Why do the Medically Indigent get treatment that is substandard?

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   WillHeartposted 15 years ago

   Why do the Medically Indigent get treatment that is substandard?
   
   "...The health care provided by county medically indigent programs is not comprehensive. Counties do not have to provide the same quality or scope of health care that people with private insurance or Medi-Cal receive. Each county has its own rules about what health care services the county medically indigent program will cover. Counties do have to provide emergency care, care necessary to treat life or limb threatening conditions, care that will prevent significant disability or illness, and care that will alleviate severe pain...."
   
   source: http://hrh.org/?page_id=21

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2. 60

   Clark Grizvoldposted 15 years ago

   Any insurance you get from the government is sure to be sub standard to a policy that you pay for.

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3. 60

   WillHeartposted 15 years ago

   EXACTLY my point and why my web site wqas started. Look at the statistics for those who find themselves in straights that NO one should be in. Especially in THIS country.

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4. 68

   MikeNVposted 15 years ago

   Have you ever considered the "cost" to the Physician to treat the poor?  If they make a mistake they will surly be sued. If they do treat the patient they will likely not get paid or they will have to jump though such a huge paperwork nightmare that any potential earnings would be offset by the Administrative costs.
   
   Have you looked at the Staff it takes to maintain a health care file, to get a patient history, etc.
   
   Doctors are NOT the problem. The problem is the system of Administration.
   
   Do you work for free?

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5. 95

   kimh039posted 14 years ago

   Mike and Clark both make good points.  While we technically don't have "socialized medicine" in the US - which is what indigent care is - the indigent care that is available could be much better run.
   
   I believe the problem is that the care is provided by non profit agencies that are poorly run by people who are not adequately trained in the service they provide or in health care administration.  They are just people who have a passion about a specific population and try to provide a needed service.  A lot of times these agencies duplicate services that other agencies provide, and they compete with each other for limited funding.  These agencies also rely on donations from employees in local companies who donate to local charities through United Way and deductions from their pay checks.  These agencies also have to hire administrators who know how to jump all the hoops the funding sources require.  These administrators generally are paid more than the providers.
   
   I think it would be better to do away with non-profits altogether and develop a more effective system that better manages its resources.  That way, more energy can be directed to providing good enough services.... a perfect lead in to the next idea.
   
   In the US, we have come to expect very specialized services from extremely highly qualified providers.  We demand the best care available.  Most of the time, all we really need is good enough services though. 
   
   There is a continuum of affordability and quality of care from indigent to working poor to middle class to wealthy to extremely wealthy.  My only response to that is that it's better to accept that life is unfair than to demand that it should be fair.

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6. 95

   kimh039posted 14 years ago

   The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has released a report that identifies that there are still disparities in health care among different socio-economic groups.  The purpose of the report was to identify the disparities, and then identify interventions that can close the gaps.  Some of the findings are surprising. read more

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7. 69

   meow48posted 14 years ago

   okay, how about this... i work in an indigent hospital... the care we give is probably the best in our county, but it is a teaching hospital.. and so things do move slowly probably because of the fact there is no insurance and allows these mds to think thru the process.  the catch 22 is this, i have insurance and have to be in and out of the hospital within the designated time, whether i truly am ready or not.  where I live, having insurance can actually be detrimental... when my daughter was in the burn unit, and they still did not know whether or not we were dealing with partial or full thickness burns, the insurance company was calling me to send her home with home health care.  I told them they could keep the home care if they would wait to allow the burns to mature enough to determine the severity.  It only took another two days, but they called me twice a day in regards to it.  luckily it was only partial thickness, and when we took her home, i took care of her wounds... and they healed just fine, but i will never forget having to fight for her care.

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