Well, there is a requirement to copy them if the patient requests they be transferred to another doctor.
HEALTH CARE - User fees
- Thread starter JLM
- Start date
Well, there is a requirement to copy them if the patient requests they be transferred to another doctor.
It occurred to me about 20.5 minutes ago that when the dispensing fees for medication was going to cost $2 for those on assistance, there was a flurry of doomsday warnings. Now, it has become the norm and in my opinion is a small token fee to not only offset some cost but also to discourage over medicating for simple ailments. A manageable fee makes sense.
If the user fees were clearly outlined prior to the visit and was manageable it may lessen visits for routine issues. It also may encourage better health since people with chronic minor health problems will soon learn how to maintain themselves better.
The issue of a manageable fee has to be addressed. For example, the cost for a dentist isn't covered, but poor dental health is a condition commonly suffered by those with lower incomes. They simply can't afford to go.
Personally, while I understand the need for a change in the financial situation as it relates to healthcare, I fear loosing such easy access to a service I do not use regularly but have comfort in knowing it's there. Really, as silly as it sounds, it's the principal of losing that safety cushion that makes me concerned. But, then again, that makes me the same as the ones with the Placards in front of Parliament screaming about the now accepted prescription dispensing fees. With or without user fees, our standard of care wont be compromised. Just the wait for it will.
If the user fees were clearly outlined prior to the visit and was manageable it may lessen visits for routine issues. It also may encourage better health since people with chronic minor health problems will soon learn how to maintain themselves better.
The issue of a manageable fee has to be addressed. For example, the cost for a dentist isn't covered, but poor dental health is a condition commonly suffered by those with lower incomes. They simply can't afford to go.
Personally, while I understand the need for a change in the financial situation as it relates to healthcare, I fear loosing such easy access to a service I do not use regularly but have comfort in knowing it's there. Really, as silly as it sounds, it's the principal of losing that safety cushion that makes me concerned. But, then again, that makes me the same as the ones with the Placards in front of Parliament screaming about the now accepted prescription dispensing fees. With or without user fees, our standard of care wont be compromised. Just the wait for it will.
I wonder how that dispensing fee has helped the small drug stores? I go to one at the grocery store. They eat the fee - and probably add it to the meat and cheese
Maybe doctors need to take a page out of the book of the old days (prior to '59) when patient care was primary and remuneration was secondary. In days of yore the typical family doctor would travel around his community at all hours of the day and night making house calls to treat desperately ill patients and quite often there was no money for him, but the grateful patient wouldn't send him away empty handed, be it a dozen eggs or a venison roast. I'm not sure how that worked on the income tax but at least the spirit was right.
Great point. The independants generally don't charge and that's whats helping them keep customers. It seems to be the large ones that do. However, I notice the vitamins are pricey...:angry3:
"We should not have to pay any more than we already do."
Maybe we have to if demands are to be met. Where does your health rank in the list of necessities in your life?
Maybe we have to if demands are to be met. Where does your health rank in the list of necessities in your life?
You have that right, but apparently there are doctors out there who have no computer savvy, necessitating long laborous hours of typing (or more likely hand writing) notes for charts. That is very labour intensive and time consuming. But whose problem is that? Can't see where it should be yours. Doctors earn enough money to afford computers and the training involved to operate one. As you've already indicated perhaps some doctors have an arrogant streak. Thank God, I've yet to meet one.
I agree that the chart should not be vetted, the doctor must give you photocopies of everything in the chart. However, the chart does not belong to you, the chart belongs to the doctor. The information in the chart belongs to you. There is a subtle difference.
In Ontario it is around 32$ (that is the intermediate assessment, A007, the most common code billed by FPs). And if you belong to some types of groups (e.g. Family Health Group) it can be up to 35$.
And that's why they group together in large offices and pay only a couple of people. Patients are booked approx. every 10 min. so 6 per hour is the minimum they see plus those they see in the hospital and those they see in the after hours clinics so they earn in excess of $1000.00 per day. Must be really hard to take. We have a very arrogant South African doctor here. He spoke about his home overlooking the ocean and how he likes to sit out on his deck and watch the sun go down. He said "It just doesn't get any better". Tough life that's for sure.
