UPDATE: Santa Monica Urgent Care DOES Care!

     The last thing I said in my previous post was that if Santa Monica Urgent Care changes their policy so that they accept Medicare, I'd change/edit/update my blog (and Yelp review) -- and that I hoped they would. Well, it must be a good day for wishes because I was very quickly contacted by Susan N., the office manager for Santa Monica Urgent Care and told that I'd been given incorrect information -- THEY DO ACCEPT MEDICARE (Susan also left a comment on the blog entry). I'm VERY pleased to update this blog and share my really amazing experience at Santa Monica Urgent Care, 524 Colorado Blvd..

     As I stated, shortly after I posted the Yelp review and my blog entry I got an email from Susan N. and invited to call her direct number so she could help me get the medical attention I needed. I called Susan who encouraged me to come in right away. When I explained that I was tired and would go in the morning, Susan offered to call a cab to bring me to the office (only 6 blocks away). She also offered to drive to my home and pick me up! I really appreciated the offer but felt I would gather myself enough to walk over before the end of the day. I arrived near 4:30 pm and was quickly processed and saw the doctor in well less than 20 minutes.  The office lobby is small but clean, uncluttered and wasn't busy -- which surprised and delighted me.  I was treated, received meds and left the office in probably less than 30 minutes. I have to say my opinion of this service has been turned around 180 degrees. I have no doubt the issue of what insurance they accept has now been cleared up with the staff.  As I left the office, one more act of apology for the morning's misinformation was provided (which I won't detail since it was, in my estimation, an extraordinary accommodation and not something you'd ever get from any doctor's office or hospital).  I left, very impressed, knowing I'd have no problem coming back if needed. I NOW UNHESITATINGLY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECOMMEND SANTA MONICA URGENT CARE.  In addition, their web site santamonicauc.com is very informative, easy to navigate and read.  I especially like that there's a link on the web site home page for new patient forms which can be printed and filled out before you get to the office, saving a little extra time.

     I walked to the office but can understand how particularly frustrating the metro line construction on Colorado Blvd. has made it for anyone who drives to SM Urgent Care. This is not the fault of SM Urgent Care.  The city of Santa Monica has made it nearly impossible for drivers to readily get to the office and then find the parking lot in back. If you do drive, I'd recommend calling the office first (310-394-2273) and ask for specifics about how to get to their parking lot.

     My first experience with an urgent care facility happened about two years ago. I was visiting relatives in Rancho Cordova at the time and had a medical issue involving sudden and unusual pain but it wasn't a life-endangering matter.  I didn't want to drive back to L.A. to see my usual doctor while in that much discomfort. Even if I did, knew I couldn't get an appointment for about 2 weeks anyway.  I went to an urgent care clinic in nearby Carmichael and was impressed with the ease, efficiency and professionalism of the walk-in visit, which is why I had no problem deciding to go to an urgent care office here in Santa Monica. As far as I'm concerned, being able to walk into an urgent care facility to get a  medical issue resolved in less than 24 hrs. is a new and exciting turn for the better in the field of patient health care.  The Santa Monica Urgent Care office is a worthy addition to our community. 

Santa Monica Urgent Care -- Doesn't Accept Medicare

Santa Monica Urgent Care at 524 Colorado Blvd, in Santa Monica may have tons of good reviews on Yelp, great staff and physicians but if you have a medical issue that needs quick treatment but is not life threatening, Santa Monica Urgent Care doesn't care about you if your insurance coverage is Medicare. 

        Here's the first sentence from their well designed, easy-to-navigate web site: SantaMonicaUrgentCare.com. "At Santa Monica Urgent Care your health is our priority."  If that were true, they'd take Medicare. They take Worker's Comp but not Medicare. They take the uninsured but not sick people insured through Medicare. If you own a medical care facility that accepts Worker's Comp or the uninsured -- like this place -- you should find a way to accept Medicare regardless. It’s shameful that a health/medical care facility that — I would assume — needs local, county and state licenses, approvals and must meet many medical standards DOES NOT ACCEPT MEDICARE.  It’s not like this place is a tavern or a clothing store providing serves or products that, if withheld from me, would harm me or the community in which I live. 

I normally would not see a doctor because of a sore throat but this one has gotten gradually worse over 5 days and today I have a fever as well. Since I've been a pretty healthy person all my life, I don't have a family physician. My options are: 1) get an appointment with a doctor I find through some Google search until I find one that accepts Medicare then wait 4 to 6 weeks for the “new patient” appointment; meanwhile the untreated sore throat creates complications that will make recovery and the associated expense of recovery even more severe, 2) wait hours in an emergency room, possibly spreading what ever I have, only to find out they don't take Medicare either or that my condition is not considered an emergency and to call my doctor, 3) pretend to be uninsured and pay Santa Monica Urgent Care for procedures covered under Medicare insurance (which won't reimburse me) or  4) just walk around with this condition and hope I'm not spreading bird flu or strep or what ever it is. 

