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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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To: lightman
I live 6 hours North of a place where you can buy that over the counter on every corner.

It's called Mexico. A place that is properly in every other respect a 3rd-world country.

21 posted on 01/06/2014 6:32:29 PM PST by elkfersupper
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To: lightman
The market has failed.

Markets don't fail. What you're describing is not a market.

22 posted on 01/06/2014 6:34:40 PM PST by BfloGuy ( Even the opponents of Socialism are dominated by socialist ideas.)
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To: digger48

God Bless your beautiful brain for understanding that aspect. This year will be a never ending nightmare of insurance billing hell.


23 posted on 01/06/2014 6:36:03 PM PST by ToastedHead
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To: lightman
My primary doctor would not give an antibiotic if he had not seen the patient.

I also see an ENT and there are 7 doctors in that clinic and I could probably see one of them on short notice but they too would not give out a prescription unless it was a refill, if they had not seen me.

As others have told you, influenza is viral and antibiotics will not help it. What they will do is cure the bacterial infections that come along with and after the virus has made you very very sick. I hope he is able to get antibiotics in time to ward off the bacterial infection.

24 posted on 01/06/2014 6:37:19 PM PST by Ditter
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To: BfloGuy

The Democrats bought baloney, what do you mean it is not a market :-)


25 posted on 01/06/2014 6:39:04 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: elkfersupper

We were in Central America on a cruise a couple months ago. The pharmacies in Belize are incredible. Let’s just say that Clan Lurker’s emergency medical kit is extremely well stocked now.


26 posted on 01/06/2014 6:41:08 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: lightman

You should consider yourself *extremely* lucky to have a doctor who will prescribe over the phone for anything.

The PCP would not be out of line (before or after ACA) to tell you that an office visit and exam was necessary before prescribing.


27 posted on 01/06/2014 6:42:20 PM PST by shibumi (Cover it with gas and set it on fire.)
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To: Traveler59

From some of the Drudge reports, it might have already happened.


28 posted on 01/06/2014 6:42:35 PM PST by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: Ditter
What [antibiotics] will do is cure the bacterial infections that come along with and after the virus has made you very very sick. I hope he is able to get antibiotics in time to ward off the bacterial infection.

Yep...that's exactly what he was trying to do, based on several past experiences.

We've both spent enough time around dairy cattle to be very aware of antiobiotic resistance.

29 posted on 01/06/2014 6:44:18 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: caver

We are just recovering from the GA version of whatever this grodoo is. We stockpile our own anitbiotics and its a good thing because I called for an appt at our doctor on a thurs and the receptionist told me no open appts til the next Monday. I told her we would either be dead or cured by then. We just started popping Cipro and it really brought us out of it.

As we go forward over the cliff you need to stockpile medicines as the healthcare and availability are going to be bad.

I’m glad your son finally got his Z-pac.


30 posted on 01/06/2014 6:44:27 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Viruses can crap out the immune system thereby enabling opportunistic bacteria to multiply causing a secondary bacterial infection in the respiratory tract. These secondary infections can cause bacterial pneumonia quickly when the immune system is already compromised fighting off a viral infection. Antibiotics prevent this from occurring.


31 posted on 01/06/2014 6:45:29 PM PST by doc maverick
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To: shibumi

No arguement there.


32 posted on 01/06/2014 6:45:30 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: nascarnation

Unfortunately the youngsters are not going to get uneasy about granny’s premature passing.


33 posted on 01/06/2014 6:46:35 PM PST by ladyjane
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To: lightman

Well, strangely enough, Zithro won’t help your son fight off a flu VIRUS. Now if he has a bacterial pneumonia Zithro may work but I suggest levofloxacin.


34 posted on 01/06/2014 6:48:31 PM PST by Doc Savage ("I've shot people I like a lot more,...for a lot less!" Raylan Givins)
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To: lightman

They have single handedly destroyed the economy, the financial system, the healthsystem, the energy system the judicial system, foreign policy and the leadership of the free world. It is amazing to me that this was done while the very ones who we depended on to protect our system stood by sitting on thier hands and said nothing. Incredible! Im numb like most


35 posted on 01/06/2014 6:49:42 PM PST by ronnie raygun
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To: Doc Savage

“Zithro may work...”

(Maybe as like a placebo.)


36 posted on 01/06/2014 6:51:38 PM PST by ToastedHead
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To: Georgia Girl 2

What’s the stockpile version of a Z-pack? Any idea? Thanks.


37 posted on 01/06/2014 6:53:51 PM PST by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs assist!)
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To: caver; lightman

“I don’t mind dying; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” - Woody Allen


38 posted on 01/06/2014 6:56:16 PM PST by Carriage Hill (Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading.)
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To: lightman

He needs Tamaflu not Z-Pack. I was diagnosed with Flu at Thanksgiving. Had a nose swab test. Doc gave me a script for Z-Pack but told me to wait an hour before I filled it. He would let me know if I had flu. I did. He called in Tamaflu for me. 10 pills with my insurance cost $115. Best money I have ever spent to make me feel better. After 1st pill, I started to come back to life. (I was feeling like a kicked dog)


39 posted on 01/06/2014 6:58:15 PM PST by marygam (I have extra ducktape for anyone who needs to wrap their head.)
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To: elkfersupper

petco has some great stuff too……:O)


40 posted on 01/06/2014 6:58:33 PM PST by Squantos ( Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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