Oh the things you learn in life / ER visit.

So I found out last night that my health insurance is based on a zone-coverage. That was something I didn't know.

The story:

Last Thursday I started to feel pretty bad, with the normal symptoms: Sore throat, clogged sinuses, chest congestion, bad cough, etc. You know the drill.

I hoped it was a virus that would run its course, but five days later I'm still getting worse, which means one thing: It's time for Jeff's twice-yearly case of upper respiratory infection and bronchitis! Just like I've had twice per year since I was about 11.

Like any good college kid, I schlep on down to the local walk-in clinic.

I ask the lovely lady at the counter "Do you take Cigna?"

She informs me in only the semi-nicest way that the patient is responsible for checking their health insurance before seeing a doctor. Cool. I'll call the number on the back of my insurance card.

After three lovely transfers from phone assistant to phone assistant, I get the answer I didn't want to hear: "I'm sorry sir, your coverage area is still listed as Central Florida. We can change you over to the Southeast Ohio coverage zone for free but it won't take effect until Nov. 1. For now, you just have urgent care and emergency room coverage."

Well fat lot of good Nov.1 will do me right now. I didn't even know health insurance had "coverage zones." Why even have zones if you can just switch them every month for free anyway?

I ask the clinic folks "Hey can you just bill me as saying I needed "Urgent care?"

With a glare the nurse answers "No. We don't do that here."

So, back in my Hyundai, I look up on my phone to find another place to go.

Ah ha! Holzer Urgent Care Clinic! Only 25 minutes across town and I can get my meds.

So, I drive out there. I walk into the very ER-looking sliding doors into a waiting room, and start filling out the new patient form at the counter.

I ask the secretary at the desk: "You take Cigna, right?"

"Yes sir!" I got back with a smile.

Victory. I ask the follow up question: "So you guys bill as "Urgent care," right?"

"Oh, no, sorry, we bill as a general practitioners visit."

I should point out that I am normally very nice to service and customer-relations folks, because their jobs tend to suck, and I don't want to make it any worse. But yesterday, I was running a 100* fever, I was coughing up large balls of green gook, and I hadn't breathed out of my nose in days.

"Why does your sign out front have "URGENT CARE" in bright red letters then? What sense does that make?"

"Sorry sir, that's just how we do it."

Sitting back in my Hyundai a second time, contemplating going back home, laying down and letting the gunk fill my lungs until I die instead of dealing with another insurance problem.

Then I figure, hey, why not just use the ER portion of my coverage?

So to the emergency room I went.

I guess one of the better parts of living in rural Southeast Ohio is that there is not a lot of people anywhere ever, including the wait line at the hospital, which was none.

In less than an hour, I was in, processed, diagnosed (Sinus infection and bronchitis), had my prescriptions and was out.


Crucial life lessons learned here:

• Insurance is confusing and frustrating.
• Urgent care is a lie.

My coverage zone is Canada. My healthcare therefor sucks and I'm a communist.

You must be doing it wrong, Whale. See here in 'MERICA we have the best healthcare system in the world. Insurance companies aren't the problem either, it's that damn Obamacare. If the LIBERALS hadn't crammed that bill down our throats you would have been able to walk in the first clinic and get your meds. But that's what you get in our entitlement culture, stop feeding off the government and earn your own way in life. I heard great things about prayer too, try that next time.















Hope the meds work, feel better. How well do you handle cold weather?

Ever deal with ChampVA, TriCare, Medicare you think your little exercise was frustrating, just wait for whats now in store for you under the NEW Healthcare Plan (that dems wanting re-election are distancing themselves as fast as possible from now that the TRUTH about it is out). If the Fed systems can not handle the three plans mentioned above, how well do you think the machine is going to handle 350million on a simular set up of plans monitored by the Feds and the IRS.

Try going to a non-VA facility with an 'emergency' you little exercise was easy, try a floating clot, FOX Hospital ER, communicating with the VA, now that was a hope I don't die while they wait for authorization to do something couple of hours.

Urgent care clinics are there if you need urgent care but want to pay a doctors office level copay (a little more, but still) and not deal with ER bills.

As a rule, urgent care is a flat copay like a doc visit. But with the ER, you get a separate bill for doctor, ER, and radiology / lab / etc,plus er deductibles, etc. ER's are massive debt centers, because you're covering for the people who refuse to pay.

But as was mentioned, urgent care is misleading. It's a doc visit after hours and without an appointment.

On another note: Antibiotics.

On one hand, they make you feel better by getting rid of infection. On the other, they make you nearly crap your pants all day long.

The lesson: Life is a series trade-offs.

Your copay is $50 and $100? Gross.

jmac3 wrote: Your copay is $50 and $100? Gross.

BEST HEALTHCARE IN THE WORLD