OT: Medical Systems ** Was: Nail Fungus

[Guest guest]

Howdy Sindy,

 

 

> you are 100 % correct on this one too~ it constantly amazes me at our

> medical system~ but God forbid we go to a free system~ don't even get me

> started~lol~

> I wish we could all go back to the ol country doc that made house calls

> but that time is long past~

>

 

The Clinic I went to has many paintings of the ol' kuntry doc making his

rounds in a buggy .. not sure why. As for social medicine .. I think that

would be worse than what we experience in the USA today but still, some

politicians want to move the USA in that direction .. we can bet our last

buck that they'll never use such a system. I've seen social medicine at

work in dozens of countries .. its like an automobile assembly line dealing

with patients. One must have a connection to get good treatment ..

sometimes even to get treated. I won't tell any horror stories on this but

I will say that even some of my totally socialist minded friends in the UK

are not satisfied with the waiting lists and the degree of attention given

under the free system.

 

There will be some in Europe and in the USA who will say they are satisfied

with the status quo .. they are lucky. There will be some in the USA who

say they are not satisfied with the Military or the VA system .. they have

just been unlucky.

 

 

> I had the entire side of my face torn out by a dog in 2nd grade, my dad

> called his military doc, who called in a plastic surgeon friend of his he

> was in the service with,*(they were both retired) he flew in from CA to sew

> my face back on~ people look at me now and can't believe my entire face was

> ripped out by a dog when I was younger~ You can't get that kind of dedicated

> buddy service any more~It's a shame~ our kids will miss out on so much in

> life that I feel is so important in the development of their character~~~~

>

 

Agree .. but one can still get that type of service in the military if they

are active duty. Back in 68 my wife had problems with a spot on her lung ..

caused by a particular type of parasite common in sheep dogs throughout

Turkey. Her sister and BIL were medical doctors .. the BIL had done a lot

of research on this problem .. had won some kind of recognition for this.

I had him send a brief to William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Ft. Bliss,

TX. They reviewed it and then brought in a rare American specialist (a

Thoracic Surgeon .. a Major) from Walter Reed .. he operated. In the

mid-80s I was bitten by what was probably a Tsetse Fly .. while in

Somalia. What was then the US Army Hospital, Ft. McPherson, brought in a

Major who was a specialist on African diseases. Both times they brought in

the specialists because .. due to us having children and my job in the first

case .. and the demands of my job in the second case .. it would

have been difficult for us to go to the doctors.

 

On VA.. once one gets into the system they get great treatment .. says ALL

of my retired friends. Getting into the system is not always easy even if

one has a Service Connected Disability Card .. as I do. Getting reevaluated

for percentage of disability is often more difficult due to the gauntlet of

overworked, uninterested civilian doctors who are paid to sit on the

evaluation boards. Two examples .. one kinda small and one extreme.

 

I had a 35% bilateral hearing loss .. service connected and recorded ..went

to the 10 day Walter Reed Rehabilitation system, etc. VA gave me 10% when

I retired .. means 10% of my retired pay is not taxed (for the second

time). It is at least a 50% loss now. Couple of years ago I went to VA

in Charleston for reevaluation .. they said they would get me an

appointment. I stayed in the USA for 2 months or so but it didn't happen

... the appointment came down much later when I had returned to Turkey. A

few months later I got a letter from VA .. they claimed they had

reevaluated based on the NEW information .. and decided there was no basis

for change from the 10%. There was no NEW information. ;-)

 

Extreme example .. a buddy retired and received an unknown % for loss of his

eye to a ChiCom grenade. He appealed .. they denied .. he demanded to

appear before the board and it happened. One young doc who had obviously

not taken time to review the medical records .. said .. we have no reason to

believe that this situation can't be improved and you've not asked for a

medical exam on your eye. You gotta know this buddy of mine to appreciate

this .. he doesn't like civilians in the first place and is not too fond of

Rear Area folks either.. a better combat soldier than a peacetime soldier.

Dick .. wearing a black patch .. looked at this youngster .. then reached

behind the patch .. took out the glass eye .. and rolled it across the table

to the dude .. told him to examine it. Dick says the board members smiled

and the youngster was embarrassed .. and they upped his disability. Goes

to show how much dedication they give to caring for combat wounded vets in

their board games.

