Carolyn, I had Oscar for years and switched to Sendero in 2024. I also was a sr. program officer for the Commonwealth Fund in the late 90s and spent my entire career in health care. I have some thoughts. I'll reach out to you via Messenger. Hang in there!
I "feel your pain" in dealing with the current American healthcare system. I have vertigo, and most recently a real PIA attack. Thought if I could get a hearing test I could determine if loss of hearing might be part of a problem that has no cure. Of course, I needed a referral from my GP. No way. Had to see him first. I'll skip over sitting in a waiting room the 3 hours to see him to being told I need an MRI to rule out a silent stroke. Results: no stroke. Still vertigo. Next: hearing test. I decided to quit their medical runaround. Vertigo is vertigo, no matter what you call it. There is no cure. Done with funding their coffers. Another time he wanted me to start taking meds for osteopenia, cause "some of the ladies like to take a pill." Not this one! I'll just walk more and increase my weights at the gym. The American "healthcare system" is a business designed and engineered to make money. Not to help people. So sorry that you are getting circle-jerked by so many doctors. Hope you get your necessary meds soon.
I highly recommend the book "Never Pay the First Bill" by investigative reporter Marshall Allen, who spent decades investigating healthcare financing. Marshall tragically died young last year, but his widow Sonja and some of his friends are continuing the work here on Substack at The Marshall Allen Project. (I was a professional friend of Marshall's but don't benefit in any way from recommending these.)
Thanks for sharing my very important role (so important she doesn't get an actual name)! And this one is too relatable. The amount of time I have spent on the phone with our insurance co. trying to get something adjusted or asking questions or wondering how my doc can be in the network, but the anesthesiologist could be out of network is mind-blowing. there just has to be a better way.
THIS is precisely a good reason why we love living in France. We can get doctor's appointments the same day and if they don't show as available on Doctolib, we can just email the doctor for an appointment and if she can squeeze us in, she will. We definitely don't miss all the nonsense in the US with HMO's, PPO's, Medicare, doctors who won't take Medicare, doctors who suddenly switch to "concierge" because that's where the big bucks are.... Glad we dumped our part B coverage in the states. We never plan to return to the USA. It's so simple here in France, once you get on France's healthcare system.
Our daughter living in NYC has many a tale to tell about battling to get her insurance to do much of anything. She was able to renew her French coverage for a while when she took a year off and was based here, so sees all. Necessary doctors when she's here. She was doing that and paying out of pocket a lot before, as it was cheaper than the deductibles. No help in an emergency, though.
It sounds familiar from 15 years ago. All that, and more, was the reason we left and why we intend to remain in France.
Carolyn, I had Oscar for years and switched to Sendero in 2024. I also was a sr. program officer for the Commonwealth Fund in the late 90s and spent my entire career in health care. I have some thoughts. I'll reach out to you via Messenger. Hang in there!
I "feel your pain" in dealing with the current American healthcare system. I have vertigo, and most recently a real PIA attack. Thought if I could get a hearing test I could determine if loss of hearing might be part of a problem that has no cure. Of course, I needed a referral from my GP. No way. Had to see him first. I'll skip over sitting in a waiting room the 3 hours to see him to being told I need an MRI to rule out a silent stroke. Results: no stroke. Still vertigo. Next: hearing test. I decided to quit their medical runaround. Vertigo is vertigo, no matter what you call it. There is no cure. Done with funding their coffers. Another time he wanted me to start taking meds for osteopenia, cause "some of the ladies like to take a pill." Not this one! I'll just walk more and increase my weights at the gym. The American "healthcare system" is a business designed and engineered to make money. Not to help people. So sorry that you are getting circle-jerked by so many doctors. Hope you get your necessary meds soon.
I highly recommend the book "Never Pay the First Bill" by investigative reporter Marshall Allen, who spent decades investigating healthcare financing. Marshall tragically died young last year, but his widow Sonja and some of his friends are continuing the work here on Substack at The Marshall Allen Project. (I was a professional friend of Marshall's but don't benefit in any way from recommending these.)
Thanks for sharing my very important role (so important she doesn't get an actual name)! And this one is too relatable. The amount of time I have spent on the phone with our insurance co. trying to get something adjusted or asking questions or wondering how my doc can be in the network, but the anesthesiologist could be out of network is mind-blowing. there just has to be a better way.
THIS is precisely a good reason why we love living in France. We can get doctor's appointments the same day and if they don't show as available on Doctolib, we can just email the doctor for an appointment and if she can squeeze us in, she will. We definitely don't miss all the nonsense in the US with HMO's, PPO's, Medicare, doctors who won't take Medicare, doctors who suddenly switch to "concierge" because that's where the big bucks are.... Glad we dumped our part B coverage in the states. We never plan to return to the USA. It's so simple here in France, once you get on France's healthcare system.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1236142424547899&set=a.411688900326593
Our daughter living in NYC has many a tale to tell about battling to get her insurance to do much of anything. She was able to renew her French coverage for a while when she took a year off and was based here, so sees all. Necessary doctors when she's here. She was doing that and paying out of pocket a lot before, as it was cheaper than the deductibles. No help in an emergency, though.