Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Adventures in American Healthcare Part the Second

So I've had a bit of a cold. No big deal and usually what happens to me when I stop after being busy. But yesterday morning I woke up with incredible vertigo. I would not have gone in except that we had a meeting at the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) - more on that to follow- and I didn't want to miss out on it. I went and it seemed to get better over the course of the day. A bit worse again at night, but manageable. Well I woke up this morning and it was much, much worse. So again I went in to work (yes, yes, I know...) but left at 3 to go to a walk in clinic. Where I sat for 2 hours before seeing a nurse and then a physician assistant (so no actual doctor).
2 hours in the waiting room did not fill me with any positive feelings about the system here. I mean this was a clinic, so I wouldn't expect high calibre service from a similar place in Canada, but the reception's first question was always "do you have your insurance card?" not "what are your symptoms". I've got decent medical insurance here - 100% coverage and no "co-pays", the flat rate amount that most Americans have to pay regardless of what their appointment is for - usually it's around $20. But one guy whose insurance wasn't accepted at this particular clinic was given two options - pay $115 and not get a receipt or pay $150 and get a receipt that he could try and get reimbursed from his insurer. That hardly seems legal to me! I mean it seems like the sort of deal your mechanic would offer you if you paid in cash. It's essentially the same idea.
Anyway, the good news is that I don't have an ear infection and my blood pressure was perfect (which is amazing to me, but good to hear) however they have no idea what is causing it and I have to go back in a week if it persists. Basically the physician's assistant went from ear infection to brain tumor as my options! It seemed a tad drastic to me but there you go. I have prescription I can get filled if it continues that might help the symptoms a bit so I'll see how I feel in the morning...

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