Canadians are one in a million -- while waiting for medical treatment

[bcking 3,157]

51 minutes ago, AshMarty said:

There are positives and Negatives of Health Care here (not saying the US health care system is great by any means). I work at a Rehab Hospital that is associated with Johns Hopkins. About 30% of my caseload will be from patients from around world that are sent to our Hospital through their embassies or special visas. In the past 6 weeks I have seen patients from Brazil, Canada, 2 Saudi Arabia patients, and a handful of other patients from the UAE. 

 

The patient from Canada's child was cut off from public Rehab services because they feel she has met her potiential, so she travels to our hospital 3 x a year for equipment updates, medicals,and rehab updates. If you talk to people from different countries they will tell you their personal experiences both positive and negative.

 

My patient from Brazil said they would not trust their public system ( and his grandfather was an MD in Brazil) but thought it was weird that each hospital had a different self pay price for an MRI when they had to call around for estimates in the states. 

 

We have Australian Physical Therapists (Private sector) come to observe our clinic once a year for about two weeks. They are always amazed by the equipment we send our patients home with and tell us how no one in their clinics would ever be approved to take home the equipment that a lot of our patients are approved for. 

 

On the opposite end my husband needed a heart surgery in Australia before he migrated to the US. He was a tier 2 case and received his surgery within 6 months of his diagnosis (Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome). I had a cardiologist ready in the states thinking he would get surgery when he arrived, we would have to have paid about $500.00 with our insurance for the surgery,  he got it completely for free in Australia. 

 

Also interesting fact: Canada and Australia don't believe in the diagnosis of Lymes disease so if you receive that diagnoses in the public systems you are out of luck and your treatments will not be covered. 

 

It you talk to people with chronic diseases from other countries you will begin to see the positive and negatives of each system. Again not saying the US is a great system at all but if you dive into each system there will be flaws. 

In Houston there are Small Hospitals/OBGYN's that "seek out" wealthy Nigerians (not actually that wealthy by American standards in many cases) to try to get them to come deliver. They offer them a single "cash price" for "all of the care", but neglect to mention that their hospital doesn't have a NICU and therefore if the baby needs anything more than routine care, they are transferred and their "cash price" doesn't cover any of that.  Before anyone asks - Apparently there are people in the Embassy in Nigeria willing to "sell" tourist visas to women with the obvious purpose of delivery in the USA. Many are doing it as an "anchor", even if they do return home first. Others just do it to deliver in the USA. Some do it because they know their child has an illness that is beyond the scope of their home country. We'll treat the patient no matter what, and many will never pay any of the bill. They'll just leave when it's over.

 

I was actually quite impressed when I visited a UK NICU, in terms of their equipment. Just as good as ours, if not even more accessible. Though I was told I was at one of the most well equipped (not GOSH), so that may have helped. 

 

Just to be clear about the Lyme disease business - There is no evidence that Lyme disease has ever been locally acquired in Australia (Don't know about Canada). There are cases that have been linked to people traveling abroad, and there are cases of "Lyme-like" illnesses for other ticks. But the tick borne illness that defines Lyme disease has never been (to my knowledge) found to be endemic to Australia. That doesn't mean they don't believe lyme disease exists. 

 

36 minutes ago, Trellick said:

If you have great insurance then the American healthcare system is pretty amazing. We have very low deductibles and great coverage for everything. But even then a lot of the co-pays are a bit of a shock coming from the UK and the NHS system. My birth experience as great and our insurance meant no bill at all - no copays for all the prenatal treatment and nothing for the birth in a fancy birthing center which sent us home with loads of baby supplies and a special new parent gift basket with food and commemorative glasses.

 

That sounds like pretty exceptional health insurance, by American standards. Most health insurance plans will cover 70-90% of hospital costs after your deductible, depending on how "In network" you are. It's very hard (and expensive) to find a plan that covers 100%, and doesn't have copays, even for maternity. I've never seen an employer-based health insurance that provides that before. I have very good insurance and my wife is delivering at the hospital where I work, and it will cover 90% of the hospital costs after our 800 dollar deducible. It'll come to like 2,000 dollars after everything is done. 

[bcking 3,157]

15 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

I had a doctor recode a preventive colonoscopy to a procedure , because  he decided to take a sample of some kind that was a big nothing burger.

 

However insurance pays 100% for a preventive colonoscopy,  but when it turned into a procedure the bill went thru roof.  Yearly deductibles,  out of pockets. Etc. The difference was huge.

 

 

That is crazy. The whole point of a screening colonoscopy is to identity potentially suspicious lesions, and if they are present you better biopsy it. Leaving it alone would have defeated the purpose of the exam.

