Have insurance but can't find a provider?

D

Denise1952

Well-known Member
I still haven't gotten hooked up with a cardio where I moved to live with my sis. The town has a hospital and atleast 2 clinics I know of, but I have to see a GP before he can refer me to a cardio. I did find one when I first got here, but it took 2 or more weeks to get in to see him. Then he found my issue, so had me scheduled for this Wed. for more tests, to figure how to handle it, then I assumed I'd be referred on to see a cardiologist. Well, they called me yesterday to tell me my new GP (actually called internal med doc) quit!! Walked out at 5:30 day before yesterday, saying today was his last day!! I am laying low because of more issues with getting over-tired the least thing I do. Like I changed my sheets, did a load of laundry, them when by the time I made my bed I was all in for the day:(

When I finally got insurance, I thought life would get easier, but having to move to a new town (no other choice) I don't know what is next. They wanted to hook me up with another doc but couldn't meet with him (and start over, gads) until Oct. but after I panicked on the phone and told the nurse this shouldn't be put off, and explained I had a perfectly good pacemaker implanted, but for some reason, my heart is not working right, even with this "perfectly good pacemaker".

I'm just scared and need to talk, I know no one has any answers, your feedback is welcome though, Denise:concern:
 

Oh,Denise-this is awful! Things sure aren`t like they used to be,are they? In the old days,you would never hear of a doctor just up and quitting-because they were all self employed. Now they are all part of those big conglomerates and have to follow all kinds of stupid rules. I know they just hate it-it`s no wonder they just up and quit! But where does that leave people like you? It`s just so sad (and disturbing) what has happened to our healthcare system.
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
Oh,Denise-this is awful! Things sure aren`t like they used to be,are they? In the old days,you would never hear of a doctor just up and quitting-because they were all self employed. Now they are all part of those big conglomerates and have to follow all kinds of stupid rules. I know they just hate it-it`s no wonder they just up and quit! But where does that leave people like you? It`s just so sad (and disturbing) what has happened to our healthcare system.
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Thanks Mrs. R, I didn't even know about the difference now, and back then. Between the docs being self-employed, etc. I like Dr. Licht, he was really top-notch, I could just tell. I ran into a dental hygienist as well, been doing that for over 40 years bless her heart. She is top-notch, and while I was in there, I could see she was frustrated with the way the office was being run, she, for example, needed support from an assistant, and didn't get it when she needed it. Her and I are still friends and talk often on Facebook. She is back in Roseburg.

I am heartbroken over the Doc leaving, but yet now I have a better understanding of "maybe" why he did. I will be talking to my health insurance co. Monday, asking them if I can go back to my cardio in Roseburg for a diagnosis, and what we need to do about it. I know my insurance covers me wherever I go in the US, but it is up to the provider whether they will accept it or not. It's called the Oregon Health Plan plus (but found out this a.m. it is actually medicaid). Probably give some folks here something to bitch about, me having that insurance. Fact is, I am way below poverty level, tried to work, but got smacked down with this heart issue, so I don't care what anyone says, I need insurance. I worked and payed taxes since I was 16, it's not like I'm some moocher:(
 

Denise, No, your not a moocher! It doesn't matter how much you worked at a job, or not. There are many women, and some men who have worked all their lives, and never received a dollar in a paycheck. We all did what was necessary to haul our behinds through life, and we should be able to get health care when we need it. Keep trying, and don't give up until your health is better. :wave:
 
Ina said:
Denise, No, your not a moocher! It doesn't matter how much you worked at a job, or not. There are many women, and some men who have worked all their lives, and never received a dollar in a paycheck. We all did what was necessary to haul our behinds through life, and we should be able to get health care when we need it. Keep trying, and don't give up until your health is better. :wave:
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Thanks Ina,

This is the one thing that has "interrupted" my life severely and no, I won't give up:) I think I have the answer, and that is to drive to Roseburg. It won't be easy, for a few reasons, but necessary I feel.

denise
 
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Sort of like you -- except I'm on SSDI (Disability from the government), broke, and, oh yeah, after waking up from gall bladder surgery, my back and then around the front -- along the waistline -- hurt terribly, so I kept pressing to get doctors to fix whatever was wrong. It's 15 years later, I was told they nicked a nerve (until last May when two different doctors told me they simply moved me wrong and pinched a nerve between T7-T8 in the middle of my back), so doctors found a few things wrong with my digestive system (pain along my waist in front -- go figure. It's caused IBS.) I gave up trying to get better, when the only thing that helped was pain pills.

Funny thing about pain pills -- perfectly legal, yet the federal government likes to prosecute doctors who prescribe them too often. (I've never abused them, much to the surprise of every doctor who has ever seen me.) So, I settled for a doctor who was a lousy doctor, but at least he'd prescribe the pain pills. The government is pressuring doctors more, so he refused to see me anymore, which left me where you are.

