Health care experience

I actually had a positive experience with Medicaid so to be fair, I wanted to share it.

My 22 year old son is on Medicaid due to his disabilities.  He came to me with a complaint about a lump on his leg.  My mom is a nurse, and I've personally dealt with a lot of "lumps."  I took a look at it and it scared even me.  It was sitting on what looked like a vein or artery.  I called his primary doctor to see about getting him in that morning.

This particular doctor is from India, but has been here long enough to only have a slight accent.  He's a gentle grey haired man that is very likable.  His staff asked what city I was in, because he has clinics with varying hours in multiple cities.  I told her and told her which one I went to.  She said they moved a year ago.  Sounds about right, my son hasn't seen his primary in about a year...why should he?  He's basically healthy.  She asked who is primary was, duh, and then asked who he had been seeing over the last year.  I told her no one, there hasn't been a problem.  After the confusion, she told me I could come in at 9:30 (they open at 9:00).  Fast appointment.  This office has hours during the day, but it's something like 2:00 PM until 6:00 PM.  That's why I've been putting of his fasting labs.  Who wants to fast until 2PM?

So, the doctor did his exam.  I also had my very hyperactive 13 year old with me, and he had the doctor really distracted.  He said it was probably just a fatty cyst that got infected, and it would need to be drained.  He was about to take us into another room to do just that, when I asked about the possibility of it being on a vein.  He looked again, and actually agreed with me.  He said in that case, it would be too dangerous because if it was vascular, we'd have a lot of blood.  I said, kind of like getting a heart catherization, where you have to practically sit on it to stop the flow.  He said yes.

He decided to put him on antibiotics to see if it went down any.  Then he asked if there was anything else we needed.  I said he was supposed to get a fasting lab, but he'd already had a little MIO in his bottled water, and didn't think he could.  He said that little bit wouldn't matter.  So HE took him into another room and drew his blood.  My son also has hypothyroidism, so those levels needed checked.  While we were in the exam room, he had asked how my son was with self-care.  I told him he took care of himself, and even took care of me for a while while I was sickest.  My son told him he could make me eggs, and I added or pasta.  That's the two things he can cook.  I told him about my illness, and he asked what kind of cancer.  He said his nurse was going through the same thing.  I suppose that's why he is doing his own blood draws.

He also decided to send us to Baylor to get an ultrasound of the lump, to see if it actually was a cyst or vascular.  I told him Baylor didn't accept Medicaid.  He was stunned and said he was pretty sure they did.  I told him I didn't think so (forgetting about the experience with the sprained wrist) and that they didn't take my insurance either, Tricare Prime.  He said that's just wrong.  They're a not-for-profit hospital and should take any and all insurance.  His office lady heard us and came in to ask if he needed anything.  He explained he wanted an ultrasound.  She said they usually use this one company (I won't say which) and that they had a mobile unit that would come to our house.  This would be SO convenient.  I have epilepsy and can't really drive where I've never been (especially with 2 chatter boxes distracting me) without risk of a seizure.  All I need is to have my driving revoked for 6 months.

So, they are supposed to call tomorrow or Tuesday to set up a time to come out and ultrasound his leg.  If I hadn't had so many problems with Tricare Prime (also a government health care plan) or Medicaid itself, I would almost have hope.  The advantage here is this doctor has been taught in India or Great Brittain and is used to this.  Our Doctors are in it for the money and won't appreciate having to write off so much.  Maybe our Doctors have just gotten spoiled by their association with big Pharma and the AMA and only get in the profession in order to make sure their kids get a good education.  Doctors from other countries don't expect to get a big paycheck, so they go into it to heal people.