Providing Care in the Name of Jesus???

[tom_kelly]

Today, I needed to get an expired prescription refilled. I didn't want to travel to the West Palm VA so I looked around for a walk-in clinic that accepted medicare. I found one online called Holy Cross and made my way there. It was in a very nice, new building with a big cross on the marque. Confirming that they accepted medicare I explained that I had run out of Cymbalta on Monday and have a VA appointment next week but the unexpected withdrawal I was experiencing was very bad. After speaking with the doctor he came back and said the Dr. would see me and write a script. He gave me a form to fill out but first I asked him if I would be responsible for a co-pay (I haven't needed to use Medicare since I'm fortunate enough to have VA care). "Yes. Twenty percent." he said. When I asked how much it would cost to see the Dr. his response "I can't be sure but, it will be somewhere around $500 to $600." Now, if he wasn't sure, that would mean I could probably tack on another $200+ to that "estimate."

I should have thought about this prior to opening my mouth but didn't. I handed the clipboard back to him and said "Is that what Jesus is charging these days for 10 minutes?" He didn't know what to say and I assured him that he wasn't the cause of my disappointment.

My question: Why is the catholic church in the healthcare industry?

[msongs]

1. if prayer worked we wouldnt need "health care" nt

[elleng]

2. CARE, I believe.

(I am not Catholic, some family members are/were, and know a little about history.)

The co-pay, estimated or not, is awful, but it is part of the non-system we have. Sorry about your experience.

[Person 2713]

3. But if they accepted Medicare , was that the Medicare negotiated rate ?That may be what they charge

but Medicare pays a notoriously low negotiated fee compared to private insurance
They can charge what they want Medicare only pays so much
Of course they have to be willing to accept Medicare rates back that is why some places don't take Medicare
They pay too low

So 20% of what? total negotiated fee for the visit ? Could be less than 20$

[tom_kelly]

4. He said they would bill me for the co-pay

I ended up driving up to the West Palm. It took me longer to drive there (45 minutes) than it did to check in, see a doctor, pick up the prescription (pharmacy is in the VA) and be on my way home.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

5. Jesus aside, think about lack of care military personnel receive in China...

I am no Jesus-freak; but a Catholic Priest saved my life with $50. at the beach, after some punk stole my Driver License, credit-cards and other important identification. No one else would help. "JUDGE NOT LEAST YE BE JUDGED" certainly applies. Plenty of Democrats are Christians; although I am not one of them... "I' before "E," except after "C,"[IA] is the reason for an edit...

[pnwmom]

8. Medicare only covers 80%. People are urged to get "Medigap" policies to cover the difference.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

10. Exactly

The Medicare negotiated rate for the visit would have probably resulted in a $15-$20 co-pay, at most.

[tom_kelly]

11. The co-pay may have been that low

but I was taken back at the quoted price. Even if they had charged $300 I would have been shocked. Like I said earlier, I'm fortunate to have VA care which IMO is the best system in this country - and the repubs want to privatize it.

[Wounded Bear]

6. I've always thought of the Catholic Church....

as the first and prototypical multinational corporation.

They have been gobbling up healthcare facilities in my state for many years. Now, many women in rural and remote areas can't get birth control or other services because the only facility they can reasonably get to is owned by the church.

I don't ascribe much altruism to what they do, I think they're in it for the money. Cynical, I know, but it just sucks that they're taking over the industry here.

[pnwmom]

7. This is a problem with Medicare that most people solve by getting "Medigap" policies.

I'm assuming that you haven't gotten one because you primarily rely on the VA. if not, you should look into getting a medigap policy that would cover any co-pay.

[mr blur]

9. Money. Their god needs money.

He already has an incredible amount of course but it's never enough.

[lindysalsagal]

12. To be fair, monks and nuns started healthcare 1,000 years ago

But then, it was free. No one would have any money, nor would anyone even think of making a profit from people's illness.