I know I haven't given an update in a long time but it's mostly because my life is wildly unbloggable. But here's a tidbit I'll share.
I woke up with pink eye. After consulting with the Queen of Pink Eye, I went to Walgreens (the American shoppers) and asked the pharmacist for polysporin eye drops (they're over-the-counter in Canada and cost a few bucks). But you guessed it - they're prescription only in the US. To see a doctor out-of-pocket would be at least $45. My insurance doesn't cover eye exams so I'd have to see a GP. To do that, I'd have to find out which doctor is in my network and make an appointment, then get the prescription filled. This would probably take a whole day and I don't have that kind of time because I'm trying to finish comprehensive exams.
To solve this clusterfuck, I'm having my sister fedex some eye drops tonight so I'll have them tomorrow. While I'm waiting, I'm going to get some homework done then watch the Olympics with my good eye. Go Johnny Weir!!!!!
**********Update**********
My attempt to have the drops mailed to me has been foiled by the FDA. Apparently, my sister has to fill out reams of paperwork explaining why I need these drops, why I can't get them in the states, and it has to be clear that they're going to me and no one else. In addition, it would cost somewher ebetween $60-80 to have the drops fedex'd to me overnight. The kicker: even if we did all this, there's a chance I wouldn't be able to receive the drops because they're technically a prescription drug in the states. So now I'm calling around trying to find a cheap clinic. Pretty soon my eye is going to start leaking blood. The saga continues...
Showing posts with label healthcare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthcare. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Access to Birth Control in Illinois Pt II
I knew this would go badly. And it did. So I went to that asian health clinic for my appointment today and was asked to fill out paperwork. The whole experience was very stressful for the following reasons:
1. They ask you to declare whether or not you have health coverage with a disclaimer that says lying is an offence. However, my deductible is $50 so I was afraid that if I admitted I had health insurance they would force me to use it rather than get a discounted fee for uninsured people. But I didn't want to get in trouble for lying so I ended up writing down my health insurance information.
2. Also, I wasn't given an opportunity to discuss the fee after I gave them my information. I had to receive the service first (talking to the doctor) and THEN discuss the fee. My anxiety kept mounting because I was afraid the proposed fee would be more than I could afford but I would be forced to pay because I had already spoken to the doctor.
Fortunately, I was only charged $15 for the visit which is far less than my other options. I specified to the doctor that I wanted a cheap pill because I couldn't afford much. She appeared to understand what I was saying and gave me my presription for three months worth of pills. I left feeling relieved. Big mistake.
When I got to the pharmacy I asked how much my prescription would be for one month. Apparently they have a deal with the clinic and all patients get 40% off their prescriptions! However, the particular pill I was given was a popular new brand and costs...wait for it...wait for it...
$69.99 PER MONTH.
In what UNIVERSE does birth control cost $70 a month (PLUS TAX)? Granted, I got a 40% discount which brought the price down considerably ($30-something dollars) but that is also outrageously expensive. So, I handed over my medical insurance card and asked what the price would be. First, I wasn't allowed to use the 40% discount in addition to my medical insurance. Second...
My prescription coverage won't pay for contraceptives.
Oh, it covers prescription medication alright. But not prescription contraception. I guess Jesus frowns on that so the insurance companies figured they better not piss him off. So apparently the doctor was either deaf when I said 'cheap' or she thinks that $70/month for the pill is reasonable.
From this little exercise in futility I have learned that if you live in Illinois and are a US citizen, getting access to birth control pills is very easy by using the pink card. However, if you are not a US citizen, access to the pill is extremely difficult and virtually unaffordable.
1. They ask you to declare whether or not you have health coverage with a disclaimer that says lying is an offence. However, my deductible is $50 so I was afraid that if I admitted I had health insurance they would force me to use it rather than get a discounted fee for uninsured people. But I didn't want to get in trouble for lying so I ended up writing down my health insurance information.
2. Also, I wasn't given an opportunity to discuss the fee after I gave them my information. I had to receive the service first (talking to the doctor) and THEN discuss the fee. My anxiety kept mounting because I was afraid the proposed fee would be more than I could afford but I would be forced to pay because I had already spoken to the doctor.
Fortunately, I was only charged $15 for the visit which is far less than my other options. I specified to the doctor that I wanted a cheap pill because I couldn't afford much. She appeared to understand what I was saying and gave me my presription for three months worth of pills. I left feeling relieved. Big mistake.
