Medi-Van Transportation to Doctor Appts

StarSong said:
So after riding this merry-go-round, the answer is to chip off a few dollars and handle your own transportation because you're not eligible to get it for free.
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To me, it sounds like Deb needs to sell her house and move to an apartment in a larger city....nearer the medical care she will need. With no family or close friends, her situation is only going to worsen.
 

Della said:
The last time my husband needed to come home from the hospital, 50 miles away, we were surprised to find that our insurance pays for taxis to and from the hospital. The taxi driver just added it to the hospital bill.
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Car insurance, Della?
 
Cab companies can usually very closely estimate the cost (or give you a set predetermined price) that you could pay beforehand, and in some situations, possibly should.
 

Deb, have you found someone? The last thing I can think of is to have one of the friends or relatives come get you the night before. Get a nice hotel room. As far as I know they would take cash for the room. The two of you go out for a nice dinner. It be will easier time for you both to get up and get you to the surgery. If they don't require your person to be there, they can go back to the hotel, get some more sleep and breakfast. Pack up and check out. They could go shopping, to a museum to pass the time. You can head home as soon as you are released.

I will say should have a credit card for an emergency. I went and got my own after my husband died. There was no question that it would be approved, they wanted to keep my money in their bank. I have never had any type of problem or fraud and I use it for all my purchases, safer that giving someone a check with your account information on it!
 
debodun said:
They told be before that they give the bag of clothing I remove to the person that brings me to my appointment. Apparently where I go they don't have secure lock-ups.
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Curious as to how that would work if you did get hospital transport though, surely the driver isn't obliged to take care of his passengers' personal items?
 
Della said:
No our medical insurance -- Medicare plus Tricare (military.)
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That's great, and it's good to know, that some medical insurances do help with medical transport expenses. I was not aware of that.
Thank you for the reply. :)
 
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Trish said:
Curious as to how that would work if you did get hospital transport though, surely the driver isn't obliged to take care of his passengers' personal items?
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These places definitely make attempts to try to get patients to bring one family member or trusted friend/ neighbor, etc. for multiple reasons.
Outpatient day surgeries don't prefer the other transport options.
They want the driver to be seen by them.
And even if the driver is a medical transport or a cab, then the outpatient medical facility often likes a family member to be closeby, if needed and if at all possible, but sometimes one might not be available for some of us.
 
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Blessed said:
I will say should have a credit card for an emergency. I went and got my own after my husband died. There was no question that it would be approved, they wanted to keep my money in their bank. I have never had any type of problem or fraud and I use it for all my purchases, safer that giving someone a check with your account information on it!
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Excellent idea, for many others of us, as well. Thank you, Blessed, for the post.:)
The banks have many protections, for their cards, especially if it's the kind from the bank you have your own account in, as you explained. And as you said, they give them to you if you have an account there, based on that.

I hope you come up with something that works for you, for this stressful week, Deb.
 
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Everyone I know fairly well at church that I've contacted is sick right now - 3 of them said they have COVID really bad.

Things you should know, if I haven't mentioned them already:

1) The hospital requires the driver giving medical transportation to be a relative or close friend.
2) whatever items I have on my person at the time of surgery will be placed in a bag and given to the driver for safekeeping.
3) I have to spend the night of the surgery with someone that can keep an eye on me and be available for any emergency (this is not the big problem - my aunt said I could stay at her house, but unfortunately can't drive out of town).
4) the driver has to be available the next day for the surgical follow-up appointment which is at 6:30 am. This is avery short appoointment, but is a 60 mile round trip.
 
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How much are you willing to pay for a driver to do this work? Several hundred I assume, I just don't know. When is the surgery? You must have said, I'm sorry, I forgot.

Surgery is a bad enough experience. Your situation is quite frustrating it's hard to help you, but just know I sympathize with you.
 
This type of eye surgery, and some other surgeries too,
years ago, probably required a 2-night hospital stay,
but now that is not even offered as an option, for most.
 
Sadly not everyone has family or friends and, even if they have, not everyone has access to transport or someone who could spare the time to undertake the journey etc. What happens if someone has no one to escort them?
 
What about your Senior Center, or the other drivers you know in the meal delivery program? You have to pay someone and for all you are requiring, it should be a generous amount of money.
 
Pepper said:
What about your Senior Center, or the other drivers you know in the meal delivery program? You have to pay someone and for all you are requiring, it should be a generous amount of money.
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I don't know the other drivers.

I sent an email to my pastor and explained the situation. His reply was "Uber". Why is that everyone's goto answer? I looked at their web site and they require a lot of personal info - more than I'm willing to share online so I can't set up an account. The pastor probably doesn't realize I don't have a credit card or cell phone which is also required to use Uber and it's too late now to obtain.
 
I looked under 'chauffeur services" in your town. This is only one of many I found:

Limousine Service in Stillwater, New York - BestLimoDB.com​

https://www.bestlimodb.com › CityServices › ServiceAr...
We are a unique chauffeur service dedicated and committed to providing you with first class, reliable and safe transport to your destination. Our fleet features ...

Deb, if you can come to an agreement with someone like them, explain your situation, that you will pay in cash (which is off the books income for them) and be prepared to pay plenty, but you have money and money is the energy used to fulfill our needs. They, for enough money, maybe can assign a driver for an all-day job.

Why don't you check for this and the many other chauffeur services I found in your town? Can't hurt to call & bargain. Be prepared to spend. Everyone loves cash.
 
Or, do you have a local cab office? You can hire a driver via the cab office, agree a price and pay the driver cash when he brings you safely home. Might be a good idea anyway so, if you have a similar problem in the future, you will be familiar with them.
 
I get the impression that people offering advice haven't read the restrictions imposed by the hospital - "must be a relative or close friend."

I've posted to all my FB friends, the people on the church's mail list and no one has replied except the pastor who said "Uber".
 
Hire a health care aide for the day. Some work for agencies, and others are self-employed. They're used to working odd hours, and can go with you in the taxi if they can't or won't drive you. You should be able to find one who works for reasonable rates (say, double the minimum wage, or less). There are different levels of aides. You don't need a highly qualified one for this.

Or hire an aide (in advance) in the other town. Have them meet you at the facility and take you to your hotel.

Or, hire an odd-job person to drive you and wait for you. Someone who does yard work or cleans houses, etc., might do this. I knew a couple who specialized in helping people with "whatever."

Ask around. Your church friends might not want to do this as a favor, but they might know a reliable person who would help you for money.

debodun said:
I get the impression that people offering advice haven't read the restrictions imposed by the hospital - "must be a relative or close friend."
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Looks like you'll have to bend the rules a tiny bit.
 
debodun said:
I get the impression that people offering advice haven't read the restrictions imposed by the hospital - "must be a relative or close friend."

I've posted to all my FB friends, the people on the church's mail list and no one has replied except the pastor who said "Uber".
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Since you don’t a have a relative or close friend (yes, I read it) available, then you fake it with whomever will take you. The hospital is not going to check who picks you up. They just want you out of there.
 
I wonder what you will do when you have 'major' surgery, Deb? You'll need help in getting around after a surgery like that. Do consider in acquiring a credit card/debit card to make things easier on you. Oh, and get a cell phone. Life will only get more difficult for us all as we age.

A nurse is the one responsible for wheeling you out to the awaiting vehicle. Good luck.
 
Everyone I asked is either sick or said, "Good luck finding a ride." It's amazing how so called" friends" suddenly melt away when you really need a favor.
 

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