So my local gp is now charging cash for services to some. I get a discount as I’m on a pension but now pay $55 and get $39 back from the government. The govt in their wisdom is spending billions on defence and other things whilst our hospital and medical system are going south quickly. Just nuts.
Had an appointment last week and they ambushed me as I used to get bulk billed. ( The govt covers the entire cost of visit ). I had no money so had to come back a couple of days later and pay but the receptionist stuffed it all up and although they said they’d sent the stuff through they didn’t. So frustrating. Instead of being out like the $14 difference I’m $55 in the hole with expenses I didn’t know I had.
Sorted it out hopefully but spent two hours this morning on the phone and two visits to the clinic simply because someone didn’t know their job. I was cool and professional but made sure that they understood my frustration about the whole thing. I don’t mind paying but I can’t afford to carry the costs of their failures to do a simple thing…Rant over!
Dang hope it doesn’t happen again… Not to be rude or anything but it must be scary to have to pay out of pocket for health now that i think about it… im not used to that… makes you think about other countries where the full expense is out of pocket. must be a real rollercoaster…
Yeah it’s nuts. I’m on a disability pension and very fixed income. I just didn’t expect or plan for such an outlay. Anyways. At least my shrink bulk bills. That would be a disaster if I had to pay for specialist care.
the first time i was hospitalized i just about had a heart attack because (For one reason or another) i thought that we had to pay for our hospital stay. Maybe it was a delusion but i was super worried because i thought hospital stays werent covered and we were going to be out thousands! i was so angry at my doctor cause i thought we’d be in irreparable debt… thank god it wasnt… i think that’s a reality for some, and sometimes hospitalizations arent even required yet still enforced.
I really feel for you on that one. I’m used to co-pays ($30 a visit), but paying for procedures and blood work and such is new to me as it used to be covered at 100%. I went to get my daughter a blood draw to test her for the clotting issue I have. The first thing they did was ask for $70. I wanted to get this test so bad, though, that I paid. Well, lo and behold, they didn’t complete the test! They skipped two tests- one was for the PROC gene (blood clotting) and the other, I’m not sure. The PROC is what I’d paid for. I contacted them and explained that, since I’d paid for the PROC test that they didn’t complete, I shouldn’t be charged. They disagreed. Joke’s on them though because I’d actually cancelled that card to try to avoid spending. The charge won’t go through if they try, and I can dispute it because they are trying to charge me for a test they never did.
Yeah the issue is that medical clinics are run as business’ anyways and they complain that rising costs aren’t being met etc. Really the government should split the difference but it’s not happening. Makes it tough but now I’ve basically got to keep money in my account in case I need to see a doctor.
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