Healthcare

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You may be taking a huge risk there. Sounds like that last bout could have turned fatal if it was a little worse. 2 months is a long time to suffer. Isn't your Dr recommending the shot? After 60 the regular flu is nothing to mess with.
That bout had absolutely nothing to do with the flu. It was in the middle of the summer and was a reaction to the medication.
 
So far weve been lucky. Just 3 Covid positives in our town of 10000, all mild cases no hospitalization,according ,to my doctor. Lots of elderly housing and nursing homes here too. The whole county has just 125 cases ,no deaths. My doctor ordered an antibody test today. Should know soon if iv been exposed.
 
Interesting point about insurance companies controlling health care. As an example I went to the ER for chest pain, came back benign, everything was fine. However the NP handling my care noticed a 5mm spot on my lung. His opinion was that I should get a full CT due to the fact that they only scanned the abdomen, and only scanned the lower part of my lungs. My personal Dr. agreed and ordered the test. It was denied by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, because they only cover the scan of one organ every 6 months. WTF, they missed a whole part of my my lung. I'll patiently wait my 6 months, and then ask her to order another scan. What a waste of time and money, CT's are just not that expensive any more.
 
I just have to say to everyone here how grateful I am that we can have discussions like this here like adults and not end up with childish insults. So I have to say thanyou. And yes I am certainly more liberal than some of you if you ever feel I am being unfair in that regard please feel free to pm me and call me out on it. We really try to keep politics out of this site but it is inevitable in discussions like this.

Again thanks guys for keeping it civil.
 
Interesting point about insurance companies controlling health care. As an example I went to the ER for chest pain, came back benign, everything was fine. However the NP handling my care noticed a 5mm spot on my lung. His opinion was that I should get a full CT due to the fact that they only scanned the abdomen, and only scanned the lower part of my lungs. My personal Dr. agreed and ordered the test. It was denied by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, because they only cover the scan of one organ every 6 months. WTF, they missed a whole part of my my lung. I'll patiently wait my 6 months, and then ask her to order another scan. What a waste of time and money, CT's are just not that expensive any more.
This is ridiculous with potential danger of your life. What/who will benefit from you waiting? I understand the unnecessary exposure to organs from x-ray and ct scan in some situations, but an MRI? Something is wrong, this is my perspective as to why the usa system needs a major overhaul. I've never heard that story from anyone here of a min/max system.
 
Racing heart -ER room-helicopter to Ottawa heart institute
4 hours later on the table ablation Surgery and pacemaker
6hrs later home total cost 0 Total time from ER to home again
16 hours
Health care in Canada
 
Racing heart -ER room-helicopter to Ottawa heart institute
4 hours later on the table ablation Surgery and pacemaker
6hrs later home total cost 0 Total time from ER to home again
16 hours
Health care in Canada

That's great it worked out so well for you, ...... What sort of bill were you expecting? ??

Everyone has the same available treatment. No middleman system can work well.
 
That's great it worked out so well for you, ...... What sort of bill were you expecting? ??

Everyone has the same available treatment. No middleman system can work well.
Mcdougy , I also live in Ontario 65 K southwest of Ottawa
Just showing how fast it can work here if it is an Emergency
Yes I was lucky that the ER doc at the Perth hospital was also
my family doctor and knew immediately what was wrong.
Called Ottawa who were waiting for me 2 quick tests and
I had wires stuck in my leg heading for my heart and then a
pacemaker. Sent home that night . Now waiting for this
pandemic to settle down so I can get a valve replaced not
a big rush apparently not that bad
 
I have Cardiomyopathy with obstruction (genetic). In 2004 at a local NJ hospital ICD implanted $198,000
In 2006 went to Cleveland Clinic. Obstruction removed, valve shortened, both lower chambers frozen with liquid Argon at -300 C.
Heart was removed from body and butterflied. Two surgeons, 6 OR nurses. $170,000
Was sent home after 3 days. Paid $2,400 out of pocket for each procedure.
 
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Both of your stories are amazing and sound like they couldn't have gone much better
It's hard to believe you can be in and out that quick. You sent home feeling pretty tough? Or not that bad? Jan how long did that surgery take to remove your heart like that?
 
Both of your stories are amazing and sound like they couldn't have gone much better
It's hard to believe you can be in and out that quick. You sent home feeling pretty tough? Or not that bad? Jan how long did that surgery take to remove your heart like that?
Dr. Bruce Lytle was the chief heart surgeon/chair of the Cleveland heart clinic. He is considered one of the best in the world. It took him and the second surgeon only 3,5 hours from cutting my chest open to sewing it back together. My heart was out for about 29 minutes. Healing for 6 weeks, had to cough a lot to get moisture out off my lungs. Was quite painful. Went back to work full time after 6 weeks.
Dr. Lytle had done 300 of these operations on people with the exact same condition. Left 3 on the table.
 
I am hoping that with good genetics, plenty of exercise, no alcohol, no smoking and a decent diet I can avoid these experiences. I am glad things went well for you, but I would just as soon miss the experience.
 
Well, my condition has nothing to do with life style. It is a birth defect. Short story long, in 1998 Joanne and I moved from Singapore to PA. To get a driver's license I had an MD fill out a medical form. Out of habit, I guess, he put a stethoscope on my chest and heard a murmur. That is how they found out. Next day I was at a cardiologist for 6 hours, doing all kinds of tests. I had black-outs every now and then, but I thought it was because I was overworked (80+ hrs/week for many years). He asked if I had any siblings dying at young age. Yes, brother in 1972 at 21 and sister in 1990 at 34. Keep in mind in 1972 nobody heard of Cardiomyopathy.
We moved back to the Netherlands in 2000, they could not help me there besides giving me medication. Coming back to the US in 2003, in NJ, they could not help me either, they said. Then I went to the Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion and they assured me they could "fix" me, and they did.
This condition is a birth defect as said and skips a generation in most cases. Both my parents had no heart issues. I had my remaining sister tested, negative. The daughter of my diseased sister also negative. My brother died in a "strange" car accident, we now think he had a black-out behind the wheel because of this. My diseased sister who died at 34 was known to have a heart valve issue. She died of heart failure.
I started smoking at 13 the day my brother died and still drink IPA's. I feel great, I buck trees, split and haul and have plenty of other exercise. No issues what so ever after the surgery. Every night I do 50 push ups at 61.

But you are right, you don't want to get through this.
 
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Jan, you must have felt very fortunate that the cost was so low for these expensive procedures. Was it you earlier in this thread saying you had basically the best insurance going provided by your employer....I wonder what sort of costs would be associated for the average car salesman.
The ICU my wife is in currently is attached to heart clinic. Here like many places I'm sure, the bigger hospitals have specialized departments that look after certain things. At this hospital that is a teaching hospital attached to the university they perform about 20 heart transplants a year. It's pretty mind widening to imagine how much stuff they fix in a year.
Johneh, I'm on the outskirts of London on a farm. Our place can be seen from both the 401 and 402. It's nice country up around Perth and I have been in the area a few times. My little fishing boat would be envious to reside in that necknof the woods. Currently I drag it 4-6hrs to find a few fish. We have a huntcamp up on the magnetawan river between parry sound and Sudbury. It's nice country up there as well. I like trying to find a freezer grade moose as well as fish at our camp.
 
Was it you earlier in this thread saying you had basically the best insurance going provided by your employer..

The procedures were done before I went to my current employer.
 
Dr. Bruce Lytle was the chief heart surgeon/chair of the Cleveland heart clinic. He is considered one of the best in the world. It took him and the second surgeon only 3,5 hours from cutting my chest open to sewing it back together. My heart was out for about 29 minutes. Healing for 6 weeks, had to cough a lot to get moisture out off my lungs. Was quite painful. Went back to work full time after 6 weeks.
Dr. Lytle had done 300 of these operations on people with the exact same condition. Left 3 on the table.


