BetterMost Community Blogs > Cellar Scribblings
Cellar Scribblings
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: brian on February 11, 2016, 01:56:38 pm ---Don't medical staff in the US take holidays? Here medical centres (except for emergencies) are closed on public holidays.
--- End quote ---
Here they're closed for the big ones -- Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving -- but President's Day isn't a big one. All that closes on the minor holidays are government services and, sometimes, banks.
--- Quote ---I had my yearly skin cancer checkup on Tuesday. He took one biopsy just in front of my ear and I complained (not to him) about the cost $415.
He rang me yesterday, It is a basal skin cancer. Quite common for me. Last year, one on my arm cost just over $800 to remove. Because of the location on my face, this one will need a full day in surgery as he takes the minimum area then does the lab tests on site before closing the wound.
Estimated cost $3000. I am not a happy chappy.
--- End quote ---
That's interesting. I had two surgeries in 2015 for minor skin cancer -- one basal and one squamous. The first skin cancer surgery was $2,400 and I assume the second was a similar price. I had to pay for them, but I used up my $6,500 deductible between the two surgeries and other random medical expenses, so I capitalized on the situation and got cataract surgery, knowing I'd need it eventually, basically for free.
Both surgeries were on my head, so I feared winding up with a bald spot. But the surgeon used something called the Mohs technique, the standard for skin-cancer surgeries here. They cut out the cancer and then pull a V-shaped flap of other skin over to cover the wound (sorry if this is too graphic). The result is that you can barely see any scar from the surgery -- certainly none that a casual observer would notice.
Anyway, when I had to pay for the surgery out of pocket I went on Facebook to complain and ask friends in other countries (mostly Brokies!) what they would have to pay for something similar. They all said the surgery would be free, or close to it.
As my doctor performed the surgery we got to drinking and talking about politics (you're totally awake throughout) and he turned out to be pretty left-leaning. I mentioned the thing about how I'd have to pay for this surgery out of pocket, but my Facebook friends from Europe and Australia all said they wouldn't have to.
That's true, the doctor said, but they wouldn't have gotten the Mohs technique. :o :o :o I don't know if that's true or not. In this case, though, while I don't have a lot of extra cash lying around, I'd rather scrape together $2,400 and not wind up with a bald spot.
So brian, I'm interested to hear about your situation: a) That you do have to pay for things and b) Do they do the Mohs technique there? From your description (take a minimum area, lab tests on site) it sounds like it.
brianr:
Yes, it is the Mohs technique that I am having and my doctor is one of the few in the country (according to his advert) that does it. I could have it done at the public hospital for free but would not know how long I would wait and not the mohs technique. My doctor told me I could have the cheaper method but if he does not get it all I would have to go back (that happened on my back a few years ago). Being on my face he does not want to take more skin than necessary. About 10 years ago, I had one removed from my forehead and have a v shaped scar as the doctor (then in Australia) told me that otherwise I would have a permanently raised eyebrow. I can pretend I am Harry Potter ;D
In Australia I had hospital insurance which I took out when I started teaching in 1966 so was covered for everything. Also medicare covered skin surgery (I paid a little bit as it pays the basic price and I wanted a good specialist) In Australia, medical insurance is not allowed to put up prices for age. When i moved to NZ and applied for insurance, due to my history of skin cancers and arthritis they would not cover me for those so not hip/knee replacement. It is also high due to my age. Very few of my friends who are all retired have health insurance here in NZ. My sister has had several melanomas removed and I had one incipient melanoma about 20 years ago. We apparently have bad skin for living in the sub-tropics although we have brown eyes and (had) very dark hair. So I like to have a good specialist.
Unfortunately when I was young it was not cool to wear skin cream.
I also have cataracts growing, My right eye is completely covered and everything is fuzzy for reading but does not affect my driving. My left eye is still good. The optometrist has told me to wait until the left eye gets a bit worse and then I might get one cataract removed for free. The government never pays for 2. I am going back after I return from Europe in June. They could each cost $5000 otherwise. (Note NZ$5000 is only US$3300)
That was why I cancelled any plans (only in my head) to go to the UK in August/September and withdrew some of my term deposits a few weeks ago before they rolled over. Also because, while my superannuation funds (in Australia) went up 9% in 2014/15 they have gone down 2% since. It was because they went up so much that I began to plan to go to Europe twice this year. Australia rules are that, at my age, I must take out 5% per year to avoid any tax. The NZ government has ruled that if they are not taxed in Australia they will not be taxed here. The joys of working all one's life in one country and retiring to another.
My sister has suggested going back to Oz and staying a few months with her and having my cataracts done for almost free but I do not think I could stand that. 8 nights at Christmas were more than enough.
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on February 12, 2016, 10:30:39 am ---That's true, the doctor said, but they wouldn't have gotten the Mohs technique. :o :o :o I don't know if that's true or not. In this case, though, while I don't have a lot of extra cash lying around, I'd rather scrape together $2,400 and not wind up with a bald spot.
--- End quote ---
Well, I don't have any idea about skin cancer and operation methods, but a quick search for "Mohs Technik" on the German Google site brought up lots of (German) sites about skin cancer. Turns out the Mohs technique is called MKC in Germany: Mikroskopisch kontrollierte Chirurgie = microscopically controlled surgery.
I also found an article basically saying "Mohs technique has been the standard for [specific kinds of] skin cancer for some years but now there's a new technique coming up yada, yada, yada [...]" (translation by me).
serious crayons:
Thanks for the thorough explanation, brian. :)
--- Quote from: brian on February 12, 2016, 01:50:57 pm ---When i moved to NZ and applied for insurance, due to my history of skin cancers and arthritis they would not cover me for those so not hip/knee replacement. It is also high due to my age. Very few of my friends who are all retired have health insurance here in NZ.
--- End quote ---
Wait, so
a) You can't get insurance if you have a preexisting condition? That used to be standard here, but Obamacare outlawed it, which in itself is huge.
b) People of retirement age have no health insurance? So if they get something catastrophic and hugely expensive -- cancer, heart disease, etc. -- they're out of luck? Or can they still get inexpensive treatment somehow, or what?
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on February 12, 2016, 02:45:33 pm ---
Well, I don't have any idea about skin cancer and operation methods, but a quick search for "Mohs Technik" on the German Google site brought up lots of (German) sites about skin cancer. Turns out the Mohs technique is called MKC in Germany: Mikroskopisch kontrollierte Chirurgie = microscopically controlled surgery.
I also found an article basically saying "Mohs technique has been the standard for [specific kinds of] skin cancer for some years but now there's a new technique coming up yada, yada, yada [...]" (translation by me).
--- End quote ---
Thanks, Chrissi. So do you interpret that to mean that if someone in Germany needed skin cancer removed they would most likely get Mohs and it would be free or close to it?
I liked my surgeon and mostly agreed with his politics. But I've mentioned Obamacare to a couple of doctors now, and both reacted negatively. That could be partly because Obamacare puts a lot more pressure on the healthcare industry to keep costs down while providing good patient outcomes.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version