The kid and I have both been sick for the last week. His dad carries him on their insurance and for the most part they deal with making sure he gets all his shots and checkups. The doc they use is within walking distance of their house, and he’s an awesome pediatrician.

Their insurance changed recently, so the ex met me at the office when I took the kid in the other day. Guess what…

The new coverage is different from what they had and the doctor doesn’t deal with the new one. How fucked is this? Granted it’s a weird ppo combo thing that he said he would run through his system and see if it would go, and if not, it’s not really an issue that he’s going to get paid for the visit. The big question is what do they do if it won’t fly?

This doctor, like I said, is a really good one, he’s dealt with both my kid and theirs since he came into the world, and it seems stupid that they may have to go find someone new because of paperwork and bullshit. It makes me think too, because of all the different doctors we have dealt with recently with the husband and his surgery. Each was recommended by the previous in the chain starting with our GP. I would gladly pay full price if I had to, in order to keep this guy as my doctor. He’s a very no nonsense straight guy who is out to make his patients healthy. I guess we’re lucky in that all of the people involved in the process have been a part of the same “system” so there haven’t been any issues, but what would we have done if that had been the case.

The idea that a company that wants to make money by dictating what services are necessary and how much they should cost has total control over what doctors you can see is fucked. Personally I would love for the government to step in and start fixing this. The peace of mind in being able to go to the doctor that I want to see would be worth it to me. Let’s not forget the idea of centralizing records either. Oh NO!! The government would know too much about us, it would be bad!! Fuck you, get your head out of your ass and stop listening to the bullshit that’s been shoveled at us for years. During the last six months, we have visited five different doctors, including endocrinologists and surgeons, and every time we walk through the door, we spend an hour repeating everything my husband has done so far, carrying copies of all previous test results and assorted notes with us in a folder etc. How much of your medical history do you know by heart? How accurate are you in what you remember?

Now think for a moment, that your family is traveling some distance from home. You’re in an accident. Wouldn’t it make things easier if the emergency room physicians could know your medical history when you arrive at the hospital. How can this be a bad thing.

I know there is a lot more too it than this, and I know that we’ve all been brainwashed to believe that what we have is better but you have to look at it in terms of what if this stuff happens to you. When is it fair for one person to pay twice as much for the same treatment as someone else based on their carrier? One system with one schedule, it would simplify so much.

There are those that say that this is a means for the government to control it’s people, the way I see it, keeping us in the dark, using fear and ignorance is a more effective form of control than opening up the information and clarifying it. What they’re suggesting now is a means of giving us more control over our own futures and taking it away from a third party. I don’t see bad there, I don’t see control there either. I see a government that wants me to take an active role in my own well being and question the status quo. That’s what I’m doing, and that’s what you should be doing if you’re not already.