Re: The joys of American healthcare...

April 9, 2004

In a message dated 4/9/2004 9:58:21 AM Pacific Standard Time,

sog@... writes:

Should they happen to hear the sound of a loud detonation, that

will be the faint echo of my head exploding the next time Bush

describes the US healthcare system as " the best in the world " .

Hi Steve:

I know this just sounds like " feely-feely " talk but it's really important for

you to focus on having the surgery and getting well. This is a crisis, no

question about it.

It's easy to be infuriated by this stuff, but your health is more important

than anything - it is your life. Think about telling this story to some young

kid when you're at the sprightly age of 85 and kicking his or her ass at

basketball or something.

Maybe this sounds glib but you can always make a plan with the financial

thing; there's no way you can do better than having a resurfacing, and if you

delay, there may be no way back to it.

Hang in there, buddy - we're thinking of you.

Des

April 9, 2004

>

> It's easy to be infuriated by this stuff, but your health is more

important

> than anything - it is your life. Think about telling this story to

some young

> kid when you're at the sprightly age of 85 and kicking his or her

ass at

> basketball or something.

>

> Maybe this sounds glib but you can always make a plan with the

financial

> thing;

Oh, I already have. I took out a HELOC a few months ago so I'd have

the resources to pay for it outright should the need arise. The big

question on my mind is whether to go ahead with JRI or to try to get

on DeSmet's waiting list (and therby reduce the massive debt load

somewhat). I'm not sure my hips could take the wait for a Belgian

bilateral.This whole process has been dragging on for months - if

I'd just gone to Europe to start with, I'd be recovered by now.

It just really steams me to think of these two-bit corporate

bureaucrats twiddling their thumbs while my femurs are grinding

themselves into dust.

I must admit to fantasies involving lying in wait with a baseball bat

in the CIGNA parking lot, waiting for the head of the

" Predetermination Department " ;-).

There are times when it really sucks to live in a country with Third

World healthcare.

Steve

April 12, 2004

Hi Steve!

I took the Belgian option and paid for it out of pocket, rather than

continue to fight with the insurance company. If Dr. De Smet has seen your

x-rays and thinks that you have little time left as a candidate for

resurfacing, I think he will manage to work you in within a few weeks. In

my case, he said that I had severely damaged my hip, that most US surgeons

would already reject me as a resurfacing patient, and that he felt he could

still do my resurfacing, although I would probably need a dysplasia cup with

screws (which is unavailable in the US Investigational devices). He offered

me several dates, the first of which was only 2 weeks away, and I jumped at

it!

My surgery, including airfare and hotel bills, was less than half the

cost of having the surgery in the States. I'll submit the bills to my

insurance company when I get them. Since resurfacing is standard practice

in Europe, not an Investigational procedure, they may reimburse me for some

or all of it. If not, my new hip was worth the expense, and my medical

expenses for 2004 will total enough to qualify for a tax deduction next

year!

Des is right. This is your life, your health, and your quality of life.

It's rotten, and it's not fair to pay for health insurance and still not

have it cover the procedure you need, but it happens all the time. I

finally decided I may not be able to control what my health insurance

covers, but I could sure as hell control the kind of surgery I got and

whether it cost me the standard US price, or half of that! Ultimately, what

better way to spend your money than on your own quality of life?

I must admit, the baseball bat idea is attractive!

Re: The joys of American healthcare...

>

> >

> > It's easy to be infuriated by this stuff, but your health is more

> important

> > than anything - it is your life. Think about telling this story to

> some young

> > kid when you're at the sprightly age of 85 and kicking his or her

> ass at

> > basketball or something.

> >

> > Maybe this sounds glib but you can always make a plan with the

> financial

> > thing;

>

> Oh, I already have. I took out a HELOC a few months ago so I'd have

> the resources to pay for it outright should the need arise. The big

> question on my mind is whether to go ahead with JRI or to try to get

> on DeSmet's waiting list (and therby reduce the massive debt load

> somewhat). I'm not sure my hips could take the wait for a Belgian

> bilateral.This whole process has been dragging on for months - if

> I'd just gone to Europe to start with, I'd be recovered by now.

>

> It just really steams me to think of these two-bit corporate

> bureaucrats twiddling their thumbs while my femurs are grinding

> themselves into dust.

>

> I must admit to fantasies involving lying in wait with a baseball bat

> in the CIGNA parking lot, waiting for the head of the

> " Predetermination Department " ;-).

>

> There are times when it really sucks to live in a country with Third

> World healthcare.

>

> Steve

>

April 12, 2004