Stupid Healthcare

Well I did it. Tell your friends. Tell your Representatives. I figured out what is wrong with the healthcare industry. I am.

Well, actually what has happened to me the last few months this year is one example of the many things that are wrong with healthcare.

I am a completely healthy twenty-eight year old woman, but within the past three months I have spent almost $600 in health related expenses that were completely unnecessary. Ladies and gentleman of the jury...

Exhibit One:
At the beginning of October, I had some mild discomfort in my lower right side. Let me stress (as I did to my primary physician's receptionist) that it was only discomfort. It was not pain. In fact, it was barely discomfort, just a feeling of something not being right. I called his office on a Friday morning to try and get an appointment to have it checked out. I figured the peace of mind was worth the $20 copay. Instead, his receptionist said he had a half day, wouldn't be able to fit me in, and asked for my symptoms. After I explained my situation she (in her non-medical opinion) said it sounded like it might be my appendix. She would tell the doctor my symptoms and get his recommendation. After waiting at work for about two hours, she called back. His recommendation? Go to the ER. After wavering back and forth (I don't even feel bad. He didn't even speak to me directly, let alone examine me. How does he know the situation is serious enough to warrant an ER visit?), I decided to do what I had been taught my entire life. Trust my doctor. I went to the ER where I was stuck in a bed for over four hours. I received a CT scan, was examined by a triage nurse, triage doctor, another nurse, another doctor, the CT scan team (3 different people) and discovered... absolutely nothing was wrong with me. No one out of that entire group of people were able to give me a reason for my discomfort. I received no prescriptions, no recommendations, no nothing. I just left feeling stupid for wasting all those people's time and about $520 lighter in the wallet.

Exhibit Two:
Two weeks ago I went to an eye doctor for my yearly exam. During my examination, the doctor found something that she thought might be a hemorrhage in an artery near my optic nerve. She took pictures (price about $35), was unable to make a clear diagnose and recommended me to a retina specialist. Today I went to that specialist where I dropped a $35 copay and after about two hours was told... nothing is wrong with me. Yes, it was a hemorrhage, but apparently what I have is very common and clears up by itself. My retina specialist actually was surprised the eye doctor did "an examination extensive enough to find this in someone not complaining of vision problems or pain".

I am extremely grateful I have the health insurance to be able to visit all of these doctors and not go bankrupt. I will be the first to tell you that $600 is a drop in the bucket of what healthcare costs to an average American, and I feel lucky that this is the only out of pocket health expenses I have had the last few months. However, I am angry. I am frustrated. My insurance company is going to have to pay thousands of dollars for these two visits which were completely unnecessary. This drives up the cost of insurance and makes it less affordable for families.

I walk away from these experiences having learned a lesson. I need to ask more questions and be more invested in my health. I should have asked to actually speak with my primary physician instead of just accepting that the receptionist would relay my symptoms accurately. (Come to think of it, why was I even talking to a stranger who was not a doctor about my health anyways? Dumb move). I should have asked more questions about how common hemorrhages were and what would be the course of action if I did or did not have one. I should have played a more active role in my healthcare and not just allowed myself to be swept away and overwhelmed by my doctors. I know they have my best interest in mind, but let's be honest. They see me for maybe a half hour once a year. How well do they know me? I should have trusted myself when I thought a visit to the ER was excessive and a visit to a retina specialist when I had no eye problems extreme. Now I know.

P.S. I'm also about 80% sure my coworkers think I'm a hypochondriac... so ... that's awesome.