this little piggy

Everyone is talking about health care. I try to follow it but simply can’t. I have no idea what an HMO is as opposed to a PPO or a PHO. I know COBRA is something that extends health coverage after you’ve gotten your sorry ass fired or thought it would be a smart move to quit in this horrible economy. My idea of health coverage is the one I have known since I got married 35 years ago to my civil servant. Is it good? Don’t know…I have never had a problem seeing the doctor that I want, the surgeries I have needed or the medications that went along with both. I do know that with what my husband pays for it through his automatic payroll deduction I could have paid for medical school, became a doctor and treated myself…..but so far so good. What I do have an issue with the other part of health care….the people behind the counters.

My son broke his toe. He was going too fast over what looks like the ruins of Pompeii on a bicycle. They call it mountain biking. I call it, ‘you’re an ass, what did you think was gonna happen?’ But I digress…..so while he wouldn’t listen to me, his girlfriend was able to convince him to go to the emergency room to have it x-rayed. It was broken and since they do not cast a toe, he was simply given a prescription for pain meds and sent on his limping way. We had a few pain pills left from the last injury he sustained so it wasn’t until a few days later when he was planning a ‘hiking’ trip (I kid you not) that I dropped off the prescription. I went to pick it up after work only to be told that the emergency room doctor did not sign the prescription and that they couldn’t fill it. I called (call #1) the hospital emergency room and was told by some snarky sounding woman that I would need the name of the doctor that treated my son which could be found on the yellow paper they released him with which was currently in his briefcase with him in court. When I got Dr. McDopey’s name I called (call #2 & 3) back the emergency room to be told by another uncaring toad that the info I was originally told was wrong. I needed to call the ‘follow up office’ in the morning since it was now long closed. The fact that this hospital even needed an office that just ‘follows up’, leads me to believe that there are many issues that need…well, following up on. I wait until morning as my son hopped and moaned. Unsympathetically I reminded him that he is an ass! Anyway morning arrives and I call (call #4) the ‘follow up’ office where I am greeted by, I am sure, a woman who hasn’t gotten laid in like 5 years. What a bitch! Immediately I am chastised for making the call for my 27 year old son who she thought should have been making the call himself.  Listen Nurse Ratched, don’t worry about why I am taking care of this and just do your damn job.  She said her office does not call in prescriptions and that I would need the drug store to call them. I called (call #5) the pharmacy again and gave all of the info to the person pretending to care on the other end. I left for work. After work my son went to pick up the pain meds and of course, another snag. No one, I repeat no one there knew what he was talking about….there was no note to call the hospital, no note stating what happened when they did get around to calling the hospital and no one was owning up to being the person I spoke to 6 hours earlier. They were however willing to throw a fellow employee under the bus since she had left already. Must have been her!

My son, throbbing and limping (and still planning the hiking trip) called (call #6) the emergency room and got a real honest to goodness doctor who was willing to call the pharmacy and order the pain meds. The prescription for 8 pills was picked up by my son this morning. He left for hiking tonight. I hope he breaks his ankle.