Health care in the US has gone down the toilet.

[MACKTEXAS]

I've been trying to understand both sides of how people feel. It's been years since I've changed doctors. The one I have now was also my wife's doctor in her final illness. He was very caring to her, and I've been pleased with him, the clinic, and staff. If I have an urgent matter, I can call his office and get in the same day if necessary. If he can't see me, one of his associates will.

But before retiring, I lived in Dallas and felt differently about some of my experiences there. Impersonal, almost cold reception.

My bigger concern right now is how bad things could become if Medicare cuts continue at the same rate they have been: closures of clinics, even hospitals, and less doctors may accept Medicare patients at all. Payments to doctors were cut by almost 3% last year, and some rural clinics have already closed because that was the 5th consecutive year of cuts. Rural areas such as where I live have been particularly hard hit by this. If my local hospital closes, I would have to drive 40 miles to even see a doctor.

 

[smiley]

certainly gone down that way in UK? - OZ is managing to hold its head above water and I do here the Netherland countries are still OK? Be interesting to have a list of countries throughout the globe and their ability to offer high quality health care??

 

[Messy]

certainly gone down that way in UK? - OZ is managing to hold its head above water and I do here the Netherland countries are still OK? Be interesting to have a list of countries throughout the globe and their ability to offer high quality health care??

It depends on where you live. My ex lives in a rich small city. He can call and they help him immediately. I live in a big city next to it. When I had shingles they didn't even pick up after an hour and I fixed it with tiger balm.

Google AI: The Dutch healthcare system is under great pressure and facing significant challenges, which is perceived by many as a decline in quality or accessibility. The situation is complex:

Staff shortages: There is a severe shortage of healthcare workers, which is expected to rise to 301,000 by 2035.

Increasing demand for care: The demand for care is growing strongly due to the aging population and the rising number of people with multiple chronic conditions (5.7 million in 2022).

Costs and unaffordability: Healthcare costs are rising, leading to higher health insurance premiums (an average of €1,884 in 2026). The current system is viewed as inefficient and bureaucratic.

Accessibility: Despite the pressure, in 2025, 6% of citizens indicated they would forgo care due to costs, a decrease compared to 8% in 2024.

It used to be fabulous, everything for free and now you have to pay 400 a year yourself if you need it for medicines etc., but you can also pay less a month, which I do, cause I never go there anyway, and save 20 a month, but if you need care then you have to pay 800 yourself. I broke a molar once and I had the cheapest one. It didn't hurt, so I just waited a year or 2. You can change it every year.

 

[MarciKS]

Some time back, I mentioned how my dr had perscribed some meds to me, that when taken together, had the chance to put you in a coma or die. (something he wasn't even aware of). What a journey trying to find another dr. Seems to be plenty of incompetentance to go around. Example... Latest dr. Wife has been suffering with severe anxiety for several months now.

Dr visits, blood tests, we've done it all. Nothing... not a word... instead, they made her an appointment for a month from now. I can't get her to leave the house or property. How will I get her to a Dr? Today was the worst. (sitting in the dark and suffering involuntary twitching of her arms and legs. So, I call them and explain that it seems to be getting worse by the day and is there anyway to check what the latest blood test shows.

After the usual 3 different call transfers, and the usual "what's your insurance" bs, I finally get through to the Dr's assistant. Explain everything AGAIN and she say's they will get back to me today. Come in from picking up a delivery at my door and find a voice mail. "we understand that you're wife is concerned about you and we're checking your bloodwork now. Shit... I guess the search will go on.

I have noticed over the years they are too overwhelmed with too many patients and not paying attention. My doc takes crappy notes and spent an hour and a half one day in the office accusing me of being non compliant and calling me a liar. We only have one clinic covered by our insurance so switching clinics isn't an option and I'm sure if a doc were available they'd think he was telling the truth.

I'm just convinced nobody cares anymore and they don't listen.

