Good Insurance

Me: “OK Ma’am, luckily the X-ray is negative. You only have a sprained ankle.”

Ms Entitlement: “Well, I want an orthopeadist to come in and see me.”

Me: “Well, that wouldn’t make much sense. There’s nothing else to do for now except to put on a splint and give you some crutches”

Ms Entitlement: “I think something is torn. I want an MRI.”

Me: “That would be silly. And completely not indicated.”

Ms Entitlement: “I have good insurance. It’ll pay for it.”

Me: “If it’s good insurance, they WON’T pay for it.”

4 Comments

  1. Comment by Dr. Grumpy:

    And people wonder why their premiums are so high.

  2. Comment by Terri C:

    Take your splint and crutches, go home, elevate the damn thing, and call your PCP in the morning. Do you honestly think an orthpedist is coming in to look at your SPRAINED ANKLE in the ED????????????? If they don’t come in to look at BUSTED ones in the ED, they aren’t going to look at sprains.

  3. Comment by The gold digger:

    AMEN! I used to work for an HMO. At the time, the patient paid the ER charges unless it was really an emergency (or looked like an emergency). Heart attacks and apparent heart attacks were covered, earaches were not.

    I used to give the example that a broken toe was not a reason to go to the ER, as most broken toes do not involve the bone poking through the flesh. “Call your doctor,” I would say. “If it’s serious, the doc will have you come in. Otherwise, all he will tell you to do is to tape your toe to the other toe and stay off it.”

    I spoke with some authority, having broken my toe three times by then. Yes, I am a bit of a klutz.

    Someone responded, “But a broken toe HURTS!”

    “Yes,” I said, “but pain does not mean ER visit.” Which always ticked people off.

    These are the same people who complained about the increasing premiums, yet could see no connection between their own wasteful behavior and rising medical costs. The doctor can’t always fix everything! You don’t need every bell and whistle! And no, we don’t cover massage therapy!

  4. Comment by blade:

    here is his card. make an appointment.

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