Uninsured in NYC
My friend David called today because he can't get out of bed. Around 50 years of age, David hasn't had medical insurance in quite a few years. He is, one would call, poor, but he has some assets that make him ineligible for Medicaid; the man owns a car. He makes too little to be even pay for Healthy New York, the state subsidized HMO for the working poor.
On Sunday he was reaching into his car to pick something up and felt a small twinge in his back. By Tuesday he was nearly immobile - flat in bed, barely able to turn over. Friends are bringing him food, because he can't prepare anything himself.
So what are his options? He can take an ambulance to a well equipped orthopedist for a diagnosis and then haggle about the price; he can take an ambulance to an ED, apply for Medicaid for which he would most likely be rejected, and then beg for a price reduction; or he can suffer, which is what he is doing now.
I'm stumped.
All suggestions welcome.
Crossposted at http://www.signalhealth.com
On Sunday he was reaching into his car to pick something up and felt a small twinge in his back. By Tuesday he was nearly immobile - flat in bed, barely able to turn over. Friends are bringing him food, because he can't prepare anything himself.
So what are his options? He can take an ambulance to a well equipped orthopedist for a diagnosis and then haggle about the price; he can take an ambulance to an ED, apply for Medicaid for which he would most likely be rejected, and then beg for a price reduction; or he can suffer, which is what he is doing now.
I'm stumped.
All suggestions welcome.
Crossposted at http://www.signalhealth.com
posted by
at 11:34 AM
2 Comments:
Dear Stumped,
It sounds your friend experience something very similar to what I did at about the same age. I came home from riding my bicycle in New York City, stretched my leg down to get off the bike, got that "twinge" as you call it, made it into my apartment (just) and lay on the floor unable to move in any way for more than five hours.
When I was finally able to get to a phone and called a friend, he suggested that I steer clear of the traditional forms of assistance (orthopedics) and utilize the services of a chiropractor.
Twenty five years have passed and I've learned the following.
The situation is a chronic one. Begins with an acute experience and then stays with you in one form or another for the remainder of your life. Those forms can be as mild as non-existing discomfort in any form (which can extend to months at a time) to deep aches lasting usually no more than a day, to twinges (rare).
The best form of treatment is daily excerise. There are a number of books, cheap, (one is called, Oh My Aching Back) which will provide your friend with simple exercises. He should only do the ones the he can do without causing distress. In addition if he can , and only when he's able, he should strengthen his abdominal muscles so that his lower back muscles don't bear all the responsibility for weight lifting chores. This is often the cause of the first onset of trouble.
If he does the daily exercises regularly, and if what he has experienced is what I've described above, he should do very well with his condition.
Welcome to the club!
Hi--I'm really sorry to hear about your friend's situation. Unfortunately, it is all too common.
What he does depends on a number of things. He could get care at a hospital and then apply for charity care to cover the bill. He could get care and then not pay the bill, or ask to make monthly payments of whatever amount he can afford.
(When the bill comes, he can also just send a check for $25 and keep doing this each month when he gets a bill. This works with a lot of places.)
If he has no insurance, he will need to go to a public hospital or clinic that cannot turn him away. A doctor in private practice could refuse to treat him without insurance.
It's a cold, cruel world for the uninsured.
Jeanne
The Assertive Cancer Patient
www.assertivepatient.com
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