 

[Sunkist]

I have noticed over the years they are too overwhelmed with too many patients and not paying attention. My doc takes crappy notes and spent an hour and a half one day in the office accusing me of being non compliant and calling me a liar. We only have one clinic covered by our insurance so switching clinics isn't an option and I'm sure if a doc were available they'd think he was telling the truth.

I'm just convinced nobody cares anymore and they don't listen.

You should not have to take that kind of crap!!! There must be someone you can report him to!!!

 

[debodun]

Reporting and proving are two separate things. Reminds me of an "Adam-12" episode "A Clinic on 18th Street".
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0505257/reference/

 

[Sunkist]

Reporting and proving are two separate things. Reminds me of an "Adam-12" episode "A Clinic on 18th Street".
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0505257/reference/

That's what individuals in this area say about crime..

But Marci can't expect any changes if she doesn't report it..

 

[Trade]

I got an email from cologuard at 5:14 pm on Friday 4/11/26 telling me that my test results were ready. And it said "Please discuss your result with your health care provider." There was a way for me to view the results but it involved setting up and account and then logging on. I figured it was probably negative like it always has been in the past so I figured I'd wait to hear from my Primary Care Physician who had ordered the test for me Cologuard.. But the next day my curiosity got the best of me so I went through the hassle of setting up an account with Cologuard and that's when I found out my results were positive.

Then of couse I was worried and made a note to call my Doctor when her office opened on Monday. But before I could call on Monday my doctor called me at 8:45am. Not the nurse or the receptionist, but my actual doctor to tell me that my test was positive and that she would be scheduling a colonoscopy for me. And she asked me if I had a gastroenterologist that I preferred.

My Primary Care Physician is Ukrainian. I guess she hasn't been here in the U.S long enough to be corruped by our system.

 

[Pepper]

My Primary Care Physician is Ukrainian. I guess she hasn't been here in the U.S long enough to be corruped by our system.

You couldn’t be more wrong!
My co-op is 98% Soviet Union. They are sophisticated when being criminals. They can see a hayseed like you coming a mile away!

 

[MarciKS]

That's what individuals in this area say about crime..

But Marci can't expect any changes if she doesn't report it..

i have been reporting things to a patient advocate. but with no proof they won't do anything anyway. Then I'd be without a dr.

 

[Mitch86]

I'm age 91 and have NEVER seen a doctor. I get my medical advice from my Amazon Echo Shows and it always solves my problems. AI in the Amazon Echo Shows IS MY ONLY DOCTOR. I take no medical prescriptions so can have no side effects.

When I start to die, I will go into bed and die peacefully, I will NOT go to a hospital.

 

[Trade]

You couldn’t be more wrong!
My co-op is 98% Soviet Union. They are sophisticated when being criminals. They can see a hayseed like you coming a mile away!

Hayseed? I've been called a lot of things. But that's a new one I can add to my list.

Edit: On second thought. Maybe there is something to this "hayseed" label. A lot of times I will read something on this forum and it will trigger an old memory that I haven't thought about in many years. This time it triggered two. The first was back in Junior High School. This would have been somwhere between September of 1959 and June of 1962 these five redneck types came up to me and the leader said something to the effect of "Sodbuster, we're going to kick your ass" Since there were five of them and only one of me I made what I felt to be the only reasonable reply which was "I guess you are".

I remeber the leader thought it was funny and he laughed and maybe that's why they didn't follow through with the ass kicking, or maybe a teacher came along. I'm not sure. As for their use of the term "sodbuster" which has a similar definition as "hayseed" I figured they got it from one of the many western shows that were playing on TV back in those days. But maybe it was because I gave off a "sodbuster/hayseed vibe?.

It was also about the same time , Christmas of 1960, that the next door neighbors invited my mom and I over for Christmas Dinner, and my mom told me to dress up for it. Well the only formal clothes I had was this butt ugly suit that she had bought me at either Goodwill or Salvation Army so I put that on. Then when we got over to the neighbors she strted to adjust my collar or something like that and then said, right in front of the neighbors "He looks like a Farmer".

