First Doctors visit

[shawna7 4]

So..I just went to the doctor for the first time and thought I would share my experience!

We have insurance through my husbands work(blue cross blue shield) So before I went I said tell me EXACTLY what to expect..So D says they will ask you to pay a co-pay of 10.00 thats it thats all no big deal..

WELL....hahaha It was a terrific experience(as far as medical visits go..no waiting..very nice doctor I was there to get chantix(quit smoking meds)

at any rate..she tells me I need an echocardiagram..make sure my heart is ok to go on the meds..and bloodwork..to make sure my liver and stuff is all good.

I get right in for the echocardiagram..I'm thinking..wow in toronto I would have to wait at least a couple weeks..this is kinda cool right?

same thing with the bloodwork..took me right in..no waiting. at no time did anyone ask me for a co-pay..I'm thinking..this insurance is amazing! its just like OHIP!!

NOT!! lmfao! I called D after my appointments and I was all **American medical is GREAT!! i told him all the things that were done..and how I had no co-pay..and he gets quiet for a second..and says..**you know they're going to bill you right?** I'm all what are you talking about!?!?!**

well to make a long story short(at least shorter than my babbling self wants to make it at this point I had all these tests..and now I have to pay! I am still so stuck in the Canadian way..that I am still TOTALLY shocked! we pay 300.00 a month in medical insurance.. and bloodwork and ultrasounds aren't covered? I'm just baffled..

[Emancipation 2]

sucky...

it's a shocker fer sure... I'm always amazed at the customer service level of US dr's .. that's the bit that freaks me out!

[J&K 0]

Well, some things will probably be covered, but not fully.

And if you have a deductable, you'll have to pay up to whatever that is first, and then the coverage will kick in (my personal deductable is $600/year).

The reason you didn't have to pay any other co-pays is because you were referred from the original doc, which is considered a follow up to your appointment.

I'm glad we have insurance, but I hate all of the out of pocket expenses.

Blue Cross Blue Shied is a good insurance to have. I was hoping hubby would be working for the gov't soon, and we could have switched to BCBS. Oh well...I've got insurance and that's the important part.

[MrsCat 6]

I have to say my first experience was wonderful. No bills for testing so far. . . . .

Doctor was very nice and kind. Took his time to make sure he was doing the right thing. Called 2x in the past week to see if I'm feeling better. Not his office mind you - the doctor himself. Wow. I like the service here that's for sure.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

yep - you will get a statement from the insurance company showing what portion they covered, what isn't covered because of the deductible and what isn't covered but you are not responsible for because of the insurance company's agreement with the doctor. Don't worry - most doctor's offices overtest - you go in for a sinus infection and you get the full test treatment as well - they won't prescribe without the bloodwork, without the basic stuff - it is the American way, I've found. When you get the Blue Cross statement hold on to it until you get the invoice from the doctor's office, then when it comes in, compare them. US doctors and insurers are also notorious for getting the wrong amounts. Don't hesitate to call either to ask for clarification. You will find the most of those tests are covered and you will have a smaller amount to pay - but watch out for the deductible - insurance won't cover you until that is paid off first. Welcome to the US. Oh, and ask for copies of all of the test results - basically, you paid for them, they are yours.

Edited November 21, 2008 by Kathryn41

[Sprailenes 47]

My doctor is cute, she carries a little pocket dictionary with medical terms and she's always looking at it and then diagnosing my issues. It makes me feel soooo secure.

[MrsCat 6]

When you get the Blue Cross statement hold on to it until you get the invoice from the doctor's office, then when it comes in, compare them. US doctors and insurers are also notorious for getting the wrong amounts. Don't hesitate to call either to ask for clarification. You will find the most of those tests are covered and you will have a smaller amount to pay - but watch out for the deductible - insurance won't cover you until that is paid off first. Welcome to the US. Oh, and ask for copies of all of the test results - basically, you paid for them, they are yours.

Really good advice Kathryn!

[Emancipation 2]

My doctor is cute, she carries a little pocket dictionary with medical terms and she's always looking at it and then diagnosing my issues. It makes me feel soooo secure.

[shawna7 4]

good advice Kathryn thank you..

And yes..the service is unbeleiveable..as for the fees..live and learn I guess!

[thetreble 19]

Yeah..I guess it is just a welcoming to the medical system here. It can be very confusing. BSBS is what I have also and it is good insurance. But I have state health insurance and only pay $8.31 per paycheck for my dental and $22 per paycheck for my health insurance. My husband is under me now since mine is about 1000% less expensive then what he was paying..about 400/month. It felt awesome for him to be covered under me. I felt like I had done something really great, actually.

