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Posted by SJ_SwanJun on 22-12-2007 at 03:22:

It Just Gets Better and Better...

Sigh.

2007 will go down as the worst year for us...

Murphy's Law reigned supreme ... Thank God 2008 is only days away.

So. The latest...

As many of you know, my Father-in-Law was hospitalized for just over a week with hemmoraging (sp?) due to a bleeding ulcer.

Thankfully he came home a week ago.

Things look okay. He's doing okay.

We're back on track.

Then today. We get a hospital bill ...

Please note that we live in Ontario - home of OHIP, where medical treatment is supposedly covered.

Apparently not.

We have to pay nearly $13,000...

Yeah, $13,000!

Now. My understanding is that necessary hospitalizations and what-not are supposed to be covered by OHIP. Sure, we totally expected to pay the ambulance fee. We had no issue with that. The 911 operator insisted that an ambulance was necessary for him and that under no ciscumstances were we to take him ourselves. No problem, we'll pay the $250 for that.

IT was an emergency situation. He was bleeding so heavily that he required a transfusion - 2 units of blood, actually.

The average level for a healthy adult is 140. IF you lose half your blood, which really isn't all that much, then you're in some serious ass trouble.... Dad's level dropped to 70.. In other words, had he not received a transfusion, he would have died.

Ugent and necessary medical treatment if you ask me.

I suppose not.

IV isn't given as a lark. If you require it, you gotto have it.

He was hooked up to two separate IV machines at one point.

One would assume that's in the necessary classification.

So, okay. a good chunk for prescription and what-not. We can kinda sorta maybe deal with that ...

The kicker, though.

$1,400 a night for the room.

WTF??

$1,400 a night to share a room with three other sick guys, one who was a psychotic/mental/freaky/scarey/potty mouth/gas source ... Bad food. No TV, no pillow (we had to demand one for him on his third night) - and for his visitors to change the bed pan and take him for a shower.

Fuck. I could stay at the Sheraton, get my ass totally spoiled and get off my face drunk while indulging in the finest steak meals for less than $1,400 a night - and heck, if I needed a doctor I could call med-visit for free!

$1,400 a god-damned night?

Like, okay. So someone please explain to me what OHIP does actually cover?

The guy is 80 years old. Where is he going to find $13,000???? (yeah, we'll all pitch in, but that's beside the point)

$1,400 a night?!?!

And this is a Humber hospital! All Torontonians are familiar with those hospitals - the Ghetto of hospitals - certainly NOT private. (the very hospital that ranks THE WORST in emergency care - deaths while waiting - for Ontario and second in all of Canada)

So how. HOW. HOW do we, here in ONTARIO end up forking out $13,000 for services that are supposedly covered by OHIP.

I don't get it.

shakes head bewildered by it

I think I'm going to go get myself a beer ... then save the bottle - going to need the extra cash...

SJ

__________________

Sighhh

Why do men snore when lying on their backs?
Because their balls fall over their butt holes and they vapour lock.

Posted by Springie on 22-12-2007 at 03:59:

Oh SJ, that's just awful...how the heck do they get away with that? I do hope things improve for you and your family in '08...I'm looking forward to a fresh start, too... Huggles

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Posted by amyltrer on 22-12-2007 at 12:40:

Geez, SJ, your healthcare system is almost just like mine. Still I don't know if it's an adavantage that here you don't live enough to complain of the bill!

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-12-2007 at 15:49:

I had no idea that OHIP could do that. I'm so sorry, SJ.

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Posted by Madilayn on 22-12-2007 at 22:07:

OMG!!! SJ that is just outrageous! I'd certainly be making a complaint and asking a lot of hard questions - including pointing out what you could get for $1400 per night elsewhere!

: huggles:

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Posted by Hinotori on 22-12-2007 at 22:42:

Oh, SJ, that's horrible!! And here in the States we're under the impression that the Canadian health care system is 1000 times better than ours...

Hope things are better for you in '08!

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Eagle in Charge

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Posted by CricketBeautiful on 10-01-2008 at 19:01:

Ours is better at prevention and testing and for routine kids' stuff, but it can sneak up on you at times. It's also not good for anything outside medical doctor; we still have to pay eye doctors and dentists.

The room cost surprises me; I thought the cheapest suitable room available was free, and pay for an upgrade. Likewise, I never new blood was charged for. The meds might add up.

Glad to see he's feeling better!

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In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

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Posted by Ebonyswanne on 10-01-2008 at 22:29:

We complain about Medicare, but from the sounds of it you copped it worse...at least in our health system they tell you ahead if there will be charges outside of your Medicare cover(government funded, 1% of our taxes go towards the heath insurance for everyone,), and you will need to cover the rest with Private health insurance.

The final bill of $13,000 with no prior warning it would be that much...(Ebony shakes her head in disgust.)

Was it a public hospital or Private SJ???

We only need private health insurance for elective surgery or private hospital cover.(I know that you would know, SJ about Aussie health insurance etc.)
Huggles for your family. I hope he is recovering now and he doesn't need to go back into hospital.

I would complain about the lack of care in the wards, the fact that you had to wait for something simple like a pillow! We have shortages of nursing staff here too, but at least they try hard to make you comfortable if you are sick and can't help yourself.

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