When I was insured by COVA, if I had an appointment, I waited less than 20 minutes to see my primary care physician. I would wait less than 30 minutes to see a specialist.
I arrived a few minutes early to my 2:00 p.m. appointment at the West End Crossover Clinic. I was not seen by anyone until 4:30 p.m. and I didn't see a doc until almost 5:00 p.m.
I understand that the clinic is staffed entirely by volunteer medical and clerical personnel and that there are many consumers vying for the services of this limited resource, so running on or around on time is probably not going to happen.
When I used to arrive for a 'walk-in' visit at Crossover SouthSide (and there was only ONE Crossover clinic at that time) at 8:00 a.m., I usually was not seen until around 5:00 p.m..
I experienced the same problem with MCV clinics, and one always has to have an appointment at MCV clinics.
Should people have to spend several hours or most of a day waiting simply to see a doctor, especially when they have an appointment? I was not paid for the time I had to take off work for this appointment and I suspect the other patients may have a similar circumstance with their employers.
During my last clinic visit, I was the only patient in the clinic who seemed to speak English and I suspect that most of the other patients might have been illegal immigrants. But the immigration issue and its relationship to rising health care demand and costs is another issue for another blog or commentary.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Am I typical of the uninsured?
Most profiles of the uninsured that I have read do not fit me:
I'm not unemployed, self-employed, employed part-time, a single parent, on welfare and uneducated, nor am I of a minority race or ethnicity.
I am employed by the State of Virginia. I am educated. I'm not a single parent. I'm white and middle-aged.
I don't want a free ride. I simply want my employer and/or my taxes to pay for my health insurance.I expect part of the payment for the insurance would come out of my paycheck and I don't mind paying co-pays and deductibles if they are reasonable.
Several classified,benefitted employees at my workplace do exactly the same type of work as I . I actually work longer hours per day than these folks and produce as much, if not more, quality work per day. Is it to much to ask that I get the same benefits as these folks;that I get equal pay for equal work?
Tomorrow I go to the clinic and I'll see how that goes. But it sure would be easier for me if my employer, Aunt Virginia, would deign to give me benefits. It seems wrong that a working person should have to go to a medical clinic originally started for the unemployed and homeless.
I'm not unemployed, self-employed, employed part-time, a single parent, on welfare and uneducated, nor am I of a minority race or ethnicity.
I am employed by the State of Virginia. I am educated. I'm not a single parent. I'm white and middle-aged.
I don't want a free ride. I simply want my employer and/or my taxes to pay for my health insurance.I expect part of the payment for the insurance would come out of my paycheck and I don't mind paying co-pays and deductibles if they are reasonable.
Several classified,benefitted employees at my workplace do exactly the same type of work as I . I actually work longer hours per day than these folks and produce as much, if not more, quality work per day. Is it to much to ask that I get the same benefits as these folks;that I get equal pay for equal work?
Tomorrow I go to the clinic and I'll see how that goes. But it sure would be easier for me if my employer, Aunt Virginia, would deign to give me benefits. It seems wrong that a working person should have to go to a medical clinic originally started for the unemployed and homeless.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Uninsured Virginians
Who are the uninsured/under-insured in Virginia?
Please follow this link for a comprehensive coverage of the issue:
http://www.vhcf.org/
Please follow this link for a comprehensive coverage of the issue:
http://www.vhcf.org/
Alternatives
Various folks have suggested alternative health care methods for my health care crisis.
I appreciate their concern and I have explored alternative therapies/remedies such as vitamins, herbs, prayer and other alternative methods of health care.
Don't misunderstand me; I think most alternative care is great, can be cutting edge and preventive medicine is the best course of therapy.
I don't worship doctors nor do I think allopathic (conventional) medicine is a cure-all.
I think allopathic physicians should incorporate alternative medical ideas in their practices.
However, uninsured is still uninsured for both alternative and conventional health cares.
Many alternative health practitioners are as expensive as conventional practitioners.
My question is this:
What if we, as a society, considered equal and affordable access to medical care as important other public services (paid for through our taxes)such as primary and secondary education, police, fire and other such essential services.
