Health Care Problems » Minnesota

Disabled. Minnesota. Statement 10155.

tdomf_edc1e — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:48:02 +0000

State:: Minnesota

Occupation:: Disabled

I suffer from severe pain. And I feel I’m being sold out to the drug companies. I found out that our Doctors are paid by the drug companies to prescribe med’s. I’ve been suffering on narcotics for years being treated like a drug seeker (which is inhumane in the first place). When I have found out I can grow my own medicine that doesn’t make me sick and gives me a much better quality of life. I’m angry, I know it’s not all the Doctors fault but their silence prolongs the problem, so what’s more important the money you get from the drug companies or really helping your patients?

Engineer. Minnesota. Statement 10109.

tdomf_edc1e — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:40:00 +0000

State:: MN

Occupation:: Engineer

I recently had an appointment with a sleep specialist. The visit consisted of about one half hour of dialog between the doctor and myself. No physical examination or tests of any kind were performed. My diagnosis was “insomnia-unspecified”. My bill 465 dollars. Paying this amount having been cured would be one thing but I don’t feel I received anything close to my moneys worth. Affordable health care can never be accomplished when clinics are allowed to charge such rates.

Teacher. Minnesota. Statement 10099.

tdomf_edc1e — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:25:50 +0000

State:: Minnesota

Occupation:: Teacher

I am a teacher at a parochial school in Minnesota, my husband is in the national guard and just got back from Iraq. Even through the military our insurance costs two hundred and thirty dollars a month for the two of us.

While on a field trip with the school, I got bit by a deer tick on the back of my head (it was attached for a few days). I looked it up on the internet and I found what antibiotic I needed to make sure I wouldn’t get Lyme disease. I went to 3 different places before someone would actually see me. First to a “minute clinic” after waiting for an hour and a half and filling out a bunch of paperwork they said that they don’t deal with tick bites. The second place we went to closed as we were walking in the door. They said the doctor on duty had to go to a different hospital. The third place we went to had me fill out a ton of paperwork and after an hour wait I got to see someone (I was the ONLY person in the waiting room!) It took 5 minutes with the doctor to get my prescription and I went to Walgreens to have it filled (I had to wait for an hour for that as well “standard policy” they said.) By the time I got my prescription (which was $50 for one pill), it was 5:00 (the whole process took 7 hours!). I’m lucky I didn’t get Lyme disease because it took so long.

I know this isn’t as devastating as most people’s stories, but I’m a little upset about it.

Anesthetist. Minnesota. Statement 10034.

mirajewel — Wed, 30 Jun 2004 03:58:09 +0000

At the time of this incident, I had an individual private insurance plan because I was doing locum or “freelance” work. I saw my doctor for a “follow up” from an emergency room visit due to severe abdominal pain. I went to the emergency room in late December and followed up with my doctor in about early January. Both of these visits had to be paid “out of pocket” because of a high insurance deductible for each calendar year. While I was at the doctors office (at the price of $90.00 per 10 minute visit), I asked if I could also have a prescription for an alternative migraine medication as what I had been taking was not effective. The doctor replied, “One problem at a time!”, and walked out of the exam room. I thought, “Great, I’m supposed to pay another $90.00 out of pocket just to have him take 30 seconds to scribble off a prescription.” Another thing, all he did concerning my episode of abdominal pain was order a bunch of expensive tests. Tests I will also have to pay the lion’s share of. He did not question me about my symptoms or examine me. I guess in a 10 minute visit, all one can do is write orders. It seems to me that doctors are becoming less and less skilled. We are paying high prices for office visits without expertise. We pay to have them indiscriminately order a barrage of high priced tests. Needless to say, I left there that day not to return for a new prescription or to have high priced, unnecessary tests. Later, I saw a doctor from Mayo Clinic who correctly diagnosed my abdominal pain from severe constipation. He did this without any tests or procedures but by spending about 30 minutes interviewing me about the problem.