Postby WildcatOne » Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:26 pm
It appears to me to be all about the insurance money they get. First thing: who is your insurance carrier? Well, we got Cigna. The red carpet rolls out. Then they give you so many tests, each one costing 75 bucks, it's C.Y.A. also for them, in case the ailment you're there for gets misdiagnosed or something, and then they refer you to a specialist, who refers you to another specialist, they all run the same tests for the same money, again and again, and on and on it goes and as it was with me in 2004, the doctor told me when I finally ended up on an operating table in the hospital with tubes running into me from my groin up into my heart and dye pumping through my arteries, "Mr. Bockelman, there is nothing in your heart that I can treat with bypass surgery, stints or angioplasty. Your condition is caused by stress. My advice to you is to eliminate stress." This was after 6 weeks of tests...and I already knew what he was going to say. I got angry, I made a committment to eliminate stress...my job...with my 25 year anniversary with the company coming up and after turning 55 not long before that, I suddenly found myself in the position there of being made as uncomfortable and unwelcome as they could possibly make me without me hiring a lawyer instead of a doctor. It was hard to take. I finally decided to give them what they wanted and took early retirement. The atmosphere went back to my boss telling me what a great career I had there, and the dedicated service and level of committment I showed was above and beyond any of the other people, etc. etc. ad nauseum. I took the DVD player for my 25th anniversary gift, got a screwdriver and popped the company logo off of the front of it, went on vacation the next day (I had 6 weeks) and my retirement kicked in one business day before the company got bought out. But I digress...you can't just get medicine for what is bothering you anymore. You get run through the gamut of medical services with your insurance card paving the way...95% of the 15,000 dollar bill I had for all that after my insurance paid their part was UNNECESSARY, and it was my own naivete that let them run me through the meat-grinder, both at work and at the clinic. I did make this vow: I will never again as long as I live go to a doctor unless I'm bleeding from an open wound, or unless his name is Dr. Jim. Cheers, WC1
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