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Angry Patients Find Obamacare's Annual Checkups May Not Be Free
News Max ^ | 14 April 2014 | Drew MacKenzie

Posted on 04/14/2014 5:08:17 PM PDT by Lorianne

Obamacare patients who go to their doctors for a free annual checkup are finding out that they may have to pay for the preventive healthcare visit after all.

They are angry to learn that if they mention past or ongoing health concerns during the physical, that can result in co-pays and deductibles, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Under the Affordable Care Act, preventive care includes screenings for high blood pressure and high cholesterol counts, evaluations for several cancers and diabetes, and vaccinations. The patient is allowed, in most cases, one checkup per year.

But "wellness" care on potential new health issues is viewed as "evaluation and monitoring," and leads to patients having to fork out for the "free" annual physical.

"Patients are scheduling physicals because physicals are free," Randy Wexler, a family physician in Columbus, Ohio, told the Journal. "But they come in and say, 'I've been having headaches. My back has been bothering me, and I'm depressed.' That's not part of a physical. That will trigger a copay."

Wexler says they are not happy about the charges. "They'll say, 'I have diabetes and hypertension and heart disease and seeing you is preventing them from getting worse, so that should be fully covered,'" he said. "But under that theory, everything would be free with no copay."

Doctors told the Journal that seniors have started canceling their annual wellness visits under their Medicare plans when they learn that if they mention a current health issue during the checkup they will likely be charged a co-pay.

Some doctors are even warning patients in advance of the problem and ask them to schedule two visits, one for the "annual" and another for their current health issue, according to the Journal.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: copay; obamacare; outofpocket
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To: Tzimisce

Yes, the “interstate commerce” clause has now been interpreted to mean that NOT choosing to participate in commerce is in fact participating in commerce. Congress now has the power to do literally anything it wants to your paycheck.


21 posted on 04/14/2014 5:23:24 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Haven't you lost enough freedoms? Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: Lorianne

Obama will make it free tomorrow


22 posted on 04/14/2014 5:24:55 PM PDT by molson209 (Hillary Clinton)
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To: Lorianne
Your idea sounds exactly what my mother - a hypochondriac of long-standing - has been getting under Medicare for the last 25 years!
23 posted on 04/14/2014 5:25:19 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: Lorianne

Nothing in Life is Free.

It may be “included”, but it’s never Free.


24 posted on 04/14/2014 5:26:45 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Nobody owes you a living, so shut up and get back to work...)
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To: Lorianne

25 posted on 04/14/2014 5:27:07 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Jim Robinson
But they've become accustomed to getting a free lunch courtesy of the government.The idea of actually paying for something must come as quite a shock to them.
26 posted on 04/14/2014 5:27:18 PM PDT by Farmer Dean (stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

The Supreme Court said that Congress can *TAX US* for *NOT* doing something.

Thus:

They can make us buy a Prius or pay a million dollar fine.
They can make us buy solar panels or pay a million dollar fine.
They can make us buy a bottle of wine from Nancy Pelosi’s private stock or pay a million dollar fine.

EVERY election is now super important, because literally ANYTHING they say now goes.


27 posted on 04/14/2014 5:28:28 PM PDT by Tzimisce
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To: Lorianne

Bump


28 posted on 04/14/2014 5:32:16 PM PDT by lowbridge
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To: Tzimisce
They forgot to read the fine print. A bill created by democrats has to be scrutinized like a car loan from crooked used car salesman. Honesty is a foreign concept to the scumbag democrats.
29 posted on 04/14/2014 5:33:56 PM PDT by peeps36 (Save The Tortoise And Kill The People)
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To: forgotten man

My husband had to go to the emergency room the first week of January because after kidney stone surgery ehe was having a very bad headache and his bllod pressure was over 220 over 100. All they did was run an EKG, test his urine (we don’t know why because he didn’t get the results until a few days later), and then they gave him some pills. It was over $1000 dollars and he was only there for like 2 hours.

He was smart and aked them if they really needed to take his blood because he had already had a blood test for the kidney stone. They still charged him, but we got that off his bill.


30 posted on 04/14/2014 5:35:18 PM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: Tzimisce
You voted for it America. You called me a racist when I tried to warn you. Now you can all kiss my ass.

Exactly. They ignored the warnings and of course the Obama rah-rah crowd (the media) ignored the rough time those of us living under Romneycare were enduring.

If these folks aren't happy about co-pays...oh man just wait until they land in the hospital. My two-day stay a while back cost me thousands as I burned through my deductible. A two-day stay, but the bills started showing up in the mail months later...the hospital, this testing company, that E.R. bill, a specialist or two...and keep on paying that monthly premium!

If only there was a way to inflict this only on Obama voters.
31 posted on 04/14/2014 5:36:08 PM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: BubbaBobTX

They don’t charge for polyp removals. My husband and I have both had colonoscopies with polyps removed in the past month.


32 posted on 04/14/2014 5:36:31 PM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: Lorianne

So, in other words, the “free” annual obamacare checkup is “free” ONLY if you don’t really need it!

That’s perfect, just perfect!


33 posted on 04/14/2014 5:37:36 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Lorianne

Stop your complaining, your birth control is free!!


34 posted on 04/14/2014 5:44:16 PM PDT by jch10 (The Democrat mascot shouldnÂ’t be the donkey; it should be the tick.)
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To: Lorianne

I wants mah free Obamaprobe!


35 posted on 04/14/2014 5:46:07 PM PDT by polymuser
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To: Farmer Dean

“They’re only angry because they have to pay.They were perfectly fine with someone else having to pay for their check-up.”

Exactly!


36 posted on 04/14/2014 6:06:03 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
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To: All


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37 posted on 04/14/2014 6:08:50 PM PDT by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: Tzimisce

The annual check up paid was one of the first things to go.


38 posted on 04/14/2014 6:16:37 PM PDT by Kackikat
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To: Da Coyote

“If Zero s mouth is moving, he’s lying” simple as that.


39 posted on 04/14/2014 6:18:12 PM PDT by Kackikat
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To: luckystarmom
then the biller screwed up, polyp removal is NOT included in a screening colonoscopy... count your blessings
40 posted on 04/14/2014 6:32:46 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
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