Wednesday, November 11, 2009

You got to shop around



My mother's illness inspired me to be more aggressive in looking to find health care. Last month my Cobra coverage ran out and so I logged in to Blue Shield to see about buying my own heath care. It makes me want to pack my nags and move to Canada, where they have national heath care! The best package was found by contacting Blue Shield directly but I couldn't help but feeling like I was buying auto insurance, buying a product you pray you never have to use!
Here is another rub. This year my Internal Medicine doctor retired! Rats! He was a damn good doctor and I've been with him since my freshman year of college. I feel like I lost a best friend! For he knew more details in my life than my family and friends!
Now I have to shop around for another doctor and what a nightmare for how do you go about finding a good doctor. My mother has a wonderful doctor, Doctor Sy Oang! He was wonderful during my mother's follow up from the hospital. But he is very popular and I don't think he's able to handle more clients. The hospital assigned my mother with an excellent cardiologist, Dr. Aditya Ambegaonkar but I don't need a heart doctor. Due to my mother's stay at PIH I was greatly impressed with her Internal MD Abbid Shah but I don't know if he has his own practice and wouldn't go to him anyway. He's very young and handsome and i just wouldn't feel comfortable allowing this attractive man to see me in a state of undress , under those unflattering lights of an examining room , looking at me warts and all. (I don't have warts but you get the idea.) It's just such a roll of the dice finding a truly good doctor to put your life in their hands, Don't know what I'm going to do to find one but at least I have bought health care!

4 comments:

Z said...

Indeed, however much we grumble about the National Health Service in Britain, it's our NHS and we were affronted when Americans opposing the President's plans were insulting it, with as little regard for truth as for politeness.
In fact, even if you have private medical insurance in this country, in an emergency the "free at the point of use" NHS beats the private hospitals hands down.

My doctor is in his early 60s now and I'm already starting to wonder when he'll retire and how to pick a new doctor.

goatman said...

Maybe you could ask your retiring doctor if he could recommend anyone. Seems like helping your patients locate another doctor would be a necessary duty of a retiring doctor??

I bought insurance through State Farm believe it or not. They had a nice package with plenty of options and deductibles available. I got one for $290 a month with $1000 deductable and $3500 max out of pocket. There was a limit of $5000 though on the outpatient charges, which I maxed out this year. But at least then I paid the insurance-reduced price for the services and outpatient stuff.
Best of luck getting coverage.

Canary said...

I am back after a long hiatus! :)
Wish you a happy new year :)

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