Healthcare Rant

You never know how crazy our healthcare system is until you have to actually use it. So, as you know I spent the first 2 weeks on 2010 sick and in need of care. I am rarely sick and have been hospitalized 3 times in my 44 years. So, I rarely use the benefits that I and my employer pay for. This goround, I did have a need for wound care, which means I needed a home health nurse to come out to my place and clean my two wounds and change the dressings. Without getting too graphic, the wounds were left open (i.E., no stitches) so that they could heal from the inside out. So, proper wound care was super important, otherwise, I coud get re-infected. Initially, they did not give me a home health nurse at all and simply expected my husband and me to work it out for ourselves. SO I went to the doctor everyday the first week so that he could change my dressings. Then, they finally authorized a home health nurse who came a total of 3 times. But here is the kicker, they sent the nurse, without supplies! We were expected to have our own supplies. The hospital gave some, but the wounds can take up to a month to heal and as I write this, one of them still requires daily care. So, needless to say the supplies we had started running out. How can an insurer justify covering the nurse's visit but no supplies? Its really crazy to me. I tried to buy the needed supplies from the local pharmacy, but of course they had none of the items I needed. Lucky for me I work in healthcare and have friends in high enough places......

You would think that in a country as advanced as ours, one could get what you need when you need it, without a lot of trouble......

Looking on the bright side, my husband learned to care for my wounds from the home health nurse and has taken excellent care of me for the past several weeks. : )