ERA: Why do we not go to the doctor? (Even if it’s covered)?

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Financial.

$400 to visit a specialist in a town 45 minutes away only to meet with the doctor for 5 minutes and him basically telling me that he had no additional tests to conduct and no additional instructions to give from my preceding ER visit. This specialist was the only one with an appointment available in my health insurance network for 5 months after my visit to the ER.

$2200 bill for another ER visit (no ambulance ride—I checked myself in) that was issued to me 14 months after that visit. I hounded my insurance app and the hospital network app for like 2 months after the visit with anxiety about the financial impact, and after that time I just kind of assumed it was taken care of by insurance and my co-pay+deductible (which was a little under $600 itself) had covered it. Nope—$2200 bill with charges dated to that ER visit mailed to me and the apps sent me notifications ahead of the arrival of the bill to let me know it was coming. I was living just above a paycheck-to-paycheck standard of living at the time, ended up having to borrow money from my mom to take care of it. :( I would have been screwed otherwise.

If I knew for sure that my annual deductible was all that it was going to cost me out of pocket for doctors and hospital visits, I'd go any time I even had what seems like a small issue. But I just do not trust the system to not completely sticker shock me with zero upfront estimates of cost. At this point, I'm only going to go if I have a prolonged issue.

 

[smurfx]

i changed my days off and my GP isn't available on my days off so i dumped him. i'm currently without a GP.

 

[Fulcrum]

Even with insurance, it costs me $150-200 out of my pocket to see my doctor. It is criminal.

 

[Lashes.541]

in my city in Oregon you call the doctor and they say sure we can see you, how about in three months! Then you don't even see a MD, you see a nurse practitioner, Pretty much it's go to the ER and wait for three to four hours, have a doctor talk to you for less than five minutes and they push you out the door.

 

[TheXbox]

Irrational resentment. I despise our healthcare system. It doesn't want me to engage and it makes it as hard as possible for me to do so.

Recent personal experience has also eroded my confidence in physicians and their willingness to provide meaningful care. I fully grant that the system hurts doctors just as much as patients, but some of my immediate family have been subject to mistakes and oversights that go beyond the admin/bureaucracy. It was profoundly disillusioning to see a loved one pass away after their doctor misdiagnosed and handwaved their concerns.

 

[Godfather]

I actively want to get treated for more issues but the mental health side is such a slog to get appointments, referrals, etc. even the physical side of things is a big hassle even when shit is covered

 

[Seirith]

I go whenever I need to, never been one to avoid going to the doctor. I hate the dentist, not the doctor.

 

[Ferda]

in my city in Oregon you call the doctor and they say sure we can see you, how about in three months! Then you don't even see a MD, you see a nurse practitioner, Pretty much it's go to the ER and wait for three to four hours, have a doctor talk to you for less than five minutes and they push you out the door.

Click to shrink...

I'm in Oregon as well and it's pretty much the same in my neck of the woods, takes me months to see specialists and my own primary care doctor. Even with insurance 3 years has cost me tons of time in specialists and tests, around $20,000, and still no answers for what is wrong.

Also don't get my started on therapists. They all are either not taking new patients or are zoom/teladoc only which I can't do. I finally had one that would see me in person but after a couple weeks she said she didn't think she could do much anymore and then went to zoom meetings only.

 

[SRG01]

I can 100% tell you why from a Canadian's standpoint: time. The problem with our system is that it's so chronically underfunded and understaffed that the time it takes to see a doctor is a *huge* disincentive. I still have memories of waiting 4+ hours in a walk-in clinic growing up just to see simple ailments. Our ERs are overflowing because we don't have enough family or urgent care doctors to see anyone.

 

[Autumn]

I'm scared. It's the only reason.

 

[bob1001]

Medical care is free in the UK, so no financial issues. This is my personal experience with visiting the GP: Waaaay back when you'd show up to the GP, sit around for an hour or two and be attended. Pre covid it could be up to 4 or 5 hours, they'd usually tell you to go home and come back at a certain time. Now I cannot drop in and be seen the same day: I call them to set up an appointment, I am told the first appointment will be over the phone in a day or two, they'll do their best to prescribe some over the counter medicine, they'll book an appointment a week later in case that doesn't work. And that's just the initial appointment, if I need any follow up treatment God knows how long it will take.

I've never changed GP's so maybe mine has been hit particularly hard by cuts or whatever but it's gotten so much worse.

Bear in mind I'm a relatively healthy guy in his 20's so they're triaging me and prioritising others, which I don't mind, times are tough for the NHS at the moment. But for me the whole process is so inconvenient I usually just power through any issues I have and hope for the best.

I have no love for Tony Blair, guys a major dickhead, but looking at this video is wild.


View: https://twitter.com/CentralBylines/status/1583211455427534855?lang=en

Our system was used to be so efficient people were complaining because they wanted to wait longer for their appointments.

 

[KingK]

I can 100% tell you why from a Canadian's standpoint: time. The problem with our system is that it's so chronically underfunded and understaffed that the time it takes to see a doctor is a *huge* disincentive. I still have memories of waiting 4+ hours in a walk-in clinic growing up just to see simple ailments. Our ERs are overflowing because we don't have enough family or urgent care doctors to see anyone.

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In the US, we get the 4+ hour wait times in clinics, and have to pay $200+ afterwards, even when the doctor spent 5 minutes with you and didn't do anything lol.

 

[Fat4all]

we dont like hearing bad news

 

[Bryo4321]

It's time consuming and annoying. They spend 5 minutes with me then tell me to go somewhere else during my work hours for blood tests another day. So I just end up going when I need something.

 

[greepoman]

Yeah the gaslighting around weight sucks. Lose some weight. I get it, I know it helps most things.

Someone brought up Shame, that is me sort of. Shame that I can't keep weight off, Shame that I keep on putting off going to the doctor… adds more shame and anxiety, which adds more pressure not to go

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Yeah you left shame/fear of disappointing off the list so I had to go with "other". Even though my Dr is actually not bad about the weight thing I still just feel like I'm disappointing him if any of my labs or vitals is high or whatever.