Stories from a single payer world

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A herniated disc kept Thomas Dobson flat on his back all winter and now he can’t find a doctor to sign his application for disability benefits.
“The problem is I need a doctor,” said Dobson. “I’ve called every number in the book.”
Dobson had no success because there are no physicians taking new patients and no walk-in clinics in the city.

Comments

Elliott
Kevin, this is a distortion. This is not about single payer, universal healthcare vs. balkanized, expensive, inefficient, EMTLA as a safety net healthcare. This is just the same old preference of physicians for urban/suburban over rural and for specialization over GP. Read the article again.
Anonymous
just go to the dr. that took over the practice. You need to have a record of pain and of treatment. It takes along time to get disability and you shouldnt lie on your back and do nothing about it. You are probably in alot of pain, go to a pain center so you can get meds. and look into trying ‘Vax D’ treatments. They really help alot!!!!
Anonymous
Yes, you don’t get disability just by having a doc. sign off on some paper. You have to have current and updated documentation of treatments, medications, procedures, MRIs, x-rays, etc…They usually don’t even give consideration to what your PCP writes on some form. They will almost always send you to their own doc’s.
At the least he should be keeping a daily journal of pain, daily activity, what he can physically do for himself and what he needs help with. Can he still mow his lawn? If so, how does doing those activites now compare with doing them prior to injury? Can he only mow for 10 minutes and then have to take a break? All those things count if you have to go to a hearing, and most people do go to hearing unless you are terminally ill.
When I got my disability the Administrative Law Judge approved it on review of the records, a verbal hearing wasn’t needed. It was approved almost solely on the report from the examining doc. that SS had sent me to and on my own personal journals. He also considered the MRI reports. IT was interesting that he found them (SS) negligent in their evaluation of my medical records and that they even failed to consider not only my own Drs. reports but THEIR doctors evaluation as well.
Finding a PCP to sign off won’t do him much good. If nothing else he needs to go to ER and get some documentation and some updated test results.

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