WWA Info Exchange

When I had problems with my right hip two people told me to be sure and get it replaced before I went on medicare or it would be a real mess. My gp sent me to the hip surgen who took my blood pressure and took x rays then scheduled the surgery. Now that I am on medicare The gp would not aprove the surgery until I had an EKG and wore a heart monitor for 24 hours and had me go to a cardalogist who took another EKG and scheduled blood tests and said I had to get a stress test and electro cardigram and to come back in six months. I asked why I had to wait six months to get the surgery approved and the cardalogist said there wasn't any problem with the surgery. The surgen who took x rays and said I definately need the hip replaced, then required two months of physical theropy before he would schedule the surgery. He then took another EKG. and scheduled more blood tests. So far medicare has been billed over three thousand dollars that wasn't considered neccesary before I went on medicare with more tests still to come. I can't help but think the physical theropy, all of the EKG,s blood tests, stress tests and heart monitor are just because medicare will pay for most of them. I also had to have an EKG before my catarack surgery.Four EKG's in two months is simply over kill.Two sets of blood tests already and one more yet to come is also over kill. It is no wonder that medicare costs so much. The health care system is just ripping it off.

Sometimes definitely seems that way.
Although when I broke both my legs under workmen’s comp in my 40s the number test that got ran was nuts over a heart murmur that I knew about …. It was a nothing.
Last week (I’m 67) under Medicare and insurance I was admitted for 5 days an acute asthma attack, unbelievable number of tests injections, tests, breathing treatments every 4 hours.
I Feel The Same Way.

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"It is not a mistake it is a learning experience"
Monte

One thing I learned about the govt over the 42 years I worked for them, is they just throw money at stuff with no accountability and the govt makes it easy.

Thing is if they tightened it up then you'd be waiting months for the govt to approve the surgery.

I used to have a HMO and I went to them to look at my ankle it was swollen and I had a lot of pain, they wouldnt do anything basically said I had to live with it. Move to Az got a PPO went to a foot secialist who took xrays and said I had a bone spur under a tenon. 2 weeks later I was in surgery month later Im up ad about feeling good.

At least your getting it taken care of....

I have medical so I didnt get medicare other than Opt A as the govt requires people to get it whether they want or not

I was having abdominal pain and after 2 ultasounds, multiple blood works, my Gastroenteroligist would not do an endoscopy because I have occasional angina that has been monitered by my Cardiologist. I had shoulder surgery with it and I am sure my Cardiologist would permit it. So he actually reccomended I get a second opinion on my heart even though 2 Cardiologists concur on the cause and treatment for my angina. So CT scan instead of endocopy which led to an MRI because of some spots on my liver which turned out to be of no significance.

Bottom line, much cost to my insurance company. Not Medicare age yet so I think this stuff just goes on and on regardless of who is the insurer.

The other side of this is I am glad the docs are not cowboys who will not consider the risks to me.

Many things in play, government waste sure, but also liability, and insurance companies wanting low priced test first before the high priced test and procedures................and also, having family members in the health care industry, medical people are driven by more than money.

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"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean