#american healthcare system is fucked

[troythecatfish]

#the USA healthcare system is a joke #current events #social justice #human rights #usa #spain #healthcare #medicine #medical facts #medical tag #political #political posting #politics #us politics #usa politics #united states politics #american politics #fuck the usa #fuck the us government #fuck the united states #europe #world politics #late stage capitalism #capitalism #anti capitalism #america is a failed state #america is a hellscape #health #health and wellness #health tips

[murderonthedullexpress]

Hi! I have a Bonfire now! I’m using this to supplement my meager income to pay off medical expenses from the time I died and then was brought back. So… I would really appreciate it if you would purchase one or send this to someone who might be interested. I’ll keep adding more designs!

#fuck the american healthcare system #trans #queer #transgender #reanimator #trans artist #art #herbert west #catholic guilt #former catholic #woody guthrie #bonfire #trans joy #trans power #queer history #vintage queer

[running-tweezers]

I made the Scary Appointment about the Scary Symptoms, and I only cried a little bit, pls clap

#the crying was mostly over the nightmare that is the American healthcare system #but i fucking did it #now I get to worry about it for 2 more weeks 🙃 #marisa speaks

[2amcheese]

Being diabetic means having a higher cost of living.

#Ok november is over ill stop now #t1d #t1diabetic #type one #type one diabetes #diabetes #diabetic #insulin #actually diabetic #fuck the government #and the american healthcare system

[fluffysweetnectarine]

After 4 months of fighting!!!

I finally have a heart doctor appointment!! my mother almost sued someone and yelled at more then a few people but she finally got me one!! best part? it's next week!! i almost had to wait another three months just to see someone but gladly we got in sooner! >:D

(this may be a small achievement to some but holy shit It's everything to me)

#fuck the american healthcare system #positive vent

[crimeronan]

WHEW okay. ROUGH fucking start to the morning but things are gonna be okay now. putting under a cut for people who don't care abt my endless unrelenting medical drama but for those who do. Come On This Fucking Journey With Me.

so, necessary background.

i have been having intermittent medical emergencies since february and my doctor has been trying since march to get me a specialist rheumatology appointment. the rheumatology clinic keeps ignoring the referral and/or saying that they need more paperwork and documentation for it.

my doctor has at this point provided them with

her physical observations of my visibly abnormal symptoms

all of the many many many many Many medications i've been prescribed and their effects on said symptoms

multiple different types of positive ANA showing i have uncontrolled progressive autoimmune disease

all my negative antibody tests (have yet to test positive for any one specific antibody)

my doctor - who is excellent - has also followed up with them repeatedly to try to get me scheduled. because i am dying. like i try not to be super dramatic here bc i don't like worrying people and maybe i'm overblowing my symptoms but like. when you're at the point that one of your partners schedules an impromptu overnight flight to come up and monitor you for a week bc your other partner is on vacation & you're in danger of stroking and being unable to call an ambulance for yourself if someone isn't in the room to notice the signs...... i feel like at that point it's fair enough to say I Am Fucking Dying. i am dying. i've been dying for months. like very slowly and inconsequentially but MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE ARE DYING AT ANY GIVEN TIME.

so two weeks ago, after even more fucking phone tag, rheumatology was like. we have all of your tests and documentation now. we'll call to schedule you in soon :) if we don't, call us in two weeks!

today is, of course, the two week mark.

i thought it was strange that they hadn't called because my current symptom progression is usually triaged as The Top Tier Of Autoimmune Medical Emergencies. and my doctor herself has gotten me in for same-day appointments whenever i develop new symptoms because i am apparently not being fucking dramatic about how fucked up i am.

but! rheumatology is overburdened by a combination of COVID-era backups and a MASSIVE influx of newly disabled people with long COVID. and they're dealing with the same understaffing and shortages as the rest of the healthcare system. so it wasn't THAT weird.

called the clinic as soon as they opened this morning. was put on hold for a few minutes, which is normal.

guy gets back on the line. informs me they actually Don't have the test results that they need to schedule me (even though they TOLD ME THEY DID two weeks ago). and that they can't help me.

at this point i got off the phone and had a hysterical crying breakdown so profound that multiple partners swooped in to make a Shitload of Very Testy phone calls to various places on my behalf. bc they love me and are wonderful i am very loved. i have been taking the whole "actively dying" thing in stride for months for the most part but apparently this morning i hit my Fucking Limit. because OH MY FUCKING GOD.

so after an hour of hysterical crying, the receptionist at my main doctor's office calls back. she has always been very kind and takes calls from me / my partners extremely seriously, because of..... you know. The Everything.

she's just as kind and sweet and apologetic as ever but also there is kinda an undercurrent of apoplectic fury. she's spent some time trying to figure out What The Fuck Is Going On. turns out that

there was one more test rheumatology needed, even tho they said they had all my documentation. ok. fine.

my doctor did in fact order this test immediately after my last appointment.

i did in fact have the bloodwork done for this test immediately after my last appointment. like within an hour.

there was NO REASON for rheumatology not to have these test results.

except.

that the phlebotomist who took my blood.

ran every fucking ordered test.

except.

the one.

i needed.

to get scheduled.

with rheumatology.

so i've been waiting two weeks for fucking Nothing. because i thought i had my referral sorted. and the rheumatology clinic did not fucking inform my doctor that actually! they were wrong! about having the documentation to schedule me in!

the receptionist called up the lab to make sure that they Can run the necessary test. confirmed that they can. then she called up the rheumatology clinic and sent over all of my current documentation all over again and told them to be on the lookout for the final test. THEN she called the lab AGAIN to say, "hey, i'm sending you this order electronically, but i'm making an extra note that you guys need to do it right this time, AND you need to treat this as highest priority n analyze the results immediately. and i'm giving you the specific test number right now to make sure you fucking write it down correctly."

and then she gave ME the test number. and said "write this down. and when you get there, ask them what the number is for your test. and make sure that it matches."

which all took up most of her morning and truly was going above and beyond, all she really Needed to do was resend the lab order n tell me to go get more blood drawn. ESPECIALLY since it's an indie office & she handles ALL of the patient scheduling and bureaucracy.

but she is mad. and also i have dying patient privilege.

i felt much better after this because tbh half of why i was so upset was because i already know i have multiple forms of irreversible damage to various body parts and i really fucking physically feel like i get closer to dying every day and i really cannot fucking deal with being triaged as a non-priority possibly-faker hysteria patient.

but this does not seem to be the case.

so. unless something ELSE manages to go wrong with all of this bureaucratic bullshit, what's going to happen is: i am going to drive to a lab 45 minutes away to get my bloodwork done today bc that's the closest place with same-day appointments. i am going to call my doctor's office and tell them that the blood test was done, bc the receptionist said to call her from the parking lot once i'm finished. my doctor is going to receive the test results and send them to rheumatology either today or tomorrow. and within two weeks (Supposedly For Fucking Real This Time), rheumatology will ACTUALLY FUCKING CALL TO SCHEDULE ME IN.

in the most ideal and luckiest world, i will in fact be triaged as an emergency case. which means things will move fast in terms of both getting a call from the scheduling team and getting scheduled in. however it's also possible that they will have patients who are in, like, multi-organ-failure shutdown crisis, who obviously need to be prioritized above me. i do have endless paper documentation and visible physical symptoms stating that i am very very very sick, so. fingers crossed but i don't want to jinx it.

this post is very long. medical bureaucracy is a nightmare. i am very very very lucky and blessed to have so many life partners who are willing to advocate for me because as you can imagine, none of this is easy to navigate when you are unbelievably fucking sick and have a brain that is progressively losing the ability to retain language or executive function or memory.

in conclusion.

being sick is so stupid.

#medical #autoimmune tag #hank green's note of 'when the american healthcare system moves fast that's when it's time to worry' #YEAH I FEEL THAT. it WAS moving so fucking fast until all THIS. #hopefully now that it's sorted it'll be back to moving really fucking fast because I Need Healthcare Pretty Fukkin Badley

[c0rv1dco]

The american healthcare system is literally robbing people. This isn't news to anyone but I'm so pissed. I've known people who only needed an IV and a diagnosis for a very self-treatable illness and they keep them for a week and charge $1500 after insurance. Or coming to the ER because your doctor told you she doesn't have room for you and getting charged minimum $500 for an EKG and some vitals. After insurance. This is a fucking joke.

As a med student I hope every RN or doctor who doesn't honor their oath to do no harm (and taking out of the pockets of families is doing harm) respectfully gets a rock in their shoe. Or a harmless sunspot that they get paranoid about and waste money treating.

Fucking cunts.

#corcotxt #med student #fuck the american healthcare system

[samijami]

If you're ever in my parents' mindset and say the reason homeless people are homeless is because they are mentally fucked and won't help themselves (or choose to be homeless), go and learn something in school for once.

Most homeless people I see/hear of anymore are homeless because they've been through hell and can't financially support themselves, or pay for medication to support their mental health and hence will not be accepted into jobs. They can't even afford clothing to be presentable for an interview or to even show up to work without being looked down upon/fired for lack of cleanliness.

And people who aren't even like the first point, are still caught in the second one. They don't have the money to afford an outfit for work to not be immediately dropped on their ass for being unclean. And plus, if ever given money, these people will need food. They will buy food with the money, not clothes.

And some places won't hire homeless people regardless of anything. People are assholes and this is America, this is capitalism. They take everything you own and when you have nothing left, they let you die. That's the entire point of it being like this.

(And the people who physically cannot get a job and sustain it are fucked too).

Even when we are kind enough to help those in need, there are too many perfectly wealthy people who fake being homeless/in need that we've lost hope in those who are actually in need of our help.

Please stop this madness.

#human rights #fuck capitalism #fuck america #fuck amerikkka #fuck republikkkans #fuck republicans #anti republican #american health insurance #american health system #american healthcare #fuck billionaires #fuck american healthcare #help the homeless

[carry-on-my-wayward-gays]

I personally think it would be very beneficial for the environment for all PG mcyts to have a stream/video once a month where they get to swear as much as they like. They need their enrichment as well

#shadow says a thing #joel smallishbeans i am looking at you in particular #gtwscar should also be able to go on rants ab the american healthcare system and swear as much as he wants #i also think grian should be able to return to swearing occasionally #as well as all the redstoners in the community i just know mumbo k jumbo wants to cuss up a storm #and xisuma craves the ability to say the fuck word #look at him. so sassy and stressed #anyway #mcyt #minecraft youtube

[tea-earl-grey]

biting maiming killing insurance companies

#theyre making me switch to a medication that doesnt work that ive already TRIED instead of paying for my usual meds #just to prove that it doesnt still work #and i already pay such a fucking high copay already!!!! #my doctor's gonna be pissed but i dont think they can do anything abt it unless i switch meds for a month :( #listen the american healthcare system is always bad but its been Extra Bad lately #anyways thanks for fucking with people's actual lives and health just so you can save a bit of money! #fuck you! #vent #personal

[ace-of-hearts-and-spades]

Look, I know America is absolutely fucked in a variety of ways, and I make plenty of jokes about it myself. But something rubs me the wrong way when Europeans laugh about our lack of healthcare.

#idk man when you watch your brother growing up with a disability that could kill him if you're not careful #and u grow up to learn you have that same disability in a milder form. and realize you have some other health issues too #and your grandma develops cancer she has to get really fucking expensive treatment for #it really starts rubbing me the wrong way when non-americans are like teehee look at these dumbasses with their shitty healthcare system #yeah. we're aware. we're well fucking aware. #ace rambles #vent

[dangraccoon]

ugh.

I'm sorry I've been so absent. I'm really trying to post more for you all.

more info under the cut

i think ive mentioned that i have various health issues and conditions before

the big ones affecting me right now are seasonal affective disorder, fribromyalgia/chronic pain syndrome, and plantar fasciitis in both feet and on top of all that, i am currently transitioning.

theres a lot of financial strain on me at the moment; my fiance's income is the only one we have. i'm too disabled to work a regular job but not disabled enough to receive disability income. thanks america. but yeah i owe over $1400 to various medical offices in addition to the ongoing copays for my various meds (a month's worth of t is $60), thanks america, AND i'm about to turn 26 next month, after which i will no longer be able to be on my parents' health insurance, thanks america.

all that to say that if i continue to be somewhat absent I'm very sorry

#dangwriting #about dang #fuck i hate it here #medical issues #american health system #it sucks #im 26 years old #ive been diagnosed with 7 disorders conditions or syndromes #9 if you dont count having something in both sides of your body as one item #i hate the american healthcare industry #healthcare should be socialized

[performing-personhood]

Every time I look up a standard medical treatment for any given ailment whatsoever, and I see the words "diet and exercise" near the top, my conviction that diet and exercise is the modern snake oil cure-all version of mercury or cocaine increases by a factor of 10%

#chronic illness #irritable bowel syndrome #chronically ill #irritable bowel disease #the joys of the american healthcare system #ah the joys of being AFAB #just tell us you don't fucking know how to fix it #can we stop pretending exercise fixes everything from mood disorders to bowel diseaae #for fucks sake

[an-sceal]

Got notice today that as of April 1st, my insurance will no longer cover the medication for my ankylosing spondylitis treatment anymore. You know, the one it just took them four fucking months to approve again, even though I had ALREADY BEEN TAKING IT and all the doctor did was change the dosage.

