I understand that most people are under the misconception that we are fortunate to be "Americans", but these folks need to take an honest look at things.
We live in Illinois. We have AllKids here...a program to provide health care for all kids. There are different plans under this program, depending on a family's financial situation. As we have a large family, we are accepted into the program at a level that pays 100% of most visits after we pay a very small co-pay. Well, we were told it does but haven't used it yet so I can't be positive that it is in fact that simple.
There is an extensive list of providers who accept the plan since they get reimbursed from the state for being a part of the program. You get to choose which doctor will be your PCP (primary care physician) based on the criteria you specify.
Sounds terrific for families in need of an alternative to our outrageous private health insurance costs! It has gotten so that even taking insurance through an employer is too costly...obviously they hope you opt out of the plan which in turn lowers their costs.
Only problem is, just because it sounds terrific doesn't mean it actually plays out that way.
We were accepted into the plan in January. We have not been able to pick a PCP yet because every single one of the doctors we have called is "not taking any new patients". Now granted, I am a little particular in choosing a doctor for my children...
He/She MUST hold a degree from a medical university here in the US!
He/She MUST have English as their first language...nothing lost in translation when it comes to my family's health care please
Ideally he/she is young enough to see my children through their teen years but old enough to know a few things
He/She has to understand that I know my children better than he/she and I need to be in control of health care choices for my family
But I think everyone should set these standards when choosing a pediatrician. In the meanwhile, I am not certain what happens in the event of an emergency. We have been fortunate so far. I am hoping that continues until we find a doctor in the plan that actually does care about the children in this country who need health care instead of further lining their pockets with kick-backs from insurance companies & pharmacies.
I hope we see the day when health insurance is billed the same as life insurance...those that are healthy will have affordable coverage and those who are overweight or those that make foolish choices when it comes to taking care of themselves (heavy drinkers/smokers & such) will be charged appropriately. Until then, local clinics for immunizations it is.
We live in Illinois. We have AllKids here...a program to provide health care for all kids. There are different plans under this program, depending on a family's financial situation. As we have a large family, we are accepted into the program at a level that pays 100% of most visits after we pay a very small co-pay. Well, we were told it does but haven't used it yet so I can't be positive that it is in fact that simple.
There is an extensive list of providers who accept the plan since they get reimbursed from the state for being a part of the program. You get to choose which doctor will be your PCP (primary care physician) based on the criteria you specify.
Sounds terrific for families in need of an alternative to our outrageous private health insurance costs! It has gotten so that even taking insurance through an employer is too costly...obviously they hope you opt out of the plan which in turn lowers their costs.
Only problem is, just because it sounds terrific doesn't mean it actually plays out that way.
We were accepted into the plan in January. We have not been able to pick a PCP yet because every single one of the doctors we have called is "not taking any new patients". Now granted, I am a little particular in choosing a doctor for my children...
He/She MUST hold a degree from a medical university here in the US!
He/She MUST have English as their first language...nothing lost in translation when it comes to my family's health care please
Ideally he/she is young enough to see my children through their teen years but old enough to know a few things
He/She has to understand that I know my children better than he/she and I need to be in control of health care choices for my family
But I think everyone should set these standards when choosing a pediatrician. In the meanwhile, I am not certain what happens in the event of an emergency. We have been fortunate so far. I am hoping that continues until we find a doctor in the plan that actually does care about the children in this country who need health care instead of further lining their pockets with kick-backs from insurance companies & pharmacies.
I hope we see the day when health insurance is billed the same as life insurance...those that are healthy will have affordable coverage and those who are overweight or those that make foolish choices when it comes to taking care of themselves (heavy drinkers/smokers & such) will be charged appropriately. Until then, local clinics for immunizations it is.
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