I was lucky enough to find out an old primary accepts new patients now (she didn't for years, and I only quit seeing her, because we had to switch to an insurance she didn't take for a little while.) BUT, since my last doctor was lousy, and because health systems only keep records for ten years, she made me take all the test real doctors regularly prescribe for their patients. AND, when she found out I still had the same pain and am still taking pills for it (she was the first to prescribe them), she insisted I see a pain management doctor and either get a shot for my back or take PT. (Physical Therapy.) The last time I got one of those shots, it felt like someone hit me in the back with a 2 X 4, and the original pain never got better or worse. This time, I found out my whole back is bad, so the shot was lower, made it worse for a day, made the lower pain all better for a day, and then worse. (Ends up those shots -- at best -- work for three months. Big Whoop!) PT made me worse. Both doctors (primary and PT) say the next choice is surgery. I checked, that surgery would take a full day to work well, and most the time it doesn't work well.

So, I'm where you are, sort of. I did some research online of other choices, found out chiropractors help. (My primary and pain management guy are against chiropractors.) So, I called the health insurance people to tell me where chiropractors who accept that plan are near me, so I can get my primary to refer me anyway. (Still waiting around for them to call back.)

Just think. All this fun because the federal government wanted to help us. Ain't we so lucky?

So the moral of my long story:
1. Call your plan to find a new doctor.
2. See if a cardio doctor would take you on and be your primary doctor. (Why screw around with primaries, when you need a cardio?
3. Try not to waste so much time with doctors getting to know you. (Like I did spending three months taking test, getting stab, and flexing muscles that have nothing to do with stenosis.) If patients insist on getting all the testing done quickly, doctors will put them in the hospital over night and get all the test squished in quickly.
4. You're not alone. Many of us have to play the healthcare game, because we have health issues.
 
I'm so sorry Atwhatcost,

You have really been through it:( I did get a primary, just today was my appt with him. We had to go over some things, yes, to catch him up, but he had my results, and past records in front of him. I was also able to request Dr. Giri, top-notch cardio in this area, hopefully the info is right I read on him. So now, I have to wait to see cardio (they'll call me at some point for an appt).

My new primary is internal medicine, seemed knowledgeable but who knows, I am hopeful though. Also, he seems to think the pacemaker needs to be reset, that may be the problem, I hope that is all. The only thing that makes me think it isn't, is the pacemaker they replaced was supposedly good for another 2 months, but I had the same issues, only now, since the new pacemaker, things are worse. Now I get out of breath just standing and talking to my sister for example, or sitting. I can be just sitting and get dizzy spells as well. Well, when I was first diagnosed with the 3rd degree AV Node block, they told me it was progressive. So if that is the case, it makes sense that in 2005 (original diagnosis and first pm was put in 1997) I was told my heart was now 100% dependent on the pacemaker, or I get confused, I mean that the pacemaker has to work 100% of the time. I think that means, even if the pacemaker broke, my heart would still beat on it's own to an extent.

I guess I should ask hey, LOL!! What a dufus I can be. Well, I want to tell you I am ecstatic about you trying a chiropractor. I think you stand a good chance of real help if you get one that uses the manipulative type of adjustments. My insurance will NOT cover a chiro or I would go to one for many of my issues. I'm stuck with the heart situation I'm afraid, but since my surgery on July 10th, I have been in pain off and on, one time last a full, nights sleep over pain in my shoulder that never was there until after the surgery. I mean like a rotator cuff or whatever they call it, so I KNOW that it happened during surgery.

Big hugs, and never give up, let's neither of us give up;) Denise
 
Hi Denise!
It was so good to hear from you, but so sorry about what you are going through. Ah yes, the health care challenge, heaven help us all. I tried for an hour to contact my Kaiser pharmacy without any luck because I will soon be out of my eye drop Timolol med... If I had to dial one more number and repeat my health care number one more time, I was going to use very bad words....very....well, lets just say I FELT like it... :( sigh.... no luck. Gave up.
I wish I knew a magical way to get you right in with a cardio doc so you can get this all done... but at least you seem to have a nice primary! GOOD... I CAN send you healing light and love to surround you... Things WILL work out, Denise... wishing you all good things.
Love, Betty
 
Hi Denise!
It was so good to hear from you, but so sorry about what you are going through. Ah yes, the health care challenge, heaven help us all. I tried for an hour to contact my Kaiser pharmacy without any luck because I will soon be out of my eye drop Timolol med... If I had to dial one more number and repeat my health care number one more time, I was going to use very bad words....very....well, lets just say I FELT like it... :( sigh.... no luck. Gave up.
I wish I knew a magical way to get you right in with a cardio doc so you can get this all done... but at least you seem to have a nice primary! GOOD... I CAN send you healing light and love to surround you... Things WILL work out, Denise... wishing you all good things.
Love, Betty
 
Denise, just a line to wish you well with the health issues and to tell you that I really enjoyed reading your blog, you've done an outstanding job of putting it together....very well done.
 
