U.S. Health Care System Does Not Play Well With My Stupid Human Suit

So the inevitable that I’ve been dreading since the state, in all its wisdom and compassion, decided to drop the health care plan I used to be on—limiting my viable, affordable choices to one HMO system—has happened. My current cocktail of meds is no longer keeping me healthy, happy, and hale. Actually, it’s been happening for a while, but I’ve been trying to adapt and adjust on my own. But it’s hit the point where I need to do something about it. My emotional equilibrium has veered off kilter, and aside from the problematic mood and sleep issues, I’m seeing a corresponding impact in motivation, productivity, and general engagement with the world.

I need to see a doctor to discuss, evaluate, and adjust my meds. Problem: I no longer have a doctor, as I lost all of my previous stable of them when I was forced to change health care plans. And I have nothing to go by as far as who to switch to. I may as well be tossing darts at a list of names. And considering my past bad experiences with p-docs, which have ranged from useless to malpractice-level incompetent, the prospect of random luck favoring my selection of a new doctor does not fill me with confidence.

Still, I’m thankful that my lupus/MCTD continues to hold stable. I do have a rheumatologist. Because, well, if I didn’t, my immune system would rise up and try to kill me in a fit of misguided zeal. But I’m having to pay four times what I used to for fewer services and a lesser degree of monitoring, a state of affairs that I expect will be amplified with any new doctor I see under this health care plan.

This whole thing is aggravating and dispiriting—which, all in all, is an ironic catch-22.

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5 Responses to U.S. Health Care System Does Not Play Well With My Stupid Human Suit

  1. Ari Marmell says:

    Ouch. I’m sorry, Eugie. I’ve had similar frustrations in the past, and I know that few things are more aggravating–or more depressing.

    I wish I could offer more than sympathies.

  2. Eugie Foster says:

    Thanks, Ari. Why can’t navigating the health care system be easy, efficient, and affordable?? Oh, that’s right, because we live in America.

  3. Ari Marmell says:

    Yep. Best health care system in the world, that doesn’t need the slightest bit of changing–except for all the ones that are better, and all the changes that we need to make.

  4. Paul Iutzi says:

    Ick, yeah, doctor changes, especially for insurance reasons, are never good. Here in Illinois, the state government is trying to pull the same thing, with the added plus that the HMO they decided on has very, very few if any doctors outside of Chicago. So, basically, if you work for the state in Springfield you’re pretty much screwed.

  5. Janice Clark says:

    The problem with health care in this country is the emphasis on providing insurance as opposed to delivering health care. It seems to be all about money, and especially making a profit for the insurance companies, who are determined to provide as little care as possible while maximizing profits. The system is flawed. I don’t think it’s going to get better until people wise up and cut out the insurance gatekeepers whose main function seems to be denying care.

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