Wellness

[GRACIE]

I see a eye specialist once a year,  for 3 years due to the high pressure behind my eyes. Eye drops has brought my eye pressure from 25 to now under9.The battery of test is over $800.00 a visit Avmed pays all except co-payment. Avmed does not cover for prescription eyeglasses so I used my vision insurance at American Best.

Eye exam and two pair of glasses for $69.00 but then they try you to get all the extras.I always get no line bifocals and transitional lenses.By the time they were thru with other extra, it came to $849.00 for 2 pairs of eyeglasses,MetLife would pay all but $200.00. Nope,only what I needed not what they wanted to add.

[Laura14]

@sidsmom  The benefit is from a supplemental insurance I have on my own and has nothing to do with or through my employer. 

And I agree with eyes wide open with everything and everyone you interact with in the medical community.  

The people actually working in the field, I believe, really do have your best interests at heart.  It's the corporate entities needing to stay profitable that muck it all up for them and for us.    

[Laura14]

Wow @GRACIE! 

With insurance, my first pair of progressives came to over $300.  And I so regret it because I don't need to wear glasses to read.  I am near sighted and do just fine and prefer them without. 

It's only when I have my contacts in that I find in the past several months I can't read with them in.  I have to get cheap readers.  I've gotten to the point that I stopped wearing my contacts for the most part and just use the glasses to see far away.

I am getting my $300 worth!  LOL  

[151949]

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@Laura14 wrote:

@151949  They are next on my hit list!  Every 6 months I walk in, I realized I have started to get an X-ray every time.  Since when? That can't be good for you I don't care about the protection.

I grew up with and until recently I had an x-ray once every five years for the panoramic and maybe bite wings every other year.  Not once every six months.  That's another expense that's going away too.  

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My dental insurance allows bite wings yearly and panoramics every 3 years. That is more than enough IMO.

[Laura14]

@151949  Sounds about right to me.  I don't have insurance for dental so I think they are looking to make some extra cash on smoe unnecessary films.

[151949]

@Laura14  I think when they see someone with no insurance they just look like those old cartoons - with dollar signs in their eyeballs. They have no morals about running you into debt to line their pockets.

[qualitygal]

@Laura14, Cancer possibilities are nothing to mess with.  I hear what you're saying, but I really don't care for the phrase, "it's probably nothing".  Well, it's not them if it IS something.  Sometimes it is fatty tissue that shows, but better safe than sorry is best.  

[hckynut]

@Laura14

Thread title? You can change both. I use only 1 mechanic for our vehicles because he has been a friend of ours for a couple decades now. Nobody else, but myself and our friend, services our vehicles.  If you don't know a Motor Vehicle Engineer, seek one out that you can talk with, personally.

My Medical Offices, of which I have many?  Over the years I have gained a lot of medical and human physiology knowledge. As the saying goes, be it motor vehicles or human bodies:

"Knowledge is Power"!  I seldom have a Medical Office issue. If I do it is very quickly settled, usually for my side.

"Your" medical office might "always find something wrong", I however won't ever say all, or even many, work that way. If you find that to be so?

hckynut(john)

[hckynut]

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@Greeneyedlady21 wrote:

There's definitely a big financial motive. Anyone who doesn't believe that is just naive. It's legal too, they all seem to live in fear of that more than anything. I learned that over the three plus years taking care of my Mother. 

Disclaimer, I'm not saying there aren't still good doctors out there that actually care about people and not just money. Sadly though they are becoming scarce. My Mom had one out of the 7 or 8 different pcps and specialists (maybe even more, I lost count) that she saw. I asked him once how he kept doing the job. Sadly I think he will end up leaving early. The "system " as they call it basically beats the caring and humanity out of doctors.

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@Greeneyedlady21

I do not consider myself "naive" when it comes to motor vehicles or my body. Not sure what "legal" means to you concerning this topic!  I have 2 Medical Doctors in my immediate family, and several others that are pretty good friends of ours. Their views about "the system" don't match up with what you have experienced.

I have seen new ones recently for new issues and I let them know up front and personal, where I stand when it comes to my medical issues. Take advantage of me? I don't think so, but if they did? Only 1 time.

I just put the following in another thread in this Forum:

"Knowledge is Power", not just for motor vehicles and human bodies, but most $$$ transactions one makes in this thing called "life". Almost always choices out there!

hckynut(john)

[Trinity11]

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@Laura14 wrote:

@Trinity11  I don't see them as a conspiracy either.  But I think it's good feedback to them that they need to be mindful of what they do callbacks for and how often or at least be better communicators as to why something may need to be done. 

When you keep crying wolf with a healthy patient, eventually they are going to disregard the warnings which can be catastrophic in the long run.  I thought I saw a study that depicted just that with my exact situation with mammograms. 

I can tell you the other side to your scenario when you've been scared half to death twice in my case  and it turns out to be not true, you are not keen on repeating such an awful emotional experience again.  And it's not like you get a sorry or help paying the  bills either.  

I am very grateful you were saved by medical testing and completely respect the medical community.     I'm just trying to teach them how to treat me and my personal situation better.

Bottom line, I think everyone needs to educate and be responsible for themselves.  Use your own judgement just like you did on what you really need from your doctors.  

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Quite honestly @Laura14, I see a physician because they have had a lengthy education and are qualified a heck of a lot more than I am to determine what tests I need and don't need. If I was a practicing physican maybe I would determine what tests I need but since I am not I use their judgment and expertise to determine what I need.

As far as repeating an emotional situation in regard to mammograms...the last one they found something as I had a lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy. I went to a mammogram center that doesn't call you back rather they determine what is going on in the here and now. I was shuffled off to a room to get the results of a fine needle biopsy done on the spot. I had to wait an hour for the results. The results were that it was just scar tissues but I have been where you are and I still will have yearly mammograms and I still will face whatever it is I need to. Mostly because I would rather have Stage 1 cancer than come out of there with Stage 4 that wasn't found in time.