When I got to the pharmacy I asked how much my prescription would be for one month. Apparently they have a deal with the clinic and all patients get 40% off their prescriptions! However, the particular pill I was given was a popular new brand and costs...wait for it...wait for it...
$69.99 PER MONTH.
In what UNIVERSE does birth control cost $70 a month (PLUS TAX)? Granted, I got a 40% discount which brought the price down considerably ($30-something dollars) but that is also outrageously expensive. So, I handed over my medical insurance card and asked what the price would be. First, I wasn't allowed to use the 40% discount in addition to my medical insurance. Second...
My prescription coverage won't pay for contraceptives.
Oh, it covers prescription medication alright. But not prescription contraception. I guess Jesus frowns on that so the insurance companies figured they better not piss him off. So apparently the doctor was either deaf when I said 'cheap' or she thinks that $70/month for the pill is reasonable.
From this little exercise in futility I have learned that if you live in Illinois and are a US citizen, getting access to birth control pills is very easy by using the pink card. However, if you are not a US citizen, access to the pill is extremely difficult and virtually unaffordable.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Access to Birth Control in Illinois
Recently I tried to refill my prescription for the pill. However, I don't go back to Canada until August so I started enquiring about my options in the US. Needless to say, my hatred for this health care system has reached levels I didn't know existed. Here is how I spent my morning:
1. HMOs: To find out where my health insurance was eligible, I had to dig up my paperwork and find the url for a website which lists all the service providers in my area. The website was somewhat difficult to navigate. When I got the list, I called one close to me and asked about fees. To see the doctor it cost $65 and the price of one pack of birth control is $25. My deductible is $50 and then my insurance provider pays 80% of the remaining cost. To put this into perspective, in Toronto I can go to a clinic and get a pack for $5-10 and not pay to see the doctor. This option blows chunks.
2. Planned Parenthood: I called Planned Parenthood which is an allegedly cheap alternative for people who don't have insurance. They have multiple sites throughout the city. However, they charge $58 for a visit plus $30 for a pack of pills! Also, their wait times are considerable and inconvenient if you are in a pinch. Eff this noise.
3. The Pink Card: Illinois offers free birth control for women who reside in this state. Recipients get free birth control pills, condoms, and two 'plan B' pills per month. However, I am not eligible because I'm not a US citizen. Who cares about immigrants and students anyway?
4. Student health: Most universities have a student health centre that provides reasonably priced services.
5. Community clinic: My friend finally recommended her clinic which provides cheap health care services (had she not told me about it, I never would have known this option existed). It's specifically for asian immigrants but guess who has an appointment tomorrow? This girl! However, they *still* gave me a hassle. They wouldn't tell me how much an appointment costs until I arrive at my appointment. Before setting a price they need to review my most recent pay stub and photo ID. But wait - my pay stubs are from Canada and are mailed to my mom's house. The operator told me they only recognize pay stubs from the US anyway but told me to show up and 'see what the doctor says.' So there will be a part two of this story.
So what I have learned is unless you are a US citizen and/or have kickass medical insurance, birth control is virtually unaffordable and exceedingly difficult to obtain due to wait times, administrative hoops, and high prices. I'm surprised that more women aren't pregnant because honestly, it's probably less of a hassle and will cost about the same.
1. HMOs: To find out where my health insurance was eligible, I had to dig up my paperwork and find the url for a website which lists all the service providers in my area. The website was somewhat difficult to navigate. When I got the list, I called one close to me and asked about fees. To see the doctor it cost $65 and the price of one pack of birth control is $25. My deductible is $50 and then my insurance provider pays 80% of the remaining cost. To put this into perspective, in Toronto I can go to a clinic and get a pack for $5-10 and not pay to see the doctor. This option blows chunks.
2. Planned Parenthood: I called Planned Parenthood which is an allegedly cheap alternative for people who don't have insurance. They have multiple sites throughout the city. However, they charge $58 for a visit plus $30 for a pack of pills! Also, their wait times are considerable and inconvenient if you are in a pinch. Eff this noise.
3. The Pink Card: Illinois offers free birth control for women who reside in this state. Recipients get free birth control pills, condoms, and two 'plan B' pills per month. However, I am not eligible because I'm not a US citizen. Who cares about immigrants and students anyway?
