tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post3690796760695157108..comments2024-03-13T21:26:03.011-07:00Comments on Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher: Would Government-Run Be Any Better?Darrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-50609719873231485422015-07-20T20:05:39.241-07:002015-07-20T20:05:39.241-07:00@AuntiAnn Texas has allowed clinics at CVS, Walmar...@AuntiAnn Texas has allowed clinics at CVS, Walmart and Walgreens for a few years. There are pros and cons. The positive parts are that it's nearby, it's cheaper than urgent care and for small things you can usually get the appropriate care. The drawbacks are that even with online reservation, you always wait. If you have a virus or cold, so does everyone else. Waiting areas are usually minimal, although our new one at Walgreens has actual seating and such. I've had good care and bad care at these types of clinics. One time they sent me to another clinic for follow up which was unnecessary and I disputed the charges. Let's face it, our medical care has become somewhat of a guessing game. I swear half the time the doctor wants me to diagnose myself. The other half of the time they're so plugged in to their computers that I can't get them to listen to me. As my generation ages, this is going to be a bigger problem. This has become such an issue that Johns Hopkins makes medical school students take Art History to learn how to look at someone and make an assessment rather than relying on a screen.Ellen Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02845981491726296767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-53249872643472209592015-07-20T10:44:36.694-07:002015-07-20T10:44:36.694-07:00Walmart tried years ago to install such clinics. ...Walmart tried years ago to install such clinics. No go.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-81369126841066058252015-07-20T09:27:21.163-07:002015-07-20T09:27:21.163-07:00It all would have been even easier, if California ...It all would have been even easier, if California allowed real retail clinics. In other states, you could walk into a Walgreens or CVS or Costco and get seen by a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician's Assistant, pay cash and be on your way. In CA you can probably get vaccines and your blood pressure tested at your drug store, but in other states you can get treated for (this is Walgreens' list):<br /><br />Allergies (seasonal)<br />Bladder and urinary tract infections<br />Bronchitis<br />Cold<br />Cough<br />Diarrhea<br />nausea & vomiting<br />Ear ache & ear infections<br />Ear wax removal<br />Fever<br />Flu<br />Headaches & migraines<br />Joint pain<br />Laryngitis<br />Minor back pain<br />Mononucleosis (Mono)<br />Pink eye and styes<br />Sinus infections<br />Sore throat & strep throat<br />STD Evaluation & Testing<br />Swimmer's ear<br />Upper respiratory infections<br />Minor Injuries<br />Burns (minor)<br />Corneal (eye) abrasions<br />Minor cut & wound closure with skin adhesive<br />Splinter removal<br />Sprains & strains<br />Skin Conditions<br />Acne<br />Eczema<br />Head lice<br />Hives<br />Impetigo<br />Mouth & cold sores<br />Poison ivy<br />poison oak & poison sumac<br />Rashes<br />Ringworm<br />Scabies<br />Skin infections & irritations<br />Skin tag removal<br />Tick/insect bites & stingsAuntie Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777983027361603449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-61783648461928889652015-07-18T06:57:52.662-07:002015-07-18T06:57:52.662-07:00I can seldom get to my doctor on the day of my pro...I can seldom get to my doctor on the day of my problem I have issues with recurring allergies that crop up when specific pollen is in the air. Going three weeks later doesn't help. So I go to CVS or some other in network urgent care place where they make me pay over $150 for a fifteen minute consultation and give me the same antibiotics and antihistamine and steroid spray they have given me for ten years. My GP griped at me because I have had my age 50 colonoscopy. That was because while the procedure itself is covered, any medical issue they find is not. I can't afford the $1200 copay I would be stuck with thanks to the doubling of my deductible with the advent of Obamacare. Never mind all the other tests my doctor wants. I can't afford a bone scan. The scary part is like most teachers my insurance runs from Sept to Sept. As we get closer to the end of the summer it will be less likely I can get to the doctor since every other teacher is trying to do that for their own family. What is more, the meetings we usually have in May to reveal the new higher cost of insurance were deferred until the first week of classes. The board-very unexpectedly-passed a 2% raise across the board. What do you want to bet that signals a 5% increase in premiums for teachers?Ellen Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02845981491726296767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-74945259819683191582015-07-17T22:21:58.688-07:002015-07-17T22:21:58.688-07:00California....veto proof Democratic majority. Nee...California....veto proof Democratic majority. Need I say more.Mike Thiachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02929567856363413549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-61996472963470440702015-07-17T15:22:42.425-07:002015-07-17T15:22:42.425-07:00A law, huh? I can only imagine why California fee...A law, huh? I can only <i>imagine</i> why California feels the need to inject itself into who's a patient and who's not--especially when my insurance premium gets paid every month.<br />Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-65368553132996752112015-07-17T12:58:16.760-07:002015-07-17T12:58:16.760-07:00You actually should go, and I'll tell you why ...You actually should go, and I'll tell you why because I just did this.<br /><br />I have been very very healthy for the past, oh, 6 years or so. So I didn't go see my doctor. It turns out there's a CA law (a silly one, clearly) that they have to drop you if they don't see you for 3 years. So I was dropped, and I only recently got around to re-establishing myself as a patient--I did that appointment and all. It's all CA law stuff. So now I have a doctor again and I can go see him anytime. For the past couple of years, since I got dropped, I've gone to the prompt care clinic once or twice for booster shots, but it would have been cheaper and less waiting time if I'd had my doctor. So I think it's worth doing even though it's a hassle. <br /><br />I'm pretty sure if you don't go within the next year, you'll get dropped and have to get established all over again--and maybe the doc you want won't be taking patients by then. You have an in now, so I'd do it.Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247515387599954817noreply@blogger.com