Colonoscopy 2.0 and skirts

[buckeyebri]

Went to the high deductible plan this year so I could establish an HSA for later years. Wife and I are relatively healthy, so time will tell if this was a good move I guess.

I already don’t like how as opposed to an FSA, where all the money is available on day 1, the HSA is funded on an ongoing payroll deduction.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

After my ins plan (I'm self employed) was cancelled in 2011 and forced onto Obamacare in NJ... wife turned severely ill... best doctors 'here' are in NYC & Phila.. and that's who were called in to save her... to my amazement those weren't covered by NJ Obamacare (each state's Obamacare is different)... first bill of $500K was shocking but I was waiting to see what was my share... couple weeks later when collection agencies went after my house, I was advised... the $500K was MY share of the $1M bill... Life changing in a lot of ways...

How can you owe 500K. The out of pocket max for an individual after ACA is capped at 9450, and the insurance parasites are no longer allowed to cap an annual maximum on what they'll pay.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

@ORD_Buckeye NYC and Phila specialists were not part of any NJ program thus my own expense. Even the hospital was unaware of the change. They worked a payment plan with me. Had I had the plan that was cancelled about 6 months earlier, I was covered. Had they only used specialists in NJ, I was covered.. but I'd be a widow.

the out-of-pocket limit does not include:

• Anything spent on services your plan doesn't cover
• Out-of-network care and services

I was unaware the NJ Obamacare was considered a 'network'. I was presented that plan as the 'same as the plan I had before with addl benefits.. included spouse pregnancy preventative care which was good since my wife was 57... and all childhood vaccines which was important since my youngest was 22. 6 years ago, congress tried to revise ACA in 3 major ways. 1) permit like groups to assemble and obtain large group rates (like major corps and unions have) which would have dropped rates by well over half 2) permit folks to shop across state lines 3) permit folks to use any doc in the USA thus eradicating Jersey's network but as I understand it.. ACA couldn't be revised.. it had to be removed and replaced... love our govt... and insurance lobbyists

 

[Steve19]

I had bilateral knee replacement surgery a surgeon who does the Springboks. My previous surgeon, Dr Willem van der Merwe, who did my meniscectomies, also did surgery for the Springboks, Bafana Bafana, and the British Olympic team. He also served recently as President of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. I mention this only to establish that my surgeons were at least as good as one might expect at OSU hospitals or Riverside Methodist and perhaps even better.

South Africa. Total cost for surgeon (pre- and post-op included), hospital (5 days), anesthesiologist, physical therapist (in hospital and 12 weeks after), and all before and after visits was less than $8,000 and my share was less than $1,000. That's both knees.

Columbus: I choose Riverside Methodist Hospital because I know it well and it is comparable to Netcare Greenacres Hospital where my surgery was done. Riverside estimates $98,000 for one knee with the patient responsibility $67,000. Two knees at once would normally double that cost. So the comparable cost would be $196,000 and my share $134,000 in the US, versus $8,000 and $1,000 in South Africa.

If you were poor and could not pay, this surgery would be free of charge in public hospitals.

I am not intending to start a political discussion but I cannot fathom how costs can be so much higher in the US.

 

[heisman]

I had bilateral knee replacement surgery a surgeon who does the Springboks. My previous surgeon, Dr Willem van der Merwe, who did my meniscectomies, also did surgery for the Springboks, Bafana Bafana, and the British Olympic team. He also served recently as President of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. I mention this only to establish that my surgeons were at least as good as one might expect at OSU hospitals or Riverside Methodist and perhaps even better.

South Africa. Total cost for surgeon (pre- and post-op included), hospital (5 days), anesthesiologist, physical therapist (in hospital and 12 weeks after), and all before and after visits was less than $8,000 and my share was less than $1,000. That's both knees.

Columbus: I choose Riverside Methodist Hospital because I know it well and it is comparable to Netcare Greenacres Hospital where my surgery was done. Riverside estimates $98,000 for one knee with the patient responsibility $67,000. Two knees at once would normally double that cost. So the comparable cost would be $196,000 and my share $134,000 in the US, versus $8,000 and $1,000 in South Africa.

If you were poor and could not pay, this surgery would be free of charge in public hospitals.

I am not intending to start a political discussion but I cannot fathom how costs can be so much higher in the US.

