Delaware Top Blogs

Monday, June 14, 2010

Getting the shingles vaccine

My father had shingles recently.  It was very painful, so he recommended that I (and everyone else who had had chicken pox) get the vaccine.

I'm not going to recount the hassles that I underwent, except to mention that I got advice from both my private insurer and Medicare that was contradictory.  I finally got the shot, which I paid for myself and then struggled to get reimbursed.  This was two years ago, and provided a foretaste of what Obamacare has in store for us.

Now I am trying to get an infusion of Reclast, having found out that women with osteoporosis in their hips, which I have, should either get preventive treatment or start picking out something becoming to wear at the funeral.  Because, apparently if you break your hip all that remains is to choose a casket and line up pallbearers.

The local hospital offers these infusions, but refuses to administer them except under a maze of stringent rules and restrictions which make it almost impossible to actually get the drug.

Medicare can't decide whether Part B or Part D covers these infusions, and doesn't care, preferring that patients break their hips and die so they can streamline their patient lists.

I would like to fight this monster, but it has so many tentacles that I don't know which one to tackle first.

1 comment:

airforcewife said...

I'm a military spouse - you don't have to tell me what happens with gov't health care!

When I was pregnant with #3, we moved when I was 5 months along. I called Wilford Hall (the base hospital) to make an appointment, as one was due and I required extra testing due to issues one of my nieces was born with.

I was told they would not see me until I registered for and attended a class on pregnancy. Now, I realize it would have been easier to just go along and get along and take the stupid class - but after two kids, one a planned home-birth - I was pretty sure I knew how to put on a darn diaper and not to do drugs while knocked up.

I was only let in for an appointment after another month and a half and a threat to get lawyers involved.

And THEN there was the doctor who threw such a snit when I refused the Rh shot (I'm B-, but so is my husband) that he threatened to call my husband's chain of command to demand the issue be resolved.

I had three of my four children as planned home-births where I paid the midwife cash. Interestingly enough - these were the pregnancies I had no complications with (I had full blown Ecclampsia with the first one).

Bureaucracy is a wonderful thing. (that was sarcasm)