Ok, I guess I'm a little annoyed with my health care provider. Don't get me wrong, I love my doctor and her supporting staff are like angels on earth. My gripe is with the admin side of this provider. Instead of telling you who they are I'll just refer to them as "Circle K". To be honest they aren't really all that bad. In many ways they kinda remind me of the old military hospitals without the sickly lime green walls and rancid smell. When it comes to basic care it's great. You're in, you're out, no hassles except when you have to circumnavigate the sicklies that are coughing and wheezing in every direction but hey every hospital has that problem. Amazing how many sick people you find in a hospital. ;-)
My issue is really with how they handle, at least in my case, special health care needs. So I've had melanoma twice in my life. Both times led to some surgery, lots of scans and follow ups. Since I've had it twice there's an expectation that I go in every six months for a CT scan to look for any bad joojoo in my system. What has me in a twist are significant co-pays I've been saddled with just to get these scans. You'd think having melanoma twice I'd have some kind of Executive Platinum status, that these scans would be practically free. Hey, it's not like I'm asking for a beverage service or a meal. I don't know if it's a Colorado thing or just a reaction to the failing economy but when I was in California these scans, to include MRIs, were dirt cheap in terms of a co-pay. I come to Colorado and the costs have jumped through the roof. Ok, I understand the bean counters are doing all they can to help keep a positive cash flow going but where I rile is how not only are critical care services becoming more expensive, other services that were once frowned upon are readily available to damn near anyone.
I remember it wasn't so long ago that Lazik, massage therapy and chiropractic care were all considered voodoo witch doctor treatments that had no place in the "real" medical field. Now those same treatments are standard offerings by this same health care provider but services like CT scans, PET scans and MRIs are practically considered forbidden unless you're stinking rich, and last I checked I'm more stinking than rich. Now I don't pretend to understand all the in's and out's of the medical insurance world and I'll leave it up to my doctor friends to chime in with how this all works. I'm only speaking from the patient's point of view and from the cheap seats it doesn't look all that good.
I'm not sure if socialized medicine or "go get your own" medical care is the right answer. Too many people on both sides of the fence are arguing loudly so it's kinda hard to hear the truth. As for me, I'm forgoing any more scans for the simple reason it's too damn expensive. The melanoma specialist I saw in California has assured me this "bug" is in my system and it's only a matter of time before it shows up again. Not trying to be all melodramatic but spending a significant chunk of change every year for something that may or may happen isn't in line with my retirement plan. I'll continue to be overly sensitive and paranoid over any little thing and get those checked out as they come up but my days of subsidizing some administrator's new car purchase are over.
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