Both of my grandparents‘ knee replacements were done at Riverside and completely covered by Medicare.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I had bilateral knee replacement surgery a surgeon who does the Springboks. My previous surgeon, Dr Willem van der Merwe, who did my meniscectomies, also did surgery for the Springboks, Bafana Bafana, and the British Olympic team. He also served recently as President of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. I mention this only to establish that my surgeons were at least as good as one might expect at OSU hospitals or Riverside Methodist and perhaps even better.

South Africa. Total cost for surgeon (pre- and post-op included), hospital (5 days), anesthesiologist, physical therapist (in hospital and 12 weeks after), and all before and after visits was less than $8,000 and my share was less than $1,000. That's both knees.

Columbus: I choose Riverside Methodist Hospital because I know it well and it is comparable to Netcare Greenacres Hospital where my surgery was done. Riverside estimates $98,000 for one knee with the patient responsibility $67,000. Two knees at once would normally double that cost. So the comparable cost would be $196,000 and my share $134,000 in the US, versus $8,000 and $1,000 in South Africa.

If you were poor and could not pay, this surgery would be free of charge in public hospitals.

I am not intending to start a political discussion but I cannot fathom how costs can be so much higher in the US.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield made $30 billion dollars in profit last year. That might have something to do with it.

Also, my neighbor works for them. He's an investment banker (BS in bidness from tcun and an MBA from Chicago). He easily makes high six figures (probably seven) doing in-house M&A for BCBS. His job would not exist in any other OECD country.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Both of my grandparents‘ knee replacements were done at Riverside and completely covered by Medicare.

Lemme scream my thanks for Medicare... dayumm they have been great
No replacements... knock on wood... but having access to the best of the best regardless of where they're at... has been wonderful...
Now, if they covered vision, dental and I'm sure hearing aids down the line... would be great
You youngsters coming up on 65... get all your vision, dental stuff done while your insurance handles it... medicare does not...

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Lemme scream my thanks for Medicare... dayumm they have been great
No replacements... knock on wood... but having access to the best of the best regardless of where they're at... has been wonderful...
Now, if they covered vision, dental and I'm sure hearing aids down the line... would be great
You youngsters coming up on 65... get all your vision, dental stuff done while your insurance handles it... medicare does not...

And to think that Medicare takes less than five cents of every dollar spent for administrative costs versus nearly 40 cents of every healthcare dollar taken by the for-profit health insurance industry.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Had my first colonoscopy last week. I was a little nervous about the "twilight" anesthesia. I thought I'd be conscious of what they were doing, but I was out like a light and woke up feeling like nothing had been done. Funny, how this made me feel psychologically uneasy beforehand, but when being wheeled in to have my eyeball sewn back together again, I was perfectly calm.

 

[calibuck]

Have sat on several boards that dealt with medical insurance issues. Am surprised that Riverside quoted Steve so much for knee replacements. Must have been that he/you didn't have Medicare or other health insurance? So they felt they could gig you mightily. I'm in California, which is user friendly, but there's a thing that Medicare does. It limits their reimbursement rate to the 'usual cost of the area', called UCR - usual cost of reimbursement. You can charge whatever you want, probably giving hospitals a tax write-off, but Medicare will only pay for the normal/median cost of that particular procedure for the area. C'bus is not as high a cost area as San Francisco, so the normal cost of a replacement in SF would be higher than C'bus. Mine cost $30k each, with Medi picking up 80%, and my other insurance the other 20%, and I had zero out of pocket. Ord, glad you had some great doctors in Chicago. Hope you recovered all of your eyesight. Had cataracts removed in both eyes, and first one, I was cringing away from the needle they were putting in my eyeball, but felt nothing. Next one, was not as queasy.

 

[DubCoffman62]

Had my first colonoscopy last week. I was a little nervous about the "twilight" anesthesia. I thought I'd be conscious of what they were doing, but I was out like a light and woke up feeling like nothing had been done. Funny, how this made me feel psychologically uneasy beforehand, but when being wheeled in to have my eyeball sewn back together again, I was perfectly calm.

My doctor is from Taiwan and he was singing the Small World song as he wheeled me into the room for the procedure. I remember watching the anesthesiologist inject the drug into my IV, next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. There was a nurse in the next bay telling one of the patients that they found 18 polyps and was showing him pictures. I was nervous about what they fou8nd in me but luckily I came up clean.

 

[AKAK]

Had my first colonoscopy last week. I was a little nervous about the "twilight" anesthesia. I thought I'd be conscious of what they were doing, but I was out like a light and woke up feeling like nothing had been done. Funny, how this made me feel psychologically uneasy beforehand, but when being wheeled in to have my eyeball sewn back together again, I was perfectly calm.