 

Taking a biopsy didn't mean the colonoscopy was no longer preventative. If I were the physician I would have fought the insurance over that, though unfortunately many don't have the time.

[AshMarty 360]

25 minutes ago, bcking said:

In Houston there are Small Hospitals/OBGYN's that "seek out" wealthy Nigerians (not actually that wealthy by American standards in many cases) to try to get them to come deliver. They offer them a single "cash price" for "all of the care", but neglect to mention that their hospital doesn't have a NICU and therefore if the baby needs anything more than routine care, they are transferred and their "cash price" doesn't cover any of that.  Before anyone asks - Apparently there are people in the Embassy in Nigeria willing to "sell" tourist visas to women with the obvious purpose of delivery in the USA. Many are doing it as an "anchor", even if they do return home first. Others just do it to deliver in the USA. Some do it because they know their child has an illness that is beyond the scope of their home country. We'll treat the patient no matter what, and many will never pay any of the bill. They'll just leave when it's over.

 

I was actually quite impressed when I visited a UK NICU, in terms of their equipment. Just as good as ours, if not even more accessible. Though I was told I was at one of the most well equipped (not GOSH), so that may have helped. 

 

Just to be clear about the Lyme disease business - There is no evidence that Lyme disease has ever been locally acquired in Australia (Don't know about Canada). There are cases that have been linked to people traveling abroad, and there are cases of "Lyme-like" illnesses for other ticks. But the tick borne illness that defines Lyme disease has never been (to my knowledge) found to be endemic to Australia. That doesn't mean they don't believe lyme disease exists. 

 

That sounds like pretty exceptional health insurance, by American standards. Most health insurance plans will cover 70-90% of hospital costs after your deductible, depending on how "In network" you are. It's very hard (and expensive) to find a plan that covers 100%, and doesn't have copays, even for maternity. I've never seen an employer-based health insurance that provides that before. I have very good insurance and my wife is delivering at the hospital where I work, and it will cover 90% of the hospital costs after our 800 dollar deducible. It'll come to like 2,000 dollars after everything is done. 

That is crazy about the embassy with Nigeria. I work in Spinal Cord Injury and paralysis. Lucky for us Johns Hopkins and the Embassy’s are very well coordinated. Having an embassy patient on your caseload just about triples your work load but they basically pays for our local patients to be seen since embassy pay full price for treatments. 

 

I am also aware I work at great facility for SCI Rehab and it is not the common practice for a lot of Rehab facilities in the US to do the things we do. But I feel I can give my patients a good quality of Care and that is why I chose to move to Baltimore and work there.

 

I personally always enjoy hearing about what my patients experiences from around the world. I work with the patients for about 9 to 15 hours a week one of one for 2 to 3 months and typically get to build a relationship with the patients over time. 

 

My husbands friend was diagnosed with lymes disease is Australia and went on a rant about medication not being covered. He used the words that Australia doesn’t believe in it, so that might be more of his frustrations playing out in the conversation. But to me (who grew up in massachusetts) it was crazy to hear the government won’t pay for treatments. 

Edited June 20, 2018 by AshMarty

[bcking 3,157]

3 minutes ago, AshMarty said:

That is crazy about the embassy with Nigeria. I work in Spinal Cord Injury and paralysis. Lucky for us Johns Hopkins and the Embassy’s are very well coordinated. Having an embassy patient on your caseload just about triples your work load but they basically pays for our local patients to be seen since embassy pay full price for treatments. 

 

I personally always enjoy hearing about what my patients experiences from around the world. I work with the patients for about 9 to 15 hours a week one of one for 2 to 3 months and typically get to build a relationship with the patients over time. 

 

My husbands friend was diagnosed with lymes disease is Australia and went on a rant about medication not being covered. He used the words that Australia doesn’t believe in it, so that might be more of his frustrations playing out in the conversation. But to me (who grew up in massachusetts) it was crazy to hear the government won’t pay for treatments. 

Lyme disease, and tick borne illnesses in general, are very challenging. The symptoms are non-specific. It can be Lyme, it can be another tick borne illness, or it can be something else entirely.

 

Even if you know it to be Lyme, treatment is also not all that successful, so it also wouldn't surprise me if some countries that are more "cost-conscious" or "value-based" don't support all of the treatment options we cover in the USA. Symptoms from Lyme disease will often resolve even without therapy, and will commonly recur even with therapy (making judgments about how successful treatment is difficult), not to mention the longer treatment courses often prescribed lead to side effects. There is no doubt in certain situations people benefit, but some places in the US may over treat. 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

58 minutes ago, AshMarty said:

There are positives and Negatives of Health Care here (not saying the US health care system is great by any means). I work at a Rehab Hospital that is associated with Johns Hopkins. About 30% of my caseload will be from patients from around world that are sent to our Hospital through their embassies or special visas. In the past 6 weeks I have seen patients from Brazil, Canada, 2 Saudi Arabia patients, and a handful of other patients from the UAE. 

