Let me explain.
I have been struggling with insurance companies over claims for my guys. I get letters of denial indicating the reason for the denial is "it" isn't an proven treatment for their condition. Their condition is rare. There is no proven treatment. The only thing that can be done is to treat the symptoms as they arise. The health care bill does nothing to stop denial of service.
My son, a former software engineer for Qualcomm, he lost his insurance in November. He applied for new insurance with Healthnet. In January, 2014, he developed aspiration pneumonia. Who knew swallowing took skill! I treated him at home the best I could, knowing that a hospitalization would devastate him financially. Things were looking desperate as his oxygen levels began to drop. Gray is a great new skin color... if you are a zombie!
I found an oxygen machine on Craigslist. With that and left over antibiotics, he survived. His new insurance kicked into effect on Feb 1st. To our surprise, his general doctor and his neurologist, which appeared on Healthnet.com's website, are not allowed under the plan. Nor is he eligible for Medicare until May of 2014.
I called Healthnet. Wait an hour and seven minutes. They can't help me. Transfer me. Wait again over an hour. They can't help me. They say I need to speak to the department I first waited and talked with. Wait again over an hour. We have to apply for another insurance policy. It will be another month until it takes effect. Then we can cancel the current policy which doesn't help us.
This morning my husband had an appointment with his local neurologist. We had been seeing one of the top doctors in the country, for my family's disease, at UCLA Medical Center. We could no longer make the long trip. Today's visit, just down the street, brought disturbing news.
Our doctor told us that under the new health care system, doctors will be leaving practice in droves. When doctors work is not adequately compensated, why stay? Why remain working for less than they can make elsewhere? That combined with new regulations on the doctor/patient relationship adds the last straw. No longer can doctors and patients email each other information. The exodus didn't materialize. Most doctors remained in their careers, but their satisfaction suffered, as did time with their patients.
So, who are these doctors who are preparing to abandon their practices? Certainly they must not be the cream of the crop, dedicated, patient driven general practicioners and specialists! Or, are they? In fact, it is the good doctors, the specialists, who are fleeing practice. Soon we will have a system of only bad doctors.
Who treats rare diseases? Specialists. Are we in trouble, in danger of losing our doctors? Yes, especially these doctors who treat rare diseases, which according to the government is who the health care bill was suppose to help. President Obama's rhetoric changed from "Every American is entitled to good health care" to "Every American is entitled to basic health care." That means specialized care is out the door.Kiss your patootie goodbye if you get an unusual disease or aggressive cancer.
If you care about people and healthcare, urge your Congressman to pass another bill to eliminate the current "health care" bill. Replace it with a bill that simply says people are not required to have health insurance; the IRS may never have any power over healthcare; insurance companies can't drop a person for being ill and can't refuse to cover someone with a pre-existing condition. Period.
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