It was humiliating. I don't think I have ever felt confortable in a suit or sport coat since. I feel like Gomer Pyle goes to the Big City. The first photo is of me in that suit, holding the neighbors dog. The second photo is me siting with the neighbors on their couch and I am next to their hot, three years older than me, that I had a crush on aand was now humiliated because my monm had said I looked like a "farmer". A term which also has a similar definition as "hayseed" Ah, memories pressed between the pages of my mind.

 

[CaliS]

Wow! That's rarely been my experience. The greater Los Angeles area offers so many medical options that there's no reason to continue seeing subpar doctors.

My doctor is good, but he never knows what's wrong with me. They've sent me all over for tests - they never find anything.

I don't think it matters where you live. Doctor's are programmed to prescribe a pill for everything now days.

It is easier to get care in a populated area vs. rural -- that's for sure!

 

[smiley]

not in my case in OZ - live in a northern town of Western Oz - Derby that sports a large general hospital - had knee surgery there once - lovely talking to the doc and aneathetist whilst having it done. we have primary health teams who perform home visits and care. also have a primary health care Indigenous centre which I was fortunate to join some 10 yrs ago and it's quiet and calming - much prefer it to the general hospital

 

[smiley]

so how come I can get the 'best in a small town of 3 and half thousand popn and the Indigenous ones will accept me as white fella. It'sa called sharing and caring!!

 

[PeppermintPatty]

Hayseed? I've been called a lot of things. But that's a new one I can add to my list.

Edit: On second thought. Maybe there is something to this "hayseed" label. A lot of times I will read something on this forum and it will trigger an old memory that I haven't thought about in many years. This time it triggered two. The first was back in Junior High School. This would have been somwhere between September of 1959 and June of 1962 these five redneck types came up to me and the leader said something to the effect of "Sodbuster, we're going to kick your ass" Since there were five of them and only one of me I made what I felt to be the only reasonable reply which was "I guess you are".

I remeber the leader thought it was funny and he laughed and maybe that's why they didn't follow through with the ass kicking, or maybe a teacher came along. I'm not sure. As for their use of the term "sodbuster" which has a similar definition as "hayseed" I figured they got it from one of the many western shows that were playing on TV back in those days. But maybe it was because I gave off a "sodbuster/hayseed vibe?.

It was also about the same time , Christmas of 1960, that the next door neighbors invited my mom and I over for Christmas Dinner, and my mom told me to dress up for it. Well the only formal clothes I had was this butt ugly suit that she had bought me at either Goodwill or Salvation Army so I put that on. Then when we got over to the neighbors she strted to adjust my collar or something like that and then said, right in front of the neighbors "He looks like a Farmer".

It was humiliating. I don't think I have ever felt confortable in a suit or sport coat since. I feel like Gomer Pyle goes to the Big City. The first photo is of me in that suit, holding the neighbors dog. The second photo is me siting with the neighbors on their couch and I am next to their hot, three years older than me, that I had a crush on aand was now humiliated because my monm had said I looked like a "farmer". A term which also has a similar definition as "hayseed" Ah, memories pressed between the pages of my mind.

I don’t know where you got the name ‘sodbuster’ or ‘hayseed’ from. You were a handsome fellow . I think others must have been jealous of you..

Did you ever date the hot girl you liked in the photo? Your neighbour ?

When I was 17 , I dated a 15 year old. He didn’t look 15. He looked much older..

 

[Messy]

-

 

[Trade]

When I was 17 , I dated a 15 year old. He didn’t look 15. He looked much older..

Dang, you were a cougar at 17!

Did you ever date the hot girl you liked in the photo? Your neighbour ?

No. She was 3 years ahead of me in school. She was in High School and I was in Junior High. And she was one of those girls that liked to tease guys. At any given time she had anywhere from 3 to 5 high school guys that she was stringing along.