Any way, the only thing I haven't liked so far about doctors here is that they seem very caught up in stringent rules and also that they try to sell you stuff.

[Reba 2]

My doctor is cute, she carries a little pocket dictionary with medical terms and she's always looking at it and then diagnosing my issues. It makes me feel soooo secure.

Have you checked her diplomas on the wall? Did she draw them herself with crayon?

[DeadPoolX 9]

yep - you will get a statement from the insurance company showing what portion they covered, what isn't covered because of the deductible and what isn't covered but you are not responsible for because of the insurance company's agreement with the doctor. Don't worry - most doctor's offices overtest - you go in for a sinus infection and you get the full test treatment as well - they won't prescribe without the bloodwork, without the basic stuff - it is the American way, I've found. When you get the Blue Cross statement hold on to it until you get the invoice from the doctor's office, then when it comes in, compare them. US doctors and insurers are also notorious for getting the wrong amounts. Don't hesitate to call either to ask for clarification. You will find the most of those tests are covered and you will have a smaller amount to pay - but watch out for the deductible - insurance won't cover you until that is paid off first. Welcome to the US. Oh, and ask for copies of all of the test results - basically, you paid for them, they are yours.

American doctors over-test with good reason. They have to cover themselves in the event of a malpractice lawsuit. Suing people -- including physicians -- has rapidly become "the American way." Perhaps it seems unnecessary to test as much as doctors do, but patients will invariably sue the doctor for practically anything. Whether or not the lawsuit is frivolous is meaningless. If a physician gets sued, his malpractice insurance premiums rise. In the U.S., malpractice insurance can easily be as high as $200,000 per year. Many doctors are moving to Texas, where the malpractice insurance is considered "cheap" around $80,000 per year.

Just imagine that: $80,000 to $200,000 is more than most two income families make and yet, a doctor has to pay that out on a yearly basis to simply cover his butt. That's not including secretarial and nursing salaries, as well as office rent , which eats up a large portion of a physician's earnings. So while many believe doctors are "rich" (and they do make more than the average person), after all expenses are paid, they are far from among the country's wealthy elite.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I did a day in the ER (now called ED) a few weeks back and everyone got xrays, etc etc its called cover ur ### attention,lol They go well beyond at times on what is required, but its cheaper than being sued!!

[thetreble 19]

yep - you will get a statement from the insurance company showing what portion they covered, what isn't covered because of the deductible and what isn't covered but you are not responsible for because of the insurance company's agreement with the doctor. Don't worry - most doctor's offices overtest - you go in for a sinus infection and you get the full test treatment as well - they won't prescribe without the bloodwork, without the basic stuff - it is the American way, I've found. When you get the Blue Cross statement hold on to it until you get the invoice from the doctor's office, then when it comes in, compare them. US doctors and insurers are also notorious for getting the wrong amounts. Don't hesitate to call either to ask for clarification. You will find the most of those tests are covered and you will have a smaller amount to pay - but watch out for the deductible - insurance won't cover you until that is paid off first. Welcome to the US. Oh, and ask for copies of all of the test results - basically, you paid for them, they are yours.

American doctors over-test with good reason. They have to cover themselves in the event of a malpractice lawsuit. Suing people -- including physicians -- has rapidly become "the American way." Perhaps it seems unnecessary to test as much as doctors do, but patients will invariably sue the doctor for practically anything. Whether or not the lawsuit is frivolous is meaningless. If a physician gets sued, his malpractice insurance premiums rise. In the U.S., malpractice insurance can easily be as high as $200,000 per year. Many doctors are moving to Texas, where the malpractice insurance is considered "cheap" around $80,000 per year.

Just imagine that: $80,000 to $200,000 is more than most two income families make and yet, a doctor has to pay that out on a yearly basis to simply cover his butt. That's not including secretarial and nursing salaries, as well as office rent , which eats up a large portion of a physician's earnings. So while many believe doctors are "rich" (and they do make more than the average person), after all expenses are paid, they are far from among the country's wealthy elite.

Agreed. The US has been well known for years for being sue-happy. You can literally sue someone for anything and many professions, including doctors, have had to go to the extremes to avoid being sued even if they think some tests may be unnecessary.

I also agree that while they make more than the average person, they are by no means rich.

I do see more and more now though that doctors even here are taking on more patients to I guess offset some costs. It is aggravating for the patient though!

[aravis227 1]

It depends on your insurance company and what they cover. Mine will cover all of the labwork with no extra co-pay (as long as I have it in a covered lab...networks are just stupid and confusing...my mom used to have a doctor that the doctor and staff were covered, but the LAB wasn't...so she had to go to a DIFFERENT location to get bloodwork done), but I have a deductible for scans and stuff. My old insurance covered everything with just the doctor's copay.