AS much time as I've spent 'on the table' for non related heart stuff, I really don't want to be 'tablleized' again, anytime soon. Standard operating tables are too short for me so my feet hang over and I always wake up with sore Achilles tendons.....!!!

Been 'intubed' as well but not for Covid and that isn't a pleasant experience either. My wife was liking it however as I lost my voice for about a month afterwards. All I could do was squeak like a mouse. It impacted my vocal chords.... Least it wasn't surgically implanted, just down the old throat with the corrugated plastic pipe with lubricant added.

I prefer not to do it again if at all possible.
 
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I just have to say to everyone here how grateful I am that we can have discussions like this here like adults and not end up with childish insults. So I have to say thanyou. And yes I am certainly more liberal than some of you if you ever feel I am being unfair in that regard please feel free to pm me and call me out on it. We really try to keep politics out of this site but it is inevitable in discussions like this.

Again thanks guys for keeping it civil.


No issue with me. I generally dislike discussing politics anyway. Political discussions usually end up bad because no one can agree on anything so people resort to getting nasty to make their point and of course no one agrees with it anyway.

Political discussions are always a slippery slope.
 
Was it you earlier in this thread saying you had basically the best insurance going provided by your employer..

The procedures were done before I went to my current employer.
If you are referring to me, I'm retired so I have Federal Employees BC, high option and Medicare so I have no deductibles whatsoever. It's 100% coverage excluding prescriptions but they are 5 bucks each, generic or not.
 
Trying to do our taxes. So glad we have the extension.

First received the 1095-B form stating that we DID NOT have insurance coverage for the entire year.

O.k., called insurance company. Received corrected form stating that we had coverage.

Finished federal taxes in TurboTax. Started state taxes. We need a second, state form indicating coverage to do state taxes.

Called insurance comnpany and they said they would send us the form.

Receive another copy of the 1095-B federal form stating that we have coverage even though we specifically stated that we need the 1099-HC MA state form.

Call insurance company.

They send MA state form stating the we DO NOT have insurance for the entire year.

Call insurance company to yet again explain that we had insurance.

They are working on getting us the 1099-HC MA state form and have missed several dates that they have stated that we would received the 1099-HC. :mad::p
 
First received the 1095-B form stating that we DID NOT have insurance coverage for the entire year.
the 1099-HC. :mad::p
No penalty anymore anyway so why all the hassle. I dont think your even required to file the 1095 anymore unless its something with your state requirement in MA.
 
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No penalty anymore anyway so why all the hassle. I dont think your even required to file the 1095 anymore unless its something with your state requirement in MA.
It is still law and technically the penalty is still on the books just not being enforced. All I had to do on h&r block was say yes we were all covered. No paperwork
 
… No penalty anymore anyway so why all the hassle. I dont think your even required to file the 1095 anymore unless its something with your state requirement in MA …

I need the MA form. Also, as mentioned above, I want the Federal form stating that we have insurance (well … because we do) for my files in case we were audited.
 
No issue with me. I generally dislike discussing politics anyway. Political discussions usually end up bad because no one can agree on anything so people resort to getting nasty to make their point and of course no one agrees with it anyway.

Political discussions are always a slippery slope.
Unfortunately, we have become so polarized as a nation that no matter how centrist or moderate one's POV is, it gets distorted in both directions. It's never liberal enough for one side or conservative enough for the other. We have lost our center as a nation at a time when we all need to be working together on the biggest problem of the century.
 
Unfortunately, we have become so polarized as a nation that no matter how centrist or moderate one's POV is, it gets distorted in both directions. It's never liberal enough for one side or conservative enough for the other. We have lost our center as a nation at a time when we all need to be working together on the biggest problem of the century.


The old adage holds true in this and many cases... If you cannot impress someone with paperwork, dazzle them with stupidity. Governments (state and Federal, survive and prosper on paperwork. I don't believe half of them even know what the forms mean..