off and eventually was gone completely. I was left with only a dull ache in my back directly behind where the original pain was. I couldn't believe how much pain I had been just experiencing. So we turned around and went home. My mom told me it was because I had pulled the muscles in my abdomen too suddenly and that I hadn't used those muscles in 9 months from being pregnant. What do you think? Has this ever happened to anyone? Sorry it was so long.
Is it true that Emergency Room workers often see patients that are obviously "gaming" the system to get free care etc?
Do know any system that is never “gamed"? ER is no different. People cheat on their income tax, cheat on each other, cheat buying and selling.You might know someone who constantly schemes to get around the rules. It doesn't happen often as in all the time. It does happen often enough to get noticed.As others have pointed out, if you go to ER and have a mailing address you get a bill. You are obligated to pay. The bill collectors will follow you like a bad smell.If you are homeless you might not get a bill. Thing is, nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks “Hey, I'm going to become homeless so I can get free healthcare. “For the most part physicians and nurses in ER don't involved in denying care or collecting money. For routine care they tell you to follow up with your primary care physician.Believe it or not some good for the homeless can come out of this crappy system. It really depends on the state. In some states Medicaid care is usually farmed out to managed care. When the care managers figure out who the frequent fliers are they try to take action. Sometimes they give taxi vouchers so patients can get to their primary care doctor. They might call to remind someone to attend their doctor visits. In IT Iworked on an automated system that made phone calls to remind people to take ther meds.If homeless are running up the bill a couple of states will do a doc on wheels program. The homeless know when the van arrives and get healthcare there. Medicaid through managed care pays the bill and keeps patient out of ER. Not saying this is a good system.
Bumps on Penis....BF Went to Emergency room to have little BUMP on penis checkd.Doctor checked it and said its
If you've never had sex, little white bumps on the shaft of the penis may be pimples or ingrown hairs. These are common and they're nothing to worry about. Another condition that's normal and no cause for concern is pearly penile papules. These whitish bumps appear on the glans (head) of the penis or along the edge of the glans in many guys. If you are having sex or have had sex in the past, bumps on the penis may be signs of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Painful blisters, bumps, or ulcers may be herpes. Another STD, genital warts (HPV) can show up as bumps on the penis. Sometimes these are irregular in shape or even barely seen, and they're not painful. Some other STDs, like syphilis, also can show up as painless ulcers on the penis. Although the bumps associated with STDs may not be painful, they could put your health and your partner's health at risk if they are not treated quickly and properly.
Just went to the emergency room at the hospital, with no insurance, getting the bill, what should I do?
Depending on what state you live in there is different programs. You should contact your local Department of Public Welfare or Dept. of Human Services and they should be able to refer you to somewhere to give you help. If by some luck you live in Pennsylvania, there is a thing called the Hill Burton Act that will cover medical bills with no insurance. There is also a program here in PA called Concentra, which again should be asked about to your caseworker or social service agency, and they should be able to give you more information. Also, if you would happen to go and get insurance through the state (medicaid, through Welfare dept.) once you are approved for their medical coverage, they will cover hospital and medical bills 3 months back.
What do doctors do when a patient can't pay for life-saving surgery? Will the surgeon let the patient die, or perform the surgery at his/her own expense?
In my Ethics course during my BS in Nursing program we discussed questions similar to this and ethically debated all of the options.In my healthcare system, and in many in MN, we used to offer free or reduced cost care to patients who didn't have health insurance and qualified. Since the government has now required all individuals to have health insurance, we can no longer offer free/reduced care to people simply because they don't have insurance.However, low/middle income patients can apply and qualify for emergency medical assistance; free medical assistance; or sliding fee health insurance with premiums and copays according to income, family size, and several other financial factors (“MinnesotaCare” in MN). These Medicaid programs are given through each state.There are also several free and sliding-fee clinics and pharmacies in MN. My clinic’s previous medical director started a free clinic in Minneapolis which was open 2 nights/week and served anyone who needed care, regardless of income or insurance. It was hosted in a church basement, led by volunteer physicians and staffed by health care students (nursing, pharmacy, medical school, PT, social work, etc…) Funds were raised to provide the cost of the lab testing, supplies and medications. Social work students also met with each patient after care to help them discover beneficial community resources and apply for programs and health insurance if needed. It has been so popular that the health care student volunteers undergo a competitive application process each semester.There are several other "sliding fee” clinics with pharmacies that own independent properties. Patients apply for a discount according to income and other data. The clinics bill at normal rates, but discount according to each patients’ grant eligibility. Some staff are volunteer and some are paid.Our health care system also has offered in the past and still offers scholarships/grants for patients who have difficulty affording treatments, similar to the "sliding fee clinic” concept. We also offer payment plans for patients. We only require payment in advance for international patients who come to us just for medical care. We also must (legally) provide life-stabilizing treatment to every patient in an emergency situation, whether they can pay or not. The only way that we could not provide life-saving surgeries is for transplants that have not been aquired yet or if the patient’s medical condition would not tolerate it.
If a doctor performs a surgery, but the patient dies, does the patient's family still have to pay?