4. Student health: Most universities have a student health centre that provides reasonably priced services.
5. Community clinic: My friend finally recommended her clinic which provides cheap health care services (had she not told me about it, I never would have known this option existed). It's specifically for asian immigrants but guess who has an appointment tomorrow? This girl! However, they *still* gave me a hassle. They wouldn't tell me how much an appointment costs until I arrive at my appointment. Before setting a price they need to review my most recent pay stub and photo ID. But wait - my pay stubs are from Canada and are mailed to my mom's house. The operator told me they only recognize pay stubs from the US anyway but told me to show up and 'see what the doctor says.' So there will be a part two of this story.
So what I have learned is unless you are a US citizen and/or have kickass medical insurance, birth control is virtually unaffordable and exceedingly difficult to obtain due to wait times, administrative hoops, and high prices. I'm surprised that more women aren't pregnant because honestly, it's probably less of a hassle and will cost about the same.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Rant
My life is embarrassingly dull right now as I am in the middle of finals. So, I will rant about the American healthcare system a little more. I could write a book about what I've learned so far but I'll focus on one story:
My friend is a high school teacher who you would think would have decent medical coverage. However, he has a $500 deductible. His wife is pretty sure she has a thyroid condition and needs to have a physical by a doctor including blood work to confirm. The problem is that this exam costs $250. Since this is less than the deductible she has to pay for the exam out of pocket. Since her husband's salary has to pay for tuition, rent, car payments, food, etc they can't afford for her to go to the doctor to get this test and ultimately to get the medication she needs (and also can't afford). So they're going to wait until they've saved up enough money.
Isn't this wild? Further, if he wants to get a physical exam by a doctor he can't combine his bill with hers so that any further medical expenses would be paid by the insurance company (because two $250 exams would equal their deductible). Each person gets billed separately so it's even harder to get to that $500 if all you want is routine preventative medical care.
If someone with a good job can't afford basic healthcare, imagine what those less fortunate are going through.
On an Easter-related note, this is ridiculous.
My friend is a high school teacher who you would think would have decent medical coverage. However, he has a $500 deductible. His wife is pretty sure she has a thyroid condition and needs to have a physical by a doctor including blood work to confirm. The problem is that this exam costs $250. Since this is less than the deductible she has to pay for the exam out of pocket. Since her husband's salary has to pay for tuition, rent, car payments, food, etc they can't afford for her to go to the doctor to get this test and ultimately to get the medication she needs (and also can't afford). So they're going to wait until they've saved up enough money.
Isn't this wild? Further, if he wants to get a physical exam by a doctor he can't combine his bill with hers so that any further medical expenses would be paid by the insurance company (because two $250 exams would equal their deductible). Each person gets billed separately so it's even harder to get to that $500 if all you want is routine preventative medical care.
If someone with a good job can't afford basic healthcare, imagine what those less fortunate are going through.
On an Easter-related note, this is ridiculous.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Next Surgeon General
I read this interesting blurb about how Barack Obama has chosen CNN celebrity Dr. Sanjay Gupta as the next US Surgeon General. There is a petition going around to get someone else elected - Dr. George Lundberg. I won't post the whole petition but please compare two (albeit biased) blurbs about each doctor's credentials which are both humourous and sad:
Dr George Lundberg not only is a consummate public health scientist who knows public health issues, he strongly embraces the above three priorities in words and deeds (1. getting insurance for all Americans 2. decreasing unnecessary and expensive medical tests 3. Rebuilding public trust in the FDA, CDC, etc). As Editor- in-Chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association’s journal, commonly known as JAMA, between 1982-1999, the most widely read medical journal in the world, Dr. Lundberg earned the respect of a worldwide readership of JAMA. In 1999 he then went onto become(until January 30, 2009) Editor-in-Chief of MEDSCAPE, the leading source of online health information and education for physicians thus establishing himself as genuine pioneer in e-medicine work a trend he recognized very early and began at the AMA. He was dubbed “Online HealthCare’s Medicine Man” by The Industry Standard. He excels in both professional and patient medical education.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, conversely , trained in neurosurgery,-named in 2003 as one of the sexiest men in America-,shows little to no evidence of embacing the three fundamental priorities outlined above in this petition. Quite to the contrary Dr. Gupta has been a voice for the status quo in our very broken, profiteering based, bloated, bio-medical complex. One medical journalist described Gupta’s reporting as an “unquestioning –almost cheerleading approach to health news” most often reporting on the “the issue, or worse, the breakthrough of the day”. Gupta’s ties to the pharmacutical industry and medical testing industry need to be further investigated in his vetting process. We the signers of this petition demand this. And Gupta’s on–air attack of Michael Moore’s data contained in Moore’s movie Sicko requiring formal retraction by CNN and duly noted by Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman of The New York Times was a disgrace (I remember this...sooo awkward).