We pay for roads with our taxes, why not health care?
What if employers considered employees health care a priority?
Unhealthy employees who worry about health care access and costs are not happy employees and they are less productive than their healthier counterparts.
I have missed many days of work because of high blood pressure-related problems.
I had to rest to avoid having a stroke!
If I had had accessible health care when I first found out about my high b.p.,
I would have gotten immediate care for that very treatable condition and
would have logged several less sick days.
(I have tried some alternative treatments and they have had no effect on my b.p. I don't know the cause of my high b.p., other than genetics. I have restricted sodium for years because my mother had high b.p.)
I appreciate their concern and I have explored alternative therapies/remedies such as vitamins, herbs, prayer and other alternative methods of health care.
Don't misunderstand me; I think most alternative care is great, can be cutting edge and preventive medicine is the best course of therapy.
I don't worship doctors nor do I think allopathic (conventional) medicine is a cure-all.
I think allopathic physicians should incorporate alternative medical ideas in their practices.
However, uninsured is still uninsured for both alternative and conventional health cares.
Many alternative health practitioners are as expensive as conventional practitioners.
My question is this:
What if we, as a society, considered equal and affordable access to medical care as important other public services (paid for through our taxes)such as primary and secondary education, police, fire and other such essential services.
We pay for roads with our taxes, why not health care?
What if employers considered employees health care a priority?
Unhealthy employees who worry about health care access and costs are not happy employees and they are less productive than their healthier counterparts.
I have missed many days of work because of high blood pressure-related problems.
I had to rest to avoid having a stroke!
If I had had accessible health care when I first found out about my high b.p.,
I would have gotten immediate care for that very treatable condition and
would have logged several less sick days.
(I have tried some alternative treatments and they have had no effect on my b.p. I don't know the cause of my high b.p., other than genetics. I have restricted sodium for years because my mother had high b.p.)
Friday, July 6, 2007
Step One - Find a Health Care Provider
If I had any decent insurance, even just your basic HMO, all I'd have to do is make a quick call and find out which plan doctor(s) is near my residence or workplace.
Based on my experience with my previous Anthem/COVA coverage, I'd have a list of many doctors from which to choose.
But I am uninsured and my choice of affordable options is very limited.
Hospitals? MCV or Bon Secours are it. They are the only hospitals in the area that offer sliding scale care for the uninsured, and they offer it only to those making 200% of the minimum wage or less a month.
Clinics? There's MCV, Crossover Clinics, Fan Clinic, Richmond Community, various public health departments and the Bon Secours CAREVANS.
That may sound like quite a few options but when you factor in limited hours, volunteer staff and mostly out-of-the-way and even down-right dangerous locations,the options become very narrow.
Many of those clinics (Fan Free, health departments) tend to specialize in STDs and birth control issues or children's vaccinations. Some of Crossover's clinics are in crime-ridden neighborhoods. The CAREVANS take only a limited amount of clients per session and will take children and the elderly before working, yet equally ill, adults. The CAREVAN that week may be way across town. It may be weeks before it comes anywhere near my neighborhood again.
Have you ever stood in 95 degree heat for three hours waiting for medical care for high blood pressure and then been turned away because the clinic quota is full?
I have.
Have you ever had to be screened for both finances (4 pay check stubs, W-2) AND American citizenship/ID (Drivers/State ID/Social Security card) weeks before seeing a doctor? If you are uninsured you probably have experienced this indignity.
I waited two months just to get an eligibility screening and then another month before I could get into see an actual doctor. My blood pressure is 160/92 and I am still waiting to see that doc.
Based on my experience with my previous Anthem/COVA coverage, I'd have a list of many doctors from which to choose.
But I am uninsured and my choice of affordable options is very limited.
Hospitals? MCV or Bon Secours are it. They are the only hospitals in the area that offer sliding scale care for the uninsured, and they offer it only to those making 200% of the minimum wage or less a month.