This may not be the only urgent care facility in Santa Monica and others may take Medicare -- but IF YOU HAVE MEDICARE DON'T EXPECT MEDICAL HELP AT THIS PLACE.  Take your Medicare and money that would cover the unpaid portion of the bill elsewhere because YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE MEDICAL HELP HERE.  I see that urgent care facilities fill a real need in the community -- unless you're insurance coverage is through Medicare. 

       Besides this blog post I left reviews for Santa Monica Urgent Care on Yelp, Twitter, Facebook  If Santa Monica Urgent Care wants to change its policy so that Medicare is accepted,  I would consider changing the reviews and entries I left in the aftermath of this issue.  I hope they do.

Wealth Insurance vs. "Promote the General Welfare"

The public would find it edifying if the media always included the amount of health insurance campaign contributions any member of Congress received, every time they talk about the health care reform -- especially when it comes time for a vote. It could be right next to their political party and state -- so the American voters can connect the dots.  

Some time ago Congress turned over the health care of its citizens to for-profit corporations with the mistaken belief that "free market" would provide low cost/high quality health care. It's been decades now and every year those with health insurance have turned over an increasingly larger percentage of their hard-earned income to profit-driven health insurance corporations only to get less coverage, more claim denial and pay more out of pocket. Congress knows this yet every year neglects to provide more than lip service to their constituents while the health insurance companies thrive, deliver higher investor returns and astronomical CEO salaries. This is not free market, it's criminal. The free-market theory hasn't worked for health insurance just as cutting taxes and the "trickle-down" theories haven't helped the economy. Medicare needs to be opened to anyone in order to create a level playing field for the American people.  

The concept of triggers is a ruse. Health insurance companies will wriggle out of legal constraints or mandates by dragging the whole concept through the courts, further delaying health care reform. The health insurance industry has had more than 15 years to fix their punitive policies and practices since the Clinton administration tried to pass universal health care. The health insurance industry knew they'd dodged a bullet then and had the opportunity to self-regulate and reform knowing this issue would not go away. Nevertheless, they chose to conduct business as usual. The insurance industry is no more willing or able to regulate itself than the banks or any profit-driven corporation. Expecting corporations to deliver affordable health care over profits is like accepting a ride across a flooding river on the back of a crocodile and expecting it not to eat you. Health insurers are corporations are and will always be driven by profits.  

Medicare must be opened to the public or a non-profit public option created that will provide affordable health insurance coverage and real competition to corporations. Nothing less can, to quote the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, "promote the general welfare" of American citizens and nothing else is worthy of the American people.

Sickening, Isn't It?

Friday, August 29, 2009, I saw a documentary except based on a book titled "Money-Driven Medicine"  on PBS's "Bill Moyers Journal".   What's unique about the information is its point of view.  Most of those interviewed were physicians who spoke about the intrusive, ineffective, harmful damage caused by the for-profit health insurance industry on the relationship between doctor and patient and health care.  They also talked about the unholy alliance between health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industries.  The documentary will soon be available as a download from Amazon digital. The web site for Money-Driven Medicine suggests in-home screenings of this documentary be shared so groups of people can discuss the information.  We've heard from elected politicians, health insurance lobbyists and the easily frightened.  This documentary lets us hear what practicing physicians have to say, one of whom had a crushing experience of his own when his very young daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. You cannot imagine what happened.  To say the least,  I was shocked by what the physicians had to say.  I thought they'd be universally against Medicare or any form of public option or single-payer health care.

For those who think the public option isn't necessary and all that's needed is a few tweaks and regulations to the health insurance offered by for-profit corporations, consider this: the so-called health insurance industry has had more than 15 years to fix their rotting policies and practices ever since the failure of the Clinton administration to pass single payer insurance.  Have your premiums gone down?  Has your coverage increased for the premium you pay?  Has your co-pay gone down? Have you been able to switch health insurers without penalty for a pre-existing condition?  Is your health insurance portable (you keep your insurance if you move to a different state or change your employment)?  If your answer is a resounding "Yes!" then I know something about you.  You have Medicare or maybe health insurance through the V.A. (veteran's Administration).  Of course you have to be 65 to qualify for Medicare and a military veteran to qualify for V.A. health care benefits -- so many Americans don't qualify.  The rest of the insured know that all the standard expectations of "free market" and competition have not shown up in health insurance premiums, services, benefits or co-pays. Based on history, the health insurance industry has not and will not do ANY thing not required by law except take your money -- and if they are required by law, have historically spent millions of dollars a day lobbying to block or reverse the regulations.  The health insurance industry is no more willing to regulate themselves than the banks.  They are corporations so they cannot be driven by efficient delivery of health care, they must be driven by profits.  I'm not being cynical -- it is the number one priority for any publicly traded corporation.  How in the world could our Congress entrust something as important as the health care of their constituents to administrative entities driven by profit?  Oh yeah.  I remember  With the exception of Senator Ted Kennedy,  campaign contributions trump public advocacy any day.