A doctor in JLM's city left the city because is wife divorced him and re-married. He could not handle seeing her with another man. He packed up and left within a few days after she re-married. All his files went to some storage area (he didn't make any arrangements) and I don't know who was in charge but I do know that when it was necessary, somone had to go pull the file from his stored records. I guess it's different in all provinces. There were a lot of un-happy people over that.
You're right - some doctors are very arrogant- I met one in Grand Forks (he never treated me) but to give the Devil his due he was an excellent doctor, apart from his bedside manner. I don't begrudge most doctors what they earn. Their days are long and their weeks are long, they gave up anywhere from 7 to 10 years of their life and earning opportunities to get where they are. If a plumber or electrician or Premier wants to go out and get drunk after work he can, the doctor has to be in top form should an emergency arise. I think most of them are damn fine people.
Yep, there's losers in all walks of life. About 10 or 12 years ago there was a doctor on the lower mainland (he may have been a Greek immigrant, not that that matters), but anyway he murdered a young woman out of jealousy. I think he was also mixed up in other nefarious activities. Far as I know he's still in jail.
In BC, dispensing fees vary from Pharmacy to Pharmacy. Right now, my prescriptions are 100% paid by my employer so I don't worry about the fee. If I was not working though, I would probably go to a different pharmacy (like Super Store) because their fees are lower. Drug cost is the same but dispensing varies.
Some provinces do not charge a monthly fee for medical. Ontario used to be one of those. Now it's linked in with the taxes or something to that effect. Ours are not linked. We pay a monthly charge which is probably what many of you would refer to as a "user" fee. A user fee is a charge over and above what we already pay per month and I can see every reason why people object to it. If you know your doctor is already being paid $25.00 for your 5 min. visit, why would you be happy to hand over more? You don't have to have medical here in BC if you choose not to. You can just go in to your doctors office and pay them whatever the going rate is for your visit. You do run the risk though of not having coverage for things like a burst appendix or cancer etc. At that point in time, in order to have the necessary coverage, you have to back pay your premiums for the current year (or it may be part of the current year like 6 months or something. I'm not sure). Most of us just pay the monthly premiums. Best to know one is well covered. JLM might not think so because he has the time to go for long walks and rid himself of stress and keep himself physically fit. Not everyone has that luxury. So easy for people to believe that all it takes is time set aside. Not everyone has time to set aside or if they do - exercise is not on the agenda. Legs up, taking a breather is.
Now VanIsle, one must make allowances for foreigners. Especially if he is black, life must have been very hard for him back home, being the victim of apartheid. Perhaps he could be forgiven some arrogance.
Ha! Our family doctor in Penticton was a great doctor. He was also a great drunk! He actually came to our house on a house call once and he was loaded! Some years later I was talking to a nurse friend about him. She said he was horrible at the hospital because he was drunk most of the time. In those days, doctors did their own surgery. I had no idea when he removed my tonsils and later my adenoids that he might well have been completely out of it and the same applies to him delivering our two sons. He was at least sober enough to know that the cord was wrapped around my sons neck twice and he managed to remove it before it hurt him in anyway. Scary to think of it now though.
Yep, years ago there was one in Alert Bay like that. Depending on who you talked to he was either the best doctor in the world or the worst. But to his credit he served there by himself for about 35 years and from what I heard never took a holiday. I won't mention his name here (he's long gone anyhow) but his intials were J.P.
You are making assumptions. He is of german decent and quite white. He loved Africa but said it had become too dangerous to live there. We have a lot of S. African doctors here and only a few of them are not white. The doctor we have now is also from S. Africa and he too is white and is of Dutch decent. Things must not be too bad. Our current doctor just recently went home for a visit to see his Dad and so his Dad could meet his wife and son. I think if things were too bad there he would have brought his Dad here to live.
Why should anyone forgive his arrogance? He is as stated, one amongst many and the others are not like that.