How Not To Get A Physical In 7 Easy Steps

 

As I have had to deal with Bureaucracy this week I have to go Bah Humbug. This is a quick summary of the dysfunction.

Looked at my insurance site to find a new doctor for an annual physical.

Found one who looked good and had good reviews

Signed up for any appointment, checked the I'm a new patient box

Changed my Primary Care Doctor to this new person so insurance would be all happy. (I had been assigned a randomly generated doctor when I first got the insurance and have never gone to them)

Insurance said the switch was fine, because the doctor was taking new patients and was in-network

Less than 24 hours before my appointment get an email

05/05/2021 05:04 PM

Good afternoon,

This message is regarding your appointment on 5/6/2021. It was originally scheduled with Dr. **** but as she is not taking new patient it was moved to Dr. *** schedule for 4:30 pm. Unfortunately, it looks like your current insurance is *** which we are not in network with. If you would like to keep your appointment you would need to be self pay. The down payment would be of $100 which would be due at check in. Any additional fees would be mailed out too. Please let the office know if you have any questions. Thank you.

(So they could not tell me until less than 24 hours in advance that the person I was signed up for was not taking new patients (not when I made the appointment weeks ago or even at the start of the week) and they thought this was enough notice to switch me to a doctor who does not take my insurance? )

So I canceled the appointment. 

It was just for a Physical and it looks like one of my local pharmacies is doing some free tests next week, (thank you Tylenol for being a sponsor), including pretty much everything I would have gotten at a physical so not a matter of life or death but it just reminded me how messed up the US health care system is and why so many try to avoid the health care system all together.

I keep thinking of a friend who lives in Scotland and who will need surgery but does not have to worry about it being covered and the surgery will end up being free. I want the health care other countries have.