 

Good Luck Butch with your test~ sounds like your keeping a tight ship and

> a close eye on em~ you'll need to or you'll just become on of the #'s to

> em~~~

>

 

Thanks .. I expect I am not going to be well liked by them but that is of no

concern to me. Aside from jump pay and regular pay .. the only additional

pay we got during my multiple tours in the 'Nam and in Somalia was $30 a

month overseas pay and $60 a month combat pay .. $90 extra. Now .. my

retired pay (which was called " Delayed Compensation " when we earned it so

Congress could deny us the appropriate pay raises for inflation) .. which

was taxed when we were paid .. is taxed again now that we draw it

... mine gets a 10% exemption from taxation and maybe they think I

should be satisfied with that. I am not satisfied .. the system OWES me

and I will demand what is due me .. and get it.

 

IF I see that these docs I am now visiting are milking the system I will

write to the appropriate military channels and advise them .. can't do much

with Medicare but perhaps TriCare will be concerned.

 

 

> Sindy

>

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

 

I've been back to the USA just three months .. and I began my first

> physical

> exam with the American medical system .. hadn't visited an

> American civilian doctor since I was 17 .. but I had visited US

> Military doctors and both Israeli and Turkish civilian doctors. I'm not

> very impressed with the civilian system here in Paris, TN Perhaps

> my experiences are not what we should normally expect .. I hope this is

> the

> case because I find that the Primary Care Physician I chose is not as

> interested in giving care as he is in making money.'

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

On 16/10/2007, Butch Owen <butchowen wrote:

<Snip>

> I won't tell any horror stories on this but

> I will say that even some of my totally socialist minded friends in the UK

> are not satisfied with the waiting lists and the degree of attention given

> under the free system.

 

Oh Butch! Now I really couldn't just let that slip by could I ?

In days gone past waiting lists were grim in some area's. But not now.

I think the maximum wait is 6 weeks - less if the GP is thinking

cancer. If you need a specialist you can specify who you want to see

as well. Like everything in this life - you do sometimes need to be

firm in demanding (hateful word!) what you want and when you want it.

Or maybe I just live in a good NHS area.......

Over the past few years I've had direct contact with the NHS on lots

of occasions. Mum was in and out of hospital with diverticulitis

(refusing operations!) and had first class attention at all times. Dad

had CHF (plus a stroke) and again also had FCA for all his ailments.

12 years ago I had a tendon graft - now that was a big deal. I was in

plaster for 12 weeks and had weekly physio for 6 months, I also had

the best surgeon in the land, his private fees would have cost me

£3000 (12 years ago) just for the op without consultations, physio and

after care....I got him free on the NHS.

I broke my leg (ages ago) and was x-rayed, plastered and in and out of

A & E in just 2 hours.

Then I got asthma, A & E admittance - another big deal sorted in no time.

My most recent - 2 trigger finger's (Oh - forgot other trigger finger

op at same time as the tendon graft!) now thats not gone so well - but

thats nothing to do with the care, more likely me taking the stitches

out to soon (well, they irritated me!) and using oils that healed it

too quick so the scar has adhesion's.

Then there is my hyper-mobile grand kids, who have consultations,

monthly physio and orthodontics as needed. My fybro daughter and my

dear MIL with Alzheimer's getting the latest drugs (very expensive),

and FIL with diabetes and heart problems.

All the above (plus just in and out the doctors as and when and for

whatever over the years) free at point of delivery.

You can say we paid for all this with taxes - Yep, sure have, but

nothing like it would have cost - and it was there when we needed it,

without taking out loans or having to raise funds to get treatment.

Private insurance over here is out the window (unless very well paid)

and the premiums go crazy once over 60. And they start to *exclude*

problems as you get older (like age related problems....!) Its

unlikely that Mum (in-law) would be covered for her Alzheimer's drugs

by private insurance after 2 years.

There is a lot wrong with the NHS - but there is a dam site more right

with it than the papers (who are very anti-government just now and

find any cause to knock um with) will admit. My own experiences (and

of those I speak to) differ greatly to news reports.

When I first started on news groups I used to say to people " go to the

doctor and get a diagnosis, then you know what your dealing with and

if its something you can deal with yourself " . I found it hard to get

my head round the fact they really could not afford to go to the

doctor. Over here people sneeze twice and are down the surgery

demanding a prescription. Thats where abuse of the system comes in,

and I'm a great believer in a standard (even if small) charge to see a

doctor. That would cut a lot of abuse and missed appointments out, and

make big savings for the NHS.

 

OK - I'll stop ! <grin>

Each to their own, what works in a country the size of the UK would be

hard (if not impossible) to duplicate in a country the size of the US.

And why would you want to duplicate it? Your own system works well for

you (as a nation). It just works differently to how ours works, both

systems have merits and both have faults.

LLx