She literally called me at the time of the appointment to tell me she can’t see me. She was so apologetic, but was like “I absolutely can treat you, but I’m not allowed by your insurance”. Fuck this country.
Update: I went to urgent care. Before leaving home, I called to be sure they would accept my insurance (Aetna). They said yes… After arriving for my appointment, they told me they do not accept my insurance. I will simply leave without paying.
Final Update: I can understand that that differences in physical biology demand different attention. That’s not what I’m complaining about. It’s the way it’s set up. I was told that at my appointment. Why not just refer me to a specialist? The website could’ve even just referred me to urgent care (yes, my insurance requires a primary care physician’s referral for urgent care, according to the urgent care facility). But, no, their goal is to obfuscate and irritate until the patient gives you and pays out-of-pocket.
I was able to receive care at a cost I could not afford. I won’t discuss what I had to do to “find” the money to pay for care and prescriptions. That being said, the condition I was diagnosed with was more serious than a simple infection, and I’m glad that I saw a doctor. I need further treatment and just hope I can get insurance to cover any of it.
If you’re an American reading this, please consider ways to get involved in organizing in support of Medicare For All in your community. Here is one resource I have found. We don’t need to live like this. We deserve better. Stay safe and healthy, friends.
Yeah but the point is you shouldn’t have to shop for the right insurance plan, everyone should get their basic healthcare needs met. The idea that people have to shop around for a health care plan… When every other OECD nation has some kind of nationally-run public insurance plan without this hodgepodge networks. There’s a reason why the US spends 33% of its healthcare spending on paperwork and yet the UK spends less than 1% on paperwork. Even Medicare which is much more simplified and universal for people over 65 has less than 2% of administrative.
The fact that there exist networks at all is really stupid. There’s a reason why no other country in the industrial world does it like the US and there is a reason why the US spends the most for some of the worst outcomes.