Let's break it down into categories:Deaths that were not malpractice (the vast majority)Malpractice.In Category One, it makes sense that the family should pay. Surgery doesn't come with guarantees. The risks are explained in advance. Most deaths in this category are unavoidable and happen to high-risk patients: not the slim healthy 20-year-old with a bad gallbladder, but the three-hundred pound 78-year-old with a bad heart and lungs. Surgery isn't forced on anyone; it’s offered. The patient opts to take the risk - or not.When it's malpractice, it's trickier. If the surgeon or anesthesiologist screwed up and killed someone, I see no morality in them demanding money. But that still leaves the hospital bill, which covers the facility, medicines, equipment, and nurses. The hospital isn't responsible for a surgeon’s screw-up. But it's probably a good policy to waive the bill anyway.A personal story: I worked as a doctor for a corporation. I saw a list of patients each day, and it was my job to submit bills at the end of each week. Once, I missed something on a patient and he took a turn for the worse. I blamed myself. I felt so guilty, I couldn't help telling the family that I was to blame.They were nice people, very understanding. They wanted me to keep caring for him, so I did, but I never billed them for my work - I just left that patient’s name off the list when I sent the bills on to my company.Many months later, the family engaged a lawyer and considered suing. Their lawyer asked my company to hand over all my billing for the man - but of course none could be found. This caused great confusion, and I was asked about it, and had to explain to my lawyer that I hadn't had the heart to bill. (I had even deleted my earlier billing, from before the man took his bad turn. I just didn't want that family to have to pay me anything.)When the family was told I hadn't billed them, they decided not to sue. Their lawyer ended up writing a letter to my lawyer, explaining that this was the deciding factor.The family was Christian and had struggled over how to treat me. I think if I had billed them, they wouldn't have believed my regret was genuine and would have pressed ahead with the suit. Instead we settled out of court.(I still feel pretty crappy about the whole thing. )
Have any American citizens ever been personally denied healthcare in the USA?
Well, I'm a nurse. I have cared for so many people…..a woman who had a bad cold, then, pneumonia, finally taken to ER because she collapsed at her desk at work. No coverage, didn't qualify for any aid. Spent weeks in ICU, lost part of a lung, home fully disabled, unable to walk more than a few steps, oxygen dependent for life. Don't know how long she lived, because she lost her house while she was sick, kids went to an aunt or someone in another state….Guy who owned a landscaping business got a toothache, no dental, ignored it, got meningitis, ICU stay after 911 to ER, no health insurance…..Diabetics coming in with foot ulcers, mostly working men, losing toes or feet, unable to go back to their physical labor jobs, no idea what happened to them. A lot of them never knew they had diabetes, though it was clear it had been years. No insurance, but they supported families, even though they hadn't felt well for some timeWhen I was 21, had no insurance. Broke my wrist when my purse was stolen. Went to ER, refused to see me, because they only saw uninsured if it was life and death or active labor. A week later the pain was so bad, I went to another ER, where they saw me after I gave them my credit card. The bill was greater than the c.f. limit, and it took years to pay it off. My wrist is still not right 30 years later.I can't even count how many young people became old because of no care. After the ACA, passed, it became so much easier to work as a nurse. People were sick, but we stopped seeing, after the first year, the kind of heartbreaking neglect I described above. The first rush of people getting care was intense, but after that, like I said, people still got sick, but didn't rise to the same level of heartbreak.We used to discharge heart patients with scripts they couldn't fill, or diabetics same with insulin, all the time. Now, people can usually get the medicine they need to live and stay healthy.
Were there any American citizens living on US soil who died because they couldn't afford healthcare?
Yes.Back in 1983 I graduated from the Art Institute of Houston. Back then the school was small and I was in an accelerated program for people who were already at work as graphic artist but needed some additional training. There were only eight people in my graduating class. One of them was a rather pretty girl with the name Leslie. She was one of the friendliest and most talented people I knew.About a year or so after we graduated I heard she died. When I asked a close friend of hers what was the cause she said that Leslie died from cervical cancer. But what she told me next broke my heart. After Leslie graduated she was living on her own doing freelance work while waiting to find a full time job. Like a lot of people our age health insurance was not something you put a lot of thought into. Then one day she noticed something not right. I don't know whether it was spotting or some pain but she knew enough to go see a doctor. The visit to the gynecologist revealed that she had early indications of cervical cancer. Still very treatable if treated immediately. The problem was she was uninsured and even in the city with the largest medical center in the world treatment was unavailable because she had no way to pay for it. And at 23 she was ineligible to go back on her parents’ policy. She couldn't go out and buy insurance because she had already been diagnosed. Her only hope was to get a full time job at a company with a large enough pool of employees that they would cover new employees with previously existing conditions. So that's what she did. As soon as you're employed there is a thirty to sixty day waiting period depending on your insurance provider. Hers was only thirty but between the time she was diagnosed and the time her insurance kicked in about two to three months had elapsed. By now the cancer had been untreated for far too long. Even with her new insurance there was nothing anyone could do. Within the next few months she went through radical surgery and chemotherapy but just the few months her cancer went unchecked made all of the difference.