When I looked up Dr. Lundberg on Wikipedia, this is what it had to say:
One month before joining Medscape Lundberg was dramatically fired from JAMA by E. Ratcliffe Anderson, who was then executive vice president of the AMA over a research study report from the Kinsey Institute that Lundberg had selected for publication. The JAMA article reported, among other things, that 60% of college students surveyed in 1991 considered "oral sex" as not "having sex," which Anderson said was "inappropriately and inexcusably" timed to influence the debate over the Impeachment of Bill Clinton and "to extract political leverage." Lundberg subsequently successfully sued the AMA and was awarded an undisclosed settlement.
****UPDATE****
Dr. Gupta has apparently withdrawn his name as a candidate. Whatever. The comparison between the two doctors is still pretty funny.
Dr George Lundberg not only is a consummate public health scientist who knows public health issues, he strongly embraces the above three priorities in words and deeds (1. getting insurance for all Americans 2. decreasing unnecessary and expensive medical tests 3. Rebuilding public trust in the FDA, CDC, etc). As Editor- in-Chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association’s journal, commonly known as JAMA, between 1982-1999, the most widely read medical journal in the world, Dr. Lundberg earned the respect of a worldwide readership of JAMA. In 1999 he then went onto become(until January 30, 2009) Editor-in-Chief of MEDSCAPE, the leading source of online health information and education for physicians thus establishing himself as genuine pioneer in e-medicine work a trend he recognized very early and began at the AMA. He was dubbed “Online HealthCare’s Medicine Man” by The Industry Standard. He excels in both professional and patient medical education.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, conversely , trained in neurosurgery,-named in 2003 as one of the sexiest men in America-,shows little to no evidence of embacing the three fundamental priorities outlined above in this petition. Quite to the contrary Dr. Gupta has been a voice for the status quo in our very broken, profiteering based, bloated, bio-medical complex. One medical journalist described Gupta’s reporting as an “unquestioning –almost cheerleading approach to health news” most often reporting on the “the issue, or worse, the breakthrough of the day”. Gupta’s ties to the pharmacutical industry and medical testing industry need to be further investigated in his vetting process. We the signers of this petition demand this. And Gupta’s on–air attack of Michael Moore’s data contained in Moore’s movie Sicko requiring formal retraction by CNN and duly noted by Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman of The New York Times was a disgrace (I remember this...sooo awkward).
When I looked up Dr. Lundberg on Wikipedia, this is what it had to say:
One month before joining Medscape Lundberg was dramatically fired from JAMA by E. Ratcliffe Anderson, who was then executive vice president of the AMA over a research study report from the Kinsey Institute that Lundberg had selected for publication. The JAMA article reported, among other things, that 60% of college students surveyed in 1991 considered "oral sex" as not "having sex," which Anderson said was "inappropriately and inexcusably" timed to influence the debate over the Impeachment of Bill Clinton and "to extract political leverage." Lundberg subsequently successfully sued the AMA and was awarded an undisclosed settlement.
****UPDATE****
Dr. Gupta has apparently withdrawn his name as a candidate. Whatever. The comparison between the two doctors is still pretty funny.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Lawsuit
My loyal readers may remember the obscene $265 hospital bill I received last year for bloodwork. Well, I received in the mail a package describing a lawsuit being filed against the hospital where I got this bloodwork done. Apparently the hospital is being sued for charging uninsured patients unreasonable rates for medical services. Anyone who received services in the past 7 years is potentially eligible to get a refund on their bill!
At first I got really excited but then scanned the eligibility requirements. I meet all of them except for this: the bill has to be over $500 to get a refund. If not, tough luck, chump. So I got ripped off, but not ripped off enough to get any sort of compensation. I hope you optimists are reading this and now understand why I don't get my hopes up about anything. Bastards.