Given how much almost all Republicans like to badmouth Medicare -- to the extent that some Republicans  (CongresswomanMichele Bachmann, Sen. Judson Hill, Sen. Chip Rogers) recently claimed that Medicare is "unconstitutional" under the 10th Amendment -- I wondered recently, what would happen if the Republicans successfully managed to eliminate Medicare?   Now, I don't think this is a good idea and I'm not trained in this kind of risk assessment so anything I project is only based on watching my relatives reach the age of 65.  The first thing that would surly happen is to leave millions of good folks 65 and older without health insurance.  Hope they have rich family members who can pay for health insurance from the "free market" sector because between pre-existing conditions and life-saving prescription drugs, the newly uninsured will not be able to afford the $1200 or more per month per person they will be charged for health insurance,  medications and co-pays (and that's based on an an extremely healthy 65 year old with no pre-existing condition). Oh, and I hope those relatives can provide a place for their "un-Medicared" relatives to live because there won't be enough money left in their Social Security check to pay for even a tiny place to live, utilities, food and all the medical expenses their new for-profit health insurance will not cover. There goes the Social Security check!  In the first 6 months after the huge number of formerly independent seniors who become dependent on the love and largess of their children, siblings or friends, many of the older elders will be dropped from health insurance altogether. `Cuz that's what health insurance companies do to protect profits.  Then, to paraphrase former President George W. Bush on health care, "There's the emergency room."  


For the untold remaining millions who don't have a family or social network to fall back on after the repeal of Medicare, there will be homelessness and living on the streets to look forward to in their sunset years.  What's to fear?  This is the way the aged elders in many cultures are treated. Some cultures deposit them on an ice floe and shove them off to sea with a one way ticket. Some nomadic cultures sneak away in the night and abandon their sleeping elders as the younger tribe members move on to the next location. We can all devolve back to a Neanderthal existence.  Lovely! It's all very dramatic.  That won't tarnish America's "Shining Light"  beacon image we like to think we have in the world. Except, there's serious money to be made in providing health care for the aging members of our society.  The other thing I suspect will happen is a serious fight by the pharmaceutical companies, health care providers and ancillary insurance companies to prevent Medicare's demise. In the cold light of day, Medicare helps pay the salaries of a lot of physical therapists, doctors, nurses, receptionists, hospice workers, pharmacists and drug company employees, let alone all the other ancillary assistance products like canes, walkers, artificial knees, Titanium hips, incontinence pads and procedures like cataract removal surgery that's   required to assure the best health care is provided to our dearly beloved parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. 

Frankly, I don't see what's so hard to figure out.  Open up Medicare to anyone who can pay the premiums.  Those who want to sign up can, the rest can keep paying for the free-market plans. Oh, the "free market" health insurance providers won't be able to compete?  Too bad.  They've had since Nixon's administration to figure out how to offer affordable health care.  My heart bleeds big flat bed trucks worth of my life savings for you, you blood sucking leeches.  

"Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way!" - Thomas Paine

During times of disaster, whether natural or man made, I am always deeply touched, moved and inspired by the generosity and sense of unity we Americans have. We have a history of coming together, not just opening our wallets but locking arms and spending real sweat equity to help those who suffer. We volunteer to aid strangers whose home has burned to the ground. We donate blood, share food and give of ourselves. Where there's a neighbor in need, we help where we can and with what we have. That spirit is a national treasure that shows up when we need it most. When the disaster subsides, we tend to go back to our lives and forget how much of a difference we made to another person's life and how that action impacts the future in a positive way. We have the opportunity to make a difference to the future of this country in the same way we may have made a difference to others in times of emergency. Perhaps more than belief, it's a matter of recalling what we've already accomplished and unifying our national will to make it happen.

The episode on tonight's "Bill Moyers Journal" profiled 3 people diagnosed with catastrophic disease but no health insurance. No one with a heart could watch that story and have it not break. I know their stores well. My mother died from cancer because she had no health insurance and waited too long to go to the doctor. After 6 years of surgery, remission, hope, re-occurrence, more surgery, chemo, experimental treatments, she passed away, alone, in a hospital ICU. Dad was left with nearly $90,000 in medical bills -- and that was in 1985. My own health insurance story is one of financial ruin that's acutely altered the trajectory of my life and future, but at least I had insurance.

If human empathy were dollars, we would all have affordable insurance and never have to worry about whether we could afford to see the doctor. It's not that simple but it should be. We don't want to think about it because it's complicated and difficult. Yes -- and so what? Giving birth to a country was complicated and difficult yet a relatively small group tenaciously stuck to the task and got it done. Fighting to keep this country unified was even more complicated and difficult but it got done. it is time to unify again and make that next great leap forward. Affordable health care for all is no where near as difficult as the American Revolution or the Civil War and future generations will wish they'd been alive today to see how it got done. It will take vision, perseverance, determination, creativity, selflessness and National Will. Everything in this country's past that moved it collectively to higher plain has come from progressive thinking, starting with the Declaration of Independence to emancipation, to women's right to vote, child labor laws, Social Security, the Civil Rights Bill and Medicare. It is time to gather courage, step up and create a clearing for the future greatness of this wonderful country. To the politicians I say, "Lead, follow or get out of the way."

Next week; Money-Driven Medicine will be aired on "Bill Moyers Journal".