Health Care?

I am mad. Really Mad. I got a bill last month for going to see my primary care doctor about a swollen vein in my neck and a pain in my shoulder that was limiting the movement of my right arm. I have “good” insurance with BCBS. I drove the thirty minutes to get to my drs of’s office after waiting a month for my non-urgent appointment. Sat in the waiting room. Gave vitals and answered questions I had just answered a month earlier at my regular yearly physical that I had not had since pre-Covid. My doctor said she had not noticed the vein in my neck being swollen when I had been in a month before so she determined it must be new. She said she could give me a referral for an ultrasound of my neck. She said she could give me a referral for an orthopedic doctor about my shoulder. She said I would get a call from these two medical providers to set up appointments. No one called for two weeks. I messaged through my chart (another frustration) and I got the phone number of the office she was referring me to and set up my appointments. Before either of my appointments had happened I got a bill from my doctor for $180. For two phone numbers! I called my insurance company and filed an appeal. When the appeal paperwork arrived, it was over five pages of questions, and would have taken me longer than an hour to fill out the appeal and return it to BCBS. I paid the $180 fee for two phone numbers and will not be returning to see my regular doctor unless it is for a physical. Same for orthopedist. Neither one can give me any information that I can not get FOR FREE on the internet.

Last year in 2023, my partner Eric, had scheduled an appointment at Greensboro dermatology. When he arrived they told him he didn’t have an appointment, that they had experienced some computer issues with scheduling, and apologized that his appointment was not recorded. He was annoyed, went home, scheduled another appointment, and went back in several months later when he was able to work it into his schedule again and they had availability. Fast forward several months. He goes in and has his exam. Comes home and gets a bill for $200 “new patient” fee for his regular checkup. He has been to and been seen at Greensboro dermatology before but it’s been a few years since his last visit. He called and told them. They don’t care.

This is not health and this is not care. This is wrong. Another big institutional system that is just plain broken. I don’t know how to fix it for everyone but I know I have to unsubscribe.

When I was 30 I started seeing a homeopath. I had been prescribed antidepressants since I was eleven years old and was looking for something that wasn’t just treating symptoms. I had seen counselors and therapists and about every kind of head shrinker. I had made minimal progress in alleviating the anxiety and depression I experienced. Homeopathy helped me get some sleep. It helped me. Homeopathy impacted my life and the lives of my children most profoundly and is still working in my life today.

I am blessed and lucky to have my daughter Ivy interested in solving her health issues. After multiple attempts at having her issues with her health unresolved by traditional Western medical professionals of multiple disciplines came up empty-brained at what was going on or how to fix what symptoms she experienced with her health. Ivy decided she needed to take responsibility for her health and is now a certified herbalist and continues to gain knowledge about non-Western styles of healing. She helps Eric and me with supplements and different lifestyle changes we need to make to achieve health.