There's no eyeball surgery scene in Deliverance

 

[ScriptOhio]

Had my first colonoscopy last week. I was a little nervous about the "twilight" anesthesia. I thought I'd be conscious of what they were doing, but I was out like a light and woke up feeling like nothing had been done. Funny, how this made me feel psychologically uneasy beforehand, but when being wheeled in to have my eyeball sewn back together again, I was perfectly calm.

I've had 4 and everyone should know they were "a piece of cake". You are "out" and feel nothing. My last one:
Dr: Ready to start now?
Me: OK
Me: What I think is a just a minute or so later....When are you going to start?
Dr: I just finished.

You do wake up feeling like nothing had been done, with the exception of farting in the recovery room..... Now the only inconvenience is the night before when you have to drink a couple quarts of something that literally flushes you out. It doesn't hurt; but you are on and off the crapper over a 4 to 6 hour period.

Twice I had a couple small polyps removed. The biopsies revealed they weren't cancerous (yet). Remember the disclaimers in Cologuard's commercials; say they can have false negatives and positives. They aren't 100% accurate. A colonoscopy is the way to go; if they find a polyp, they remove it right then.

Colorectal Cancer Guideline | How Often to Have Screening Tests

Learn about colorectal cancer screening tests and at what age you should start them. Find out if you might be at high risk and may need a colonoscopy sooner.

www.cancer.org

For people at average risk​

The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk* of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. This can be done either with a sensitive test that looks for signs of cancer in a person’s stool (a stool-based test), or with an exam that looks at the colon and rectum (a visual exam). These options are listed below.

People who are in good health and with a life expectancy of more than 10 years should continue regular colorectal cancer screening through age 75.

For people ages 76 through 85, the decision to be screened should be based on a person’s preferences, life expectancy, overall health, and prior screening history.

People over age 85 should no longer get colorectal cancer screening.

*For screening, people are considered to be at average risk if they do not have:

• A personal history of colorectal cancer or certain types of polyps
• A family history of colorectal cancer
• A personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
• A confirmed or suspected hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or HNPCC)

 

[AKAK]

I've had 4 and everyone should know they were "a piece of cake". You are "out" and feel nothing. My last one:
Dr: Ready to start now?
Me: OK
Me: What I think is a just a minute or so later....When are you going to start?
Dr: I just finished.

You do wake up feeling like nothing had been done, with the exception of farting in the recovery room..... Now the only inconvenience is the night before when you have to drink a couple quarts of something that literally flushes you out. It doesn't hurt; but you are on and off the crapper over a 4 to 6 hour period.

Twice I had a couple small polyps removed. The biopsies revealed they weren't cancerous (yet). Remember the disclaimers in Cologuard's commercials; say they can have false negatives and positives. They aren't 100% accurate. A colonoscopy is the way to go; if the find a polyp, they remove it right then.

Colorectal Cancer Guideline | How Often to Have Screening Tests

Learn about colorectal cancer screening tests and at what age you should start them. Find out if you might be at high risk and may need a colonoscopy sooner.

www.cancer.org

For people at average risk​

The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk* of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. This can be done either with a sensitive test that looks for signs of cancer in a person’s stool (a stool-based test), or with an exam that looks at the colon and rectum (a visual exam). These options are listed below.

People who are in good health and with a life expectancy of more than 10 years should continue regular colorectal cancer screening through age 75.

For people ages 76 through 85, the decision to be screened should be based on a person’s preferences, life expectancy, overall health, and prior screening history.

People over age 85 should no longer get colorectal cancer screening.

*For screening, people are considered to be at average risk if they do not have:

• A personal history of colorectal cancer or certain types of polyps
• A family history of colorectal cancer
• A personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
• A confirmed or suspected hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or HNPCC)

Listen up folks!

 

[wolves2002]

I have had 4 (or 5?). I have had at least one polyp removed in every one. None were cancerous, but could have become cancerous. The actual colonoscopy is a piece of cake. The stuff you have to drink is not a lot of fun. What my gastroenterologist uses has you drink one large dose the night before and one 4-6 hours before the procedure. So, if you get the first 7am appointment, you set your alarm for 3am to drink a bunch of stuff and spend a couple of hours on the pot. BUT, a lot less of an issue than colon cancer. Just do it.