At first I got really excited but then scanned the eligibility requirements. I meet all of them except for this: the bill has to be over $500 to get a refund. If not, tough luck, chump. So I got ripped off, but not ripped off enough to get any sort of compensation. I hope you optimists are reading this and now understand why I don't get my hopes up about anything. Bastards.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Government Is Far Too Generous
Remember my various rants about how I paid $265 for a blood test, then got hounded months later for more money? I'm too lazy to link back to my previous posts. Anyway, I finally got my fat reimbursement check from the government. After filling out multiple forms, getting the necessary documentation, and waiting several months, the end result is a cheque for...$11.90. Totally worth the effort.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Talking to Americans
Awhile ago I went to this conference which discussed the idea of 'structural racism'. It's a complex concept that describes how institutions and people's implicit beliefs maintain racism, thus preventing the targets of this racism to get ahead in life. However, I think it can be extended past the borders of racism to encompass basic value judgments on other people as well. It was an interesting talk, but it's always more fascinating to see it happen in real life...
The other day I was having a conversation with an American about healthcare which turned into her view that the Canadian system sucks because you have to wait to get access to healthcare. Now, while wait times certainly are a huge area of concern for our system, the issue wasn't necessarily the quality of healthcare. The issue was getting what you want when you want it because that's what you 'deserve':
- "Americans work hard for their money and they should get the healthcare they deserve"
- "If you don't have healthcare, just get a job"
- "My hard earned dollars shouldn't go toward paying for some lazy person's healthcare"
I promptly pointed out that some people can't get jobs with good benefits, or obtain any sort of employment. The response:
- "The people who can't get employment are homeless and lazy"
- "Everyone has an equal opportunity to get a job in this country"
- "People who make a lot of money work hard and they deserve to keep their money"
So I says to the chick, I says sure lazy people exist everywhere. But a lot of homeless people have mental illnesses that prevent them from maintaining a job. Further, in the American system, they can't afford to see a psychiatrist or pay for medication so they'll never get better. Other people have the misfortune of being disabled due to an accident or disease which prevents them not only from working, but from getting decent healthcare coverage even if they had the money to pay for it! And even if they are lazy, are they not people too? Are they not Americans? What about children of lazy people - should they be denied access to good healthcare?
As for people who make lots of money - ever heard of nepotism? How about white privilege? If you are black in America and have a history of slavery in your family, do you really think that money has been passed down in the generations that could allow successive generations to pay for college and subsequently obtain a high paying job? Or do you think white people have a much better chance of doing so? Maybe the people who do the hiring at these jobs don't want to hire a black person because they think they're all lazy, or stupid, or they'd rather hire the boss's daughter who is a terribly inept employee but wears see-through clothes to work so the guys want her hanging around the water cooler.
These people still believe in the American Dream of working hard and achieving success, and are totally heartless when it comes to helping out other people, regardless of whether they are legitimately disadvantaged or not. I says to her, "don't you people say you're one nation under god, and all men were created equal?" Isn't that the shit you people say? She just laughed and said "that has never been true and never will be."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ps: I don't want to sound all idealistic and hippie with this post. You people should know by now that I am irritated by pretty much everyone I come in contact with. But when I hear someone say all of that shit in one sitting, I realize how ridiculous it sounds. Yes, I would love to get access to doctors instantly and never have to wait for anything. But as someone who is perpetually broken and has bandaids and staples holding me together, I am well aware that if I were an American, I would be one of the poor, lazy, uninsured people who doesn't deserve healthcare because apparently I'm not willing to try hard enough.
The other day I was having a conversation with an American about healthcare which turned into her view that the Canadian system sucks because you have to wait to get access to healthcare. Now, while wait times certainly are a huge area of concern for our system, the issue wasn't necessarily the quality of healthcare. The issue was getting what you want when you want it because that's what you 'deserve':
- "Americans work hard for their money and they should get the healthcare they deserve"
- "If you don't have healthcare, just get a job"
- "My hard earned dollars shouldn't go toward paying for some lazy person's healthcare"
I promptly pointed out that some people can't get jobs with good benefits, or obtain any sort of employment. The response:
- "The people who can't get employment are homeless and lazy"
- "Everyone has an equal opportunity to get a job in this country"
- "People who make a lot of money work hard and they deserve to keep their money"
So I says to the chick, I says sure lazy people exist everywhere. But a lot of homeless people have mental illnesses that prevent them from maintaining a job. Further, in the American system, they can't afford to see a psychiatrist or pay for medication so they'll never get better. Other people have the misfortune of being disabled due to an accident or disease which prevents them not only from working, but from getting decent healthcare coverage even if they had the money to pay for it! And even if they are lazy, are they not people too? Are they not Americans? What about children of lazy people - should they be denied access to good healthcare?