Bettyann said:
Hi Denise!
It was so good to hear from you, but so sorry about what you are going through. Ah yes, the health care challenge, heaven help us all. I tried for an hour to contact my Kaiser pharmacy without any luck because I will soon be out of my eye drop Timolol med... If I had to dial one more number and repeat my health care number one more time, I was going to use very bad words....very....well, lets just say I FELT like it... :( sigh.... no luck. Gave up.
I wish I knew a magical way to get you right in with a cardio doc so you can get this all done... but at least you seem to have a nice primary! GOOD... I CAN send you healing light and love to surround you... Things WILL work out, Denise... wishing you all good things.
Love, Betty
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Thanks Bettyann,

Dealing with things on the phone is so, very difficult. First, just getting someone on the phone is the hardest thing, waiting I mean. Then many times you don't get anyone that speaks good English, let alone, is kind or compassionate to you:( No one escapes it I don't think. Some things I can handle online now, so I don't even have to deal with a person. Sad to think there isn't the good, ole, mom & pop operations that used to be. You'd walk in and be treated like you were precious family:)

Well, on the bright side, we both have insurance, and we will get what we need eventually, or we at least have the hope that we will:) huge hugs, Denise;)
 
Denise, I wish you well. Personally, I never resented anyone having any kind of state or government paid health insurance. Your case is why it is provided. It is hell to have health issues and then not to have any insurance is just worse because now a person may become a doctor's guinea pig as they turn non insured patients over to interns to practice on. I've known this to happen.

Atwhatcost.. I sympathize with you. I had terrible back problems for years and still have some residual effects from all the surgeries and injections. My doctor would not allow me PT because he said it would only make things worse. Maybe he knew better than your doc. I don't know exactly what shots you have taken, but I get shots in my facets, which really do help and improve my quality of life. It is just having the doctor hit the correct spot in the facet that will make the difference. I probably had 5 or 6 shots in the facet before he hit the right spot. They do this under a fluoroscope (x-ray), so every time I had an injection, they were able to mark the spot on a piece of paper until he hit the right spot and now he just goes back to that spot every time. I get shots of cortisone. I have read about thoracic vertebrae and I would agree that these vertebrae can be very difficult to repair because of their position within the human body. It takes a genius of a thoracic or neurosurgeon to fix these issues. Good luck to you as well. I really mean that.

There are thoracic surgeons out there that accept medicaid and medicare, at least there are in my area.

Oh yeah, pain pills. I could write a book on this subject.
 
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atwhatcost said:
Sort of like you -- except I'm on SSDI (Disability from the government), broke, and, oh yeah, after waking up from gall bladder surgery, my back and then around the front -- along the waistline -- hurt terribly, so I kept pressing to get doctors to fix whatever was wrong. It's 15 years later, I was told they nicked a nerve (until last May when two different doctors told me they simply moved me wrong and pinched a nerve between T7-T8 in the middle of my back), so doctors found a few things wrong with my digestive system (pain along my waist in front -- go figure. It's caused IBS.).................because we have health issues.
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Sorry to hear about your health problems but I also thank you for sharing them here because it reminds me to be grateful for what I have and to protect my health. You and several other folks here have my sympathy.

I often check out 'issues' on a site that is run by a doctor. He presents little four minute videos that always look to food as our support system and medicine and I always find them informative. Here is the link: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/ to what he's said about IBS. I thought maybe you would find something there that might bring you a bit of comfort or relief from what you're dealing with. Hope so and hope today is a good day for you. Fingers crossed right?
 
thanks oldman,

I'm not proud of using a government program, but I am grateful. I saw a lady with two, little boys, Spanish family, come into the clinic. I felt nothing but glad they could see a doctor. I don't know what sort of coverage they had, but I was glad. I talk big sometimes, like tired of the immigrant situations etc. but when it comes to me being face to face with people, I feel love and caring for them. I haven't walked in their shoes, for one thing, and another is I feel I am a part of them, humanity.

I'm so glad to hear you have some quality of life, found a good doc. I can't imagine being in you fella's type of pain, you and atwhatcost. I know there are so many out there suffering, so many things to go wrong with our bods:( Glad we have each other to talk to about it;) hugs, denise
 
That's an awesome site Debby, I think that is the one Doug gave me as well! Also, I am 100% for building up our immune systems with good foods. We'll have to yack sometime on all the food I eat now, that I didn't before I joined SF and learned some things here, and from other articles;)

hugs, denise
 

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