 

[StarSong]

My doctor is good, but he never knows what's wrong with me. They've sent me all over for tests - they never find anything.

30 years ago I often listened to a mid-afternoon call-in medical radio show when I'd pick up my kids from school. Can't recall the hosting doctor's name, but I learned a lot from him.

When callers expressed deep frustration with doctors being unable to pinpoint a diagnosis, or anger with the medical and pharmaceutical entities for not having a cure or good treatment for their condition, he'd gently start with, "Let's remember, it's not the doctor's fault you're sick."

That show taught me invaluable information, including that there are numerous health conditions that express unusually in some people, or occur so rarely that many doctors may have never come across them.

Having a weird, rare medical anomaly myself, I know whereof I speak. I eventually discovered what was going on via Reddit when (probably my hundredth) symptom search pointed me to a thread of fellow sufferers. It described precisely what I was going through and gave me the name of the condition.

From that and further research, I learned the most effective "treatment" was to avoid whatever triggered it one's own body. Which I've mostly done successfully.

If I were still in the dark about it now, I'd feed my symptoms and info to ChatGPT (anonymously, of course). AI is a pretty good tool for narrowing down medical mysteries.

 

[Jules]

I'd feed my symptoms and info to ChatGPT (anonymously, of course). AI is a pretty good tool for narrowing down medical mysteries.

There’s a lot to be said for trying AI. Ask 2 or 3 sources using as much information as possible while keeping it anonymous.

 

[Jules]

@squatting dog, does your wife’s anxiety decrease when she’s dealing with the dogs. Maybe you can encourage her to go for walks with them.

 

[robin416]

When callers expressed deep frustration with doctors being unable to pinpoint a diagnosis, or anger with the medical and pharmaceutical entities for not having a cure or good treatment for their condition, he'd gently start with, "Let's remember, it's not the doctor's fault you're sick."

That show taught me invaluable information, including that there are numerous health conditions that express unusually in some people, or occur so rarely that doctors may have never come across them.

That second paragraph. I've got a bit of a head start when it comes to illness since I was once in the medical field. But fast forward many years to my husband. Strange, changing, non specific health issues. He ended up in the ICU on a ventilator. Every doc was stumped. Fast forward to being admitted for six weeks in a major medical hospital. It took 3 weeks to figure out what was happening.

Turns out he was suffering from paraneoplastic Lambert Eaton Syndrome. Once they figured that out they knew they were looking for cancer. He was readmitted to the original med center due to the PNS popping back up two weeks after discharge from the big place. One of his attendings told us, I've been doing this medical thing 30 years, I've never seen this. Rare conditions can be very difficult even for those in advanced fields.

 

[StarSong]

@robin416, a few years back a friend in very good health developed a sudden onset of severe neurological symptoms including trembling, memory loss, balance issues, excruciating headaches, seizures, you name it.

He was in and out of the hospital for nearly a month before being diagnosed with shingles in his brain. After they treated it, he was in a rehab hospital for at least a month.

 

[squatting dog]

@squatting dog, does your wife’s anxiety decrease when she’s dealing with the dogs. Maybe you can encourage her to go for walks with them.

Yes, it goes down some. I would hate to see what would happen if we didn't have the 4 rescues.

 

[squatting dog]

And the crap gets deeper. I'm starting to see a pattern developing. Just yesterday, I broke my glasses. Grabbed my back up ones. Figured this was good timing as it was time for my yearly eye exam. Good news... my vision hasn't changed at all. So, I ask them to go ahead and make me another pair of glasses.

No can do is the reply. First, you must go to these referrals and have more tests done. If my vision hasn't changed, why can't you just get a second pair of glasses? Well, this led me on a search to find another eye glass place somewhere nearby. Well... surprise, surprise,every one of them is part of a system called "eyecare partners"... which just happens to belong to a... SURPRISE... private equity firm. Shit.......