Let me explain...
I had to go to have some blood drawn for my physical on Friday. When I arrived, the "blood draw-er" or phlebotomist--which I always get confused with a lobotomist--asked me if I was on any medications. I told her "no." She said, "Cholestorol medicine?" I said, "no." She said, "High blood pressure medicine?" I said, "no." She then said, "Well, since you are healthy, Medicare is not going to cover your physical. What???
The gal said she was going to look to see how it was coded last year. Then she asked if I had any aches or pains anywhere. I said, "Well, I was just telling my husband that my thumb was hurting and that I must have arthritis!" She jumped on that and said, "Okay good---joint pain!"
When it was all said and done, she told me that I would have to pay for the cholesterol test and a triglyceride test (which I have no idea what that is). I asked her how much those tests were. Turns out, the two of them are only $29 combined.
Hmmm, seems ludicrous to me that Medicare pays $6400 a month for my Xolair treatment but won't cover $29.00 for a couple annual tests. Luckily, I can afford it!
Perhaps if I see a lobotomist rather than a phlebotomist, I won't think about it at all!
Still, I might have committed Medicare fraud to get the other tests paid for. I don't really know. I guess I'll find out if I'm ever investigated and wind up in the slammer. (I've always wanted to say "slammer" in relation to me ever being arrested for my behavior!) Seems pretty small in the scheme of things. Why wouldn't Medicare pay for all the tests included in a physical? Wouldn't they rather keep me healthy? Seems like a "no brainer" to me.
Oh, and by the way, my physical came out fine!!
It seems crazy that because you don't have cholesterol problems, diabetes or high blood pressure you may not be covered but an ache in your thumb is!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a crazy world, once you get inside the costs of medicine ... Feeling very fortunate here that routine tests here are free.
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