Fucking hooray.

#ankylosing spondylitis #fuck the american healthcare system so very much

[dumbasswhatever]

>be me, taking a specialty medicine that is actually really helping me >type of medicine you see in commercials >need to fill out a whole application with my doctor for their financial aid program to take it >need to re-apply every year >know it can take a while for the application process to be finished so i re-apply in may >my year runs out in november so that should be plenty of time >havent heard anything back in months so i ask my doctor if they've heard anything since they submitted the application >"if you got your last shipment, then you're re-enrolled" >yeah ok thats a relief >call the specialty pharmacy a few weeks later to schedule my next shipment >"we can't schedule your shipment, it seems you aren't in the program anymore. call the medicine company" >call the medicine company >"we sent your doctor a form a few weeks ago and they haven't answered us. call your doctor" >call the doctor >doctor is fucking allergic to answering the phone >spend two weeks trying to figure out what form they needed to fill out >it was the same goddamn form i filled out in may >doctors never sent it >fml >call the doctor again and pester them into sending the application "again" >(tell them the medicine company probably messed up instead of them so they don't get pissed and fuck up more shit) >call the medicine company two days later to ask if they got the application >apparently i need to babysit this goddamn application >they got it though thank god >need to call back in seven business days to see if they've approved it >give em eight days just in case >application got approved!!! >(apparently they didnt feel the need to like, notify me or anything. but whatever) >call the specialty pharmacy to schedule my next shipment >they haven't gotten the news yet so can't schedule yet >need to wait a day or two >give em two days just in case >call em again to schedule my next shipment >"sorry we can't schedule your shipment just yet because your doctor didnt specify on the prescription whether it's the pen or the syringe" >"i've been on the medicine for a year i know it's the pen" >"sorry we can't do it" >fml >call the doctor and miraculously get thru to a real person on my first attempt >"i'll leave a message for your nurse but she only comes in on tuesdays" >been the perfect patient >gave them several months for this application so i dont risk going off my meds >pestered everybody i needed to pester >still been off my meds for almost two weeks now bc my doctors cant do their fucking job >mfw

#sorry theres no punchline here im just fucking pissed #my doctor just had to fill out their portion of the form and submit it and they did not do either of those things correctly #american healthcare system everyone #i have gone through some annoying fucking shit trying to get an appointment or medicine but GOD. this doctors is testing my patience #(this same doctors office did the same thing the first time i applied for the medicine. so i went a year in misery bc they didnt submit it) #which is why im blaming them and not the medicine company to be clear #but anyway i think im going to lock everyone at my doctors and the medicine company and the specialty pharmacy in a saw trap #can you get my medicine to me in time or will you all perish? #(they die bc my nurse only comes in once a week) #just want to say that the medicine isnt like. life saving or anything. they arent actually risking my life with this #they r just making me miserable and in pain #im so mad im going to go play minecraft so im not mad

[frankencanon]

hospitals should really have some sort of cab service for post-op patients. what happens when someone needs surgery but has no family or friends to drive them?

my mom had surgery a few days ago and she told me they wouldn't even put the iv in until she had a ride (and since i don't have a license i wasn't much help).

last time i rode with her in an uber and hung out in the waiting room until the surgery was done and she was ready to go and then we uber'd back, but she didn't want to do that this time because ubers are really expensive, y'know?

eventually she managed to get a ride, but what if she couldn't? what if it was a matter of life and death and without the surgery she'd die? what if she couldn't afford to uber there and back? what then?

i seriously think hospitals should have some sort of ride service to drive patients home after surgery — maybe even pick them up, too.

#feel free to ignore my rant #i'm just frustrated at the ridiculousness of it all #my mom would've survived without the foot surgery but the situation could've been so much worse and it's pissing me off #i tried to google it and i don't know if this is true or not but someone said that a lot of people actually die because of this bullshit #and you know what? i can believe it #that's fucked up #healthcare #health #surgery #us healthcare #us health system #american healthcare #american health system #hospital