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Twelve hours to get a Z-pack? Thanks, Ă˜bamacare, for nothing.
6 January AD 2013 | Self

Posted on 01/06/2014 6:16:12 PM PST by lightman

South-central Pennsylvania has been clobbered by a nasty cold, flu, or combination thereof for all of this brief new year. So much so that the state is listed as "widespread" on the flu map published by the Weather Channel.

I get that.

What I don't get is why it took my adult son nearly twelve hours to obtain a Z-pack. He did the responsible thing by calling his primary physician (a truly unmercenary practitioner, who works solo and sees many of the poor who others shun) early this morning...around 10 AM.

The overworked physicians office--I did say this flu thing was widespread--did not have time to call the pharmacy until nearly 6 PM. That's eight hours. The pharmacy was running nearly three hours behind on filling new scrips--again, because of the widespread flu.

So now we are 11 hours past the initial call to the PCP, with another hour to go, according to the information from the pharmacy.

Now you may be wondering, how is this the fault of Øbamacare?

Simple.

Øbamacare does NOTHING to address the medical billing system.

The medical billing system (to any insurance, be it Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance) provides NO financial incentive to physicians for issuing prescriptions or renewals by phone, nor for phone consultations, nor for email communication.

To borrow a phrase from the legal profession, the only "billable hours" are for office visits and hospital visits. Period.

No incentive for delivering health care through any technology.

And certainly no incentive for doing so in a timely manner.

The market has failed.

And so has Øbummercare.


TOPICS: Government; US: Pennsylvania; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: 0homocare; antibioticresistance; azithromycin; bacterialpneumonia; flu; flushots; healthcare; levofloxacin; obamacare; prescription; tamiflu; zithro; zpac; zpack
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11th hour and still waiting.
1 posted on 01/06/2014 6:16:12 PM PST by lightman
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To: lightman

Obamcare: A lot of people are going to die.


2 posted on 01/06/2014 6:17:42 PM PST by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: lightman

Just asking: why would you be trying to get an antibiotic to use against colds/flu, which are viral?


3 posted on 01/06/2014 6:18:55 PM PST by NewJerseyJoe (Rat mantra: "Facts are meaningless! You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!")
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To: lightman

Um, Z-Packs are an antibiotic which are wholly ineffective against viruses.


4 posted on 01/06/2014 6:19:08 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: lightman

While this experince does not bode well for things to come, why is he getting an antibiotic for the flu?


5 posted on 01/06/2014 6:19:32 PM PST by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people's than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: lightman

“The market has failed”

The government manipulated and over-regulated market has failed.


6 posted on 01/06/2014 6:19:37 PM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: lightman

Is there some issue preventing you from driving to the pharmacy, pulling out your checkbook, and paying retail for this medication and dealing with the reimbursement issue on the back end?

Shocking concept, actually paying for a product I know, but it is an option.


7 posted on 01/06/2014 6:21:04 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: Lurker

‘swhat I do.


8 posted on 01/06/2014 6:21:59 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks ("Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth.")
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To: caver
Obamcare: A lot of people are going to die.

We're ALL gonna die. O-care may speed up the process. But look at the upside. Every year sliced off the life span is a HUGE boost for SocSec and Medicare budgets.

9 posted on 01/06/2014 6:22:07 PM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: lightman

The Pharmacys also have to try to navigate the Obamacare system to determine in real time if you have coverage and where you are on your deductible at that very moment.


10 posted on 01/06/2014 6:22:45 PM PST by digger48
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To: NewJerseyJoe

“Just asking: why would you be trying to get an antibiotic to use against colds/flu, which are viral?”

How else are we going to breed the next superbug?


11 posted on 01/06/2014 6:23:22 PM PST by Clay Moore ("In politics, stupidity is not a handicap." Napoleon Bonaparte)
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To: Lurker

You can’t pay for a prescription med until the scrip has been written (or transmitted) and filled.

The issue is that Øbummer”care” doesn’t fix the flaw in the market.


12 posted on 01/06/2014 6:23:31 PM PST by lightman (O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, giving to Thy Church vict'ry o'er Her enemies.)
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To: Lurker

That would work, provided the doc was prevailed upon for a paper prescription. The busy pharmacy would still be equally busy. Your paper prescription would join the queue behind the ones that have to go through the Obamacare rigmarole.


13 posted on 01/06/2014 6:23:45 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (The Lion of Judah will roar again if you give him a big hug and a cheer and mean it. See my page.)
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To: nascarnation

How true! I’m up there in years, so I won’t be around forever. No big loss for me. I might wake up dead tomorrow....


14 posted on 01/06/2014 6:23:48 PM PST by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: caver

When the youngsters start to get uneasy about granny’s premature passing, the regime will send out some Groupons for student loan forgiveness.


15 posted on 01/06/2014 6:26:11 PM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: Clay Moore

Bacterial superinfections can develop from head colds that migrate into the lungs. But one would think a doctor would normally at least wait until it has, before prescribing the azithromycin.


16 posted on 01/06/2014 6:26:35 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (The Lion of Judah will roar again if you give him a big hug and a cheer and mean it. See my page.)
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To: caver

That’s the entire plan my friend. That is the reason it was established.


17 posted on 01/06/2014 6:27:33 PM PST by RetiredArmy (I am proud to be a Christian and follower of my Lord Jesus Christ. Time is short for U to know Him!)
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To: RetiredArmy

Yea, I’ve understood that for a long time.


18 posted on 01/06/2014 6:29:28 PM PST by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: caver

Not to sound evil, but does anyone have a betting pool on when the first death due to nObamacare will be?


19 posted on 01/06/2014 6:29:50 PM PST by Traveler59 ( Truth is a journey, not a destination.)
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To: NewJerseyJoe; lightman; Lurker

The way I read it, he says the reason behind doctors’ offices being backed up is due to the cold/flu season... but never says that is why his son is trying to get a Z-pack.


20 posted on 01/06/2014 6:30:13 PM PST by same old song
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