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Feb 14, 2003 I recently went to the doctor because my shoulder was bothering me. I actually have seen about four doctors for this problem. Aren’t doctors great? I have learned something interesting during my visits to the doctors and specialists. They always ask the same three questions. They ask them out of concern I am sure. You might be getting ahead of me here. You would think that the questions would be something like, “Does this hurt?”, “What seems to be the problem?”, or “How can I help you?” Nope. See you were ahead of me. These are the three important questions that they ask every time: “Do you have insurance?” “Did this happen as the result of a motor vehicle accident?” and “Did this happen at work?” Why do they ask these questions? So they know how much to charge, silly. The fee schedule goes a little something like this: Complaint: Broken Arm No Insurance: FEE: $50.00 CARE NEEDED: Aspirin,sleep,go back to work with one arm. (God gave you two for a reason.) Self Insured/HMO: FEE: $2250.00 CARE NEEDED: X-rays, cast, sling, no work for a week. Car Accident: FEE: $13,600.00 CARE NEEDED: X-rays, MRI, CT, Surgery, Physical Therapy, Bone Specialist consult, Neurology consult, No work for 8 wks. Worker’s Compensation: FEE: $189,448.00 CARE NEEDED: X-Rays, MRI, CT, Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Physical Therapy, Psychological Help, “Broken Arm Support Group”, Bone Specialist, Skin Specialist, Retraining, No Work for 4 years, A Handicap License Plate, Neurology Consult, Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Holistic Healing, Yoga, Pain Specialist... So the doctors are complaining about the rising cost of malpractice insurance. If anyone should be sensitive to the ways that insurance companies operate it should be them, now shouldn’t it? Wesley Mills is a full time student and writing instructor at Empire State College in Rochester N.Y. He also does freelance editing and writing and has his own company, "Writng Resources" which helps writers of all genres to write better and also does "book doctoring" and editing of all types. Email Wesley Mills: wmills1@rochester.rr.com ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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