As for people who make lots of money - ever heard of nepotism? How about white privilege? If you are black in America and have a history of slavery in your family, do you really think that money has been passed down in the generations that could allow successive generations to pay for college and subsequently obtain a high paying job? Or do you think white people have a much better chance of doing so? Maybe the people who do the hiring at these jobs don't want to hire a black person because they think they're all lazy, or stupid, or they'd rather hire the boss's daughter who is a terribly inept employee but wears see-through clothes to work so the guys want her hanging around the water cooler.
These people still believe in the American Dream of working hard and achieving success, and are totally heartless when it comes to helping out other people, regardless of whether they are legitimately disadvantaged or not. I says to her, "don't you people say you're one nation under god, and all men were created equal?" Isn't that the shit you people say? She just laughed and said "that has never been true and never will be."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ps: I don't want to sound all idealistic and hippie with this post. You people should know by now that I am irritated by pretty much everyone I come in contact with. But when I hear someone say all of that shit in one sitting, I realize how ridiculous it sounds. Yes, I would love to get access to doctors instantly and never have to wait for anything. But as someone who is perpetually broken and has bandaids and staples holding me together, I am well aware that if I were an American, I would be one of the poor, lazy, uninsured people who doesn't deserve healthcare because apparently I'm not willing to try hard enough.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Medical Bills Continued...
If you recall, I had some bloodwork done in February at a local hospital that cost me $265.
This past week I get ANOTHER bill in the mail for $33 from a pathology lab in Indianapolis. I called because I had no idea why I was being billed and the operator told me that even though I paid for the bloodwork at the hospital, this bill was separate. I am now being billed for the pathologist to write out the results of the bloodwork on a piece of paper to cover costs of 'ensuring quality of each lab test, supervising lab personnel, and directing the medical laboratory.'
I'm half expecting more bills to come in drips and drabs over the next year:
* Secretary fee for putting my bills in the envelope
* Janitor fee for keeping the laboratory spotless and clean
* International fee for analyzing non-American blood
...and so on.
This past week I get ANOTHER bill in the mail for $33 from a pathology lab in Indianapolis. I called because I had no idea why I was being billed and the operator told me that even though I paid for the bloodwork at the hospital, this bill was separate. I am now being billed for the pathologist to write out the results of the bloodwork on a piece of paper to cover costs of 'ensuring quality of each lab test, supervising lab personnel, and directing the medical laboratory.'
I'm half expecting more bills to come in drips and drabs over the next year:
* Secretary fee for putting my bills in the envelope
* Janitor fee for keeping the laboratory spotless and clean
* International fee for analyzing non-American blood
...and so on.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Why I Am Glad to [Usually] Live in Canada
I went to a clinic today in Chicago to get some bloodwork done. My doctor recommends that I get these blood tests every month because I'm usually anemic and am taking a bunch of drugs that can affect my innards. So to make sure things are as they should be, I have a standing order to get regular bloodwork. I must stress that these are pretty routine tests.
After waiting for over an hour my final bill was tallied:
$265!!!
This was for 2 vials of blood to be drawn. They even charged me a $20 random 'clinic fee'.I'm not entirely sure how much of this OHIP will cover but they stressed that it would be very little, and I should get US insurance. I already did though - and my insurance company refuses to cover any expenses associated with a pre-existing health condition. Let's have a reality check:
I recently booked a flight home [April 15- May 3] that lands in Buffalo for $162 round trip. Given that I am supposed to get this bloodwork every month and it is free in Canada, this means it would be cheaper to fly home every month than to get it done 2 blocks away from my apartment in Chicago.
After waiting for over an hour my final bill was tallied:
$265!!!
This was for 2 vials of blood to be drawn. They even charged me a $20 random 'clinic fee'.I'm not entirely sure how much of this OHIP will cover but they stressed that it would be very little, and I should get US insurance. I already did though - and my insurance company refuses to cover any expenses associated with a pre-existing health condition. Let's have a reality check:
I recently booked a flight home [April 15- May 3] that lands in Buffalo for $162 round trip. Given that I am supposed to get this bloodwork every month and it is free in Canada, this means it would be cheaper to fly home every month than to get it done 2 blocks away from my apartment in Chicago.
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