Thursday, May 22, 2008

More Healthcare Rants

I'm in the process of changing my Family Doctor (PCP, GP) and endocrinologist to the same practice as my opthamologist so they can easily share notes. I'm frankly totally fed-up that when I request each of the present ones to do that I am told they will and yet THEY HAVEN"T, NOT ONCE, IN THREE YEARS. I suppose it's a "we'll take in under advisement" thing, which really means "Go away and stop bugging us".
Anyway, each time I've tried I'm told it will take three months before I can get an appointment. This wouldn't happen in either of the two olde European lands where I have previously resided, but I sucked it up as the price of doing business in the US. A price, by the way, that costs me a huge amount of salary and the employers an increasingly prohibitive amount, too. But my experience thus far has been with changing practices. Imagine how mad I would be if I just wanted to see a different doctor in the same office.
The Guy and I received a letter from our ophthalmologist to say he was leaving the practice. As we were both due check ups in June I phoned immediately to get switched to the other eye doctor there. No problem I was told, except they were booking three months in advance. I got the first available appointments. For September 23. Almost 18 weeks away. That's more than 4 months. As long, if not longer, than you'd have to wait for an appointment under the free "socialised" medicine system in Europe.
Remind me again, why is the American health system described as "best in the world"?


via modernemama