 

The patient from Canada's child was cut off from public Rehab services because they feel she has met her potiential, so she travels to our hospital 3 x a year for equipment updates, medicals,and rehab updates. If you talk to people from different countries they will tell you their personal experiences both positive and negative.

 

My patient from Brazil said they would not trust their public system ( and his grandfather was an MD in Brazil) but thought it was weird that each hospital had a different self pay price for an MRI when they had to call around for estimates in the states. 

 

We have Australian Physical Therapists (Private sector) come to observe our clinic once a year for about two weeks. They are always amazed by the equipment we send our patients home with and tell us how no one in their clinics would ever be approved to take home the equipment that a lot of our patients are approved for. 

 

On the opposite end my husband needed a heart surgery in Australia before he migrated to the US. He was a tier 2 case and received his surgery within 6 months of his diagnosis (Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome). I had a cardiologist ready in the states thinking he would get surgery when he arrived, we would have to have paid about $500.00 with our insurance for the surgery,  he got it completely for free in Australia. 

 

Also interesting fact: Canada and Australia don't believe in the diagnosis of Lymes disease so if you receive that diagnoses in the public systems you are out of luck and your treatments will not be covered. 

 

It you talk to people with chronic diseases from other countries you will begin to see the positive and negatives of each system. Again not saying the US is a great system at all but if you dive into each system there will be flaws. 

 

  Not sure about Australia but Lyme disease treatment is covered in the Canadian health system. Getting an actual diagnosis has been the main issue for many years, as there seems to be a prevalent belief among many in the medical community that it is not endemic in Canada, therefore it must be something else.  Getting a diagnosis in the chronic stages can be challenging anywhere outside endemic areas, but there are definitely more specialists in the USA who are familiar with this, so much more likely to get a diagnosis and treatment. 

 

  

 

[bcking 3,157]

16 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

  Not sure about Australia but Lyme disease treatment is covered in the Canadian health system. Getting an actual diagnosis has been the main issue for many years, as there seems to be a prevalent belief among many in the medical community that it is not endemic in Canada, therefore it must be something else.  Getting a diagnosis in the chronic stages can be challenging anywhere outside endemic areas, but there are definitely more specialists in the USA who are familiar with this, so much more likely to get a diagnosis and treatment. 

 

  

 

I'd have a harder time believing it isn't present in Canada. We are a continuous landmass. Lyme areas in the USA are quite close to Canada.

 

Australia on the other hand. That place is just crazy. They have stuff that no one else has, and they lack many things that are prevalent elsewhere. So it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't have any Borrelia species, let alone any Lyme-disease causing species.

Edited June 20, 2018 by bcking

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

On 6/19/2018 at 1:38 AM, Steeleballz said:

 

  Sounds like you are in the 1%. The 1% of people who still have a decent health insurance plan. 

 

  In 4 years, our insurance has gone from half-decent to half-baked. I hope yours doesn't end up that way.

Premium-wise, it is great.  But co pays are almost double this year.  And projected to go higher.  That being said, if I need something, I call my PCM and get an appointment.  Usually if I have to wait more than a week it’s due to my schedule, not his.

 

Haven’t actually looked to see how mine stacks up against others, but I am 99% certain it’s not in the 1%. Or even 10%.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

21 hours ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

I had a doctor recode a preventive colonoscopy to a procedure , because  he decided to take a sample of some kind that was a big nothing burger.

 

However insurance pays 100% for a preventive colonoscopy,  but when it turned into a procedure the bill went thru roof.  Yearly deductibles,  out of pockets. Etc. The difference was huge.

 

 

 

  Hey, I tried to warn you about all those nothing burgers. 

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

My wife works part time (about 24 hours per week) at a local grocery chain. Get really good health dental and vision for about 20 bucks a week  I apologize if I already told that , I am at that age I repeat stuff a lot.

 

[Boiler 46,013]

2 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

My wife works part time (about 24 hours per week) at a local grocery chain. Get really good health dental and vision for about 20 bucks a week  I apologize if I already told that , I am at that age I repeat stuff a lot.

 

Sounds like the Medical Insurance could be better?

[TBoneTX 46,055]

5 hours ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

I am at that age

Huh?  Speak up, Sonny -- what's that you say about my bearings needing flecked?