A patient told my office she couldn’t afford to see me since she didn’t have health insurance. She had applied for ObamaCare and paid the first months premium of $600 but was unable to make the next payment. Therefore, she would be unable to keep her six-month follow up appointment. What she didn’t comprehend was that the two visits to my office per year plus her medications if she purchased them with cash at the discount houses (in Sacramento, these include Walmart, Costco, and Target) would only be approximately $400 per year, less than the first month’s payment on her ObamaCare premium.

Her medical care consisted of management of her mild BP and her anxieties. The discount houses offer nearly 320 drugs for $4 a month or $10 for a three month’s supply. Since she required an anxiety drug which can only be filled for 6 months in California, two medical appointments per year are necessary. At the current rate of $150 per appointment, this would be $300 for the year. The two medications at $20 every three months would equal $80 for the year. Thus her yearly healthcare costs would be only $380 if she paid cash, which was $220 less than the one month of ObamaCare premium she forfeited because she could not make the $600 per month premium for the minimum required three months.

But she replied that didn’t cover her Emergency Room costs which for two visits were $1200 or twice the premium she had to forfeit. Looking over the two ER records indicated that she had no emergency, only anxiety attacks. She didn’t have the presence of mind to take an extra anxiety pill and lay down for an hour to let the anxiety attack resolve itself, which would cost pennies for the extra pill, and would have saved her $1200 of unnecessary ER visits.

She then asked how she could obtain the medicine without insurance. Doesn’t the pharmacy require her to have insurance?

My prescription is your authorization to obtain the medication. Then you have to pay your $10 for a three month’s supply.

She looked at me with unbelieving eyes, shook her head, and said, “Oh well, I’ll have the hospital paid off in six more months.”

Will ObamaCare solve this type of Gluttonous Medical Over Utilization or will the availability of ER & Urgent care visits in their plan just increase the use of after hour conveniences?

Or will the Tax, Spend & Regulate lawmakers (The T, S, & R party) only request more taxes so they can spend more and then regulate the utilization to a minimum?

I’ll wager that the “T S & R” party will continue to dream on.

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Medical Myths originate when someone else pays the medical bills.

Myths disappear when Patients pay Appropriate Deductibles and Co-payments on Every Service.