Clinics? There's MCV, Crossover Clinics, Fan Clinic, Richmond Community, various public health departments and the Bon Secours CAREVANS.
That may sound like quite a few options but when you factor in limited hours, volunteer staff and mostly out-of-the-way and even down-right dangerous locations,the options become very narrow.
Many of those clinics (Fan Free, health departments) tend to specialize in STDs and birth control issues or children's vaccinations. Some of Crossover's clinics are in crime-ridden neighborhoods. The CAREVANS take only a limited amount of clients per session and will take children and the elderly before working, yet equally ill, adults. The CAREVAN that week may be way across town. It may be weeks before it comes anywhere near my neighborhood again.
Have you ever stood in 95 degree heat for three hours waiting for medical care for high blood pressure and then been turned away because the clinic quota is full?
I have.
Have you ever had to be screened for both finances (4 pay check stubs, W-2) AND American citizenship/ID (Drivers/State ID/Social Security card) weeks before seeing a doctor? If you are uninsured you probably have experienced this indignity.
I waited two months just to get an eligibility screening and then another month before I could get into see an actual doctor. My blood pressure is 160/92 and I am still waiting to see that doc.
I have been uninsured for most of the last twenty years.
For over seven of those years, I have worked for the State of Virginia, logging at least 31 hours per week of work.
I currently work 40 hours a week for Virginia Social Services as a P-14 employee.
Despite my 40-hour work week, I am not a Classified employee and thus am uninsured and receive no paid sick-leave.
When I am ill, I simply tough it out at home, unpaid.
With the premier of Michael Moore's documentary movie
"Sicko" and the health insurance (or lack thereof) crisis at the forefront of the discussions and platforms of many candidates seeking the 2008 presidential nominations, it is time for me to start this blog.
I am one of some 45+ million Americans without any health insurance,
the vast majority of whom (0r their parents) are working.
Many more lack coverage for certain conditions, long-term coverage or are
mired in debt from excessive co-pays and deductibles.
In most states, including Virginia, most working people are excluded from the Medicaid roles and may, believe it or not, make too much money to qualify for sliding scale care at clinics and prescription assistance programs. Yet private coverage for individuals and families remains too expensive for most working Americans.
This blog will be a record of my struggle to find accessible,
affordable health care to treat my current high blood pressure and any other conditions I may have or develop. I won't bore you with the details of my bodily functions/conditions or TMI (too much information!) but I will detail how I do
or don't obtain the treatments for such conditions.
If you are uninsured, you will understand exactly what I am writing about.
You've been there. You ARE there.
If you are insured, you might gain an understanding of what the struggle
to attain a basic human service is like for others who lack that service.
You might become more compassionate.
Thanks for reading!
I currently work 40 hours a week for Virginia Social Services as a P-14 employee.
Despite my 40-hour work week, I am not a Classified employee and thus am uninsured and receive no paid sick-leave.
When I am ill, I simply tough it out at home, unpaid.
With the premier of Michael Moore's documentary movie
"Sicko" and the health insurance (or lack thereof) crisis at the forefront of the discussions and platforms of many candidates seeking the 2008 presidential nominations, it is time for me to start this blog.
I am one of some 45+ million Americans without any health insurance,
the vast majority of whom (0r their parents) are working.
Many more lack coverage for certain conditions, long-term coverage or are
mired in debt from excessive co-pays and deductibles.
In most states, including Virginia, most working people are excluded from the Medicaid roles and may, believe it or not, make too much money to qualify for sliding scale care at clinics and prescription assistance programs. Yet private coverage for individuals and families remains too expensive for most working Americans.
This blog will be a record of my struggle to find accessible,
affordable health care to treat my current high blood pressure and any other conditions I may have or develop. I won't bore you with the details of my bodily functions/conditions or TMI (too much information!) but I will detail how I do
or don't obtain the treatments for such conditions.
If you are uninsured, you will understand exactly what I am writing about.
You've been there. You ARE there.
If you are insured, you might gain an understanding of what the struggle
to attain a basic human service is like for others who lack that service.
You might become more compassionate.
Thanks for reading!
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