Last year my best friend got diagnosed with cancer, and his VA docs let him sit 3 months between appointments. By the time they offered a treatment plan, he had become terminal, almost a year in. He died last June. It’s really quietly horrifying to see it play out in real-time.
But on the bright side, the insurance company probably saved a lot of money. And as you know, line going up is more important than quality of life going up or even staying alive. /s
I’m sorry about your friend, nobody deserves that.
Are these doctors just seeing patients all day, every day? If not, I can’t imagine how they could possibly justify making someone wait 10 months for a virtual visit.
A rheumatologist? Basically. Any ‘old person’ specialty is hard to get an appointment in because they’re booked out for ages, unless you’re lucky and live near a bunch of them or have insurance with a really big network of providers.
Honestly? A lot of them are. They also might have a few hours during the day where they review lab results or imaging for their various patients.
A lot of the specialists don’t work for a hospital or anything, so they’re basically a doctor and also a small business owner in a business with a very long ramp up time and uncertain demand on the timeframe that you can make the decision to work in the field. So you end up with “how many people do you think will have arthritis in five years, and how many people do you think will have decided to become rheumatologists by then?” And if you’re wrong you’re still a rheumatologist and you basically just need to move someplace that needs one and hope you can run a business.
You might luck out if you’re near a big medical facility that’s involved in teaching, because then you might end up with several doing teaching and research.
E.g. in the UK, someone I know had to wait 18 months for an (online) assessment for ADHD. I was along as a character reference, since I have ADHD myself, so could point out the bits they forgot (due to ADHD).
At the end, they apologised again for the delay. Apparently, since COVID, they have been receiving almost as many referrals in a week than they used to in a year. It takes a long time to train new doctors, particularly in specialist positions. They were swamped.
Many specialists are in the same boat, even before insurance companies get involved.
The American healthcare system killed my grandpa by waiting so long to care for his severe foot infection that his heart (which was already damaged from a heart attack 15ish years prior) couldn’t handle the strain anymore and he passed away. I will never forgive that hospital or the insurance companies involved, and I never even got to say goodbye to him. That kind of shit doesn’t happen as frequently here in Canada and I am thankful for the system we do have, flaws and all.
They send you away for everything except imminent death. You then have to book an appointment with a specialist instead, and it’s at least a month from now.l if you’re lucky.
To be fair I had to have an organ removed due to exploding or something. It took less than 24 hours. Then insurance denied it-no way to tell if said exploding organ was an elective surgery or required by the doctor who required us to do it.
Apparently all the cool kids are doing elective organ removal these days.
12 hours and $35k? Stop your bullshit. I’ve dealt extensively with healthcare in the US. It’s more like 10 months and $110k.
My partner is literally waiting 10 months to see a rheumatologist for debilitating joint pain. A virtual visit, no less.
Last year my best friend got diagnosed with cancer, and his VA docs let him sit 3 months between appointments. By the time they offered a treatment plan, he had become terminal, almost a year in. He died last June. It’s really quietly horrifying to see it play out in real-time.
But on the bright side, the insurance company probably saved a lot of money. And as you know, line going up is more important than quality of life going up or even staying alive. /s
I’m sorry about your friend, nobody deserves that.
He said VA. No insurance there.
My ex got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was cured in a few months. Canadian, here.
That’s heartbreaking. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Are these doctors just seeing patients all day, every day? If not, I can’t imagine how they could possibly justify making someone wait 10 months for a virtual visit.
A rheumatologist? Basically. Any ‘old person’ specialty is hard to get an appointment in because they’re booked out for ages, unless you’re lucky and live near a bunch of them or have insurance with a really big network of providers.
Honestly? A lot of them are. They also might have a few hours during the day where they review lab results or imaging for their various patients.
A lot of the specialists don’t work for a hospital or anything, so they’re basically a doctor and also a small business owner in a business with a very long ramp up time and uncertain demand on the timeframe that you can make the decision to work in the field. So you end up with “how many people do you think will have arthritis in five years, and how many people do you think will have decided to become rheumatologists by then?” And if you’re wrong you’re still a rheumatologist and you basically just need to move someplace that needs one and hope you can run a business.
You might luck out if you’re near a big medical facility that’s involved in teaching, because then you might end up with several doing teaching and research.
It can easily happen anywhere.
E.g. in the UK, someone I know had to wait 18 months for an (online) assessment for ADHD. I was along as a character reference, since I have ADHD myself, so could point out the bits they forgot (due to ADHD).
At the end, they apologised again for the delay. Apparently, since COVID, they have been receiving almost as many referrals in a week than they used to in a year. It takes a long time to train new doctors, particularly in specialist positions. They were swamped.
Many specialists are in the same boat, even before insurance companies get involved.
The American healthcare system killed my grandpa by waiting so long to care for his severe foot infection that his heart (which was already damaged from a heart attack 15ish years prior) couldn’t handle the strain anymore and he passed away. I will never forgive that hospital or the insurance companies involved, and I never even got to say goodbye to him. That kind of shit doesn’t happen as frequently here in Canada and I am thankful for the system we do have, flaws and all.
Are you saying people are sitting around waiting at the emergency room for 10 months at a time and it’s a regular thing in the US?
They send you away for everything except imminent death. You then have to book an appointment with a specialist instead, and it’s at least a month from now.l if you’re lucky.
Look, some sacrifices are gonna have to be made if we want to continue having the best healthcare on earth.
Fortunately, we’ve mastered the sacrificing part, now we just have to tackle beginning “to continue having.”
You guys are having good healthcare?
No, but I’d say we have the most growth potential out of any Western country! - cough cough - Ow my existence.
To be fair I had to have an organ removed due to exploding or something. It took less than 24 hours. Then insurance denied it-no way to tell if said exploding organ was an elective surgery or required by the doctor who required us to do it.
Apparently all the cool kids are doing elective organ removal these days.