Impact of Universal Health Care on US Ostomy Supplies Costs

I am just wondering from the people in Canda and Uk you have universal health care? What is this going to do to my ostomy supplies and care here in US now that we are to start this? Now I have insurance thru my husbands company we pay for it it goes up every year we are both retired. We pay 20% on ostomy supplies now, will this change for us?? Just wondering what I can look forward to and any comments on universal health care, we also have the premiums taken out of pension check before we get it every month.

Thanks

In the UK all of our ostomy supplies are free.  I was talking to someone from Florida  a few days ago she said, she thought the cost of insurance would go down for people with ostomys

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In the UK generally most things are free, paid for via National Insurance contributions whilst working.



General practioners - I am very lucky with mine - I can ALWAYS be seen on the day that I call if I need to, they do a late evening surgery and Saturday mornings - bet there aren't many left like that? Often in the UK you cannot book an appointment in advance, so have to call on the day - then if all the appointments have gone by the time you get through on the phone - tough, you have to try again with the same procedure the following day. NOT GOOD! Other surgeries you can call and next available appointment is 10 days away, ridiculous! I am very fortunate with mine!



Some things that are not free to all are:



Dental care (only if on benefits)



Prescriptions for meds ( free to pensioners, under 18's and those with exempt medical conditions ie PERMANENT stomas, diabetes, etc) I just order my ostomy supplies from my GP and collect them from the surgery pharmacy. You can also have them sent direct to yourself after sending the suppliers a prescription form the doc (several ways of doing this I think...) In practice, those with temporary stomas generally will have to pay prescription fees for supplies (unless you can get your GP to sign you up for exemption which often they will apparently). I believe fees for each item on a script are £7.20 at the moment. That would get you a box of 30 pouches I assume.



The cons against this are that if it is not an emergency, then you have to wait - used to be you would wait about 18 months for a new hip! Nowadays things are a little better and their target is to do 18 weeks between referral from the GP to being discharged home after surgery, however, I suspect that doesn't happen in a lot (most!) of cases.



If you have the money, or a job with health benefits then you can get insurance and use private healthcare, same doctors but no waiting, better food and nicer surroundings!



NHS care in hospitals can be a bit patchy according to whereabouts in the country you are - staff are always too busy either writing stuff down, not enough of them (or always on tea breaks - read Johnnotken's funny blogs!) Some hospitals are still in old victorian buildings and seem a bit dirty. Like in anything, you can get good and bad whether or not you have paid for it. Mostly for me it is the waiting that is annoying, not being able to plan anything just in case you might have a hospital date........



I am sure others will jump in with stuff I have neglected to say, but hope that gives you a bit of an idea?

Rach xx

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This has me worried also, the hospital that employes me is self insured all my meds and ostomy supplies are free,  It may be cheaper for our hospital to drop health care coverage for employees and just pay the fine, forcing us into a goverent program which may not be as generous, or since we are a small rural hospital we all may be out of a job.  Small hospitals have trouble hanging on, most of our patients are on Medicare or Medicaid, and we do not have enough insurance base to off set the payer system. There are so many implications who knows how it will work, what is in a 1990 page bill did anyone really read it and if they did do they as politicians realy understand how it affects consumers as well as health care workers, unfortuneatly we just have to wait and see.

eddie

Ummm Eddie, sounds a bit grim - shame as it is the little hospitals like yours that generally give the best care to the locals. We still have one but they have taken away the Minor Injuries Unit which was great, took about 20 minutes to be seen - now in the big hospital they try to acheive the target of seeing you within 4 hours ..... Our 'cottage hospital' is now just care of the elderly, a few clinics and the mental health team are based there. Progress eh? xx

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

As for me situation, my Ostomy supplies are not covered. So I pay out of pocket each month. About $150.00- $200.00 depending on the month more so in the summer than in the winter months. Then there is the Health Insurance cost of $460.00 a month. To boot they only cover generic. Oh and lets not forget the $500.00 deductable. So were is the justice. There isnt any. The idiots in Washington get free medical for life not to mention a fat pension. So I spend a small fortune equivilent to peoples mortages in some states just to be covered in case I should get ill. I use to believe in our government and stood behind her 100% but the way things are going I am starting to question were we are headed.

I really can't imagine how people manage over there unless they have really well paid jobs, as you say, every month it is the cost of a mortgage, glad I am here or I would be on the streets I guess ......... What happens if you are really sick and unable to work at all?

You dont know the half of it. Im self employeed and am a two man operation if I get sick the company just shuts down. The best of all is I have to pay unemployment insurance for myself but can not collect it unless I go out of business. Another way the governement sticks it to the working class. Not to mention workmans comp and liabilty insurance which is a nightmare in itself. Sometimes I just want to move back to Italy lived there as a child, build a little house on a piece of property I own and farm the land and just forget about the world. I guess I venting because I live in NY and it is very costly to do so.

How awful, must be very hard going for you. Italy sounds a much better prospect - what is it that is stopping you from going? xx

Most of my family is in the NY. I love spending time with my nieces and nephews. My greatest joy in life. As for business I guess its not that bad. As long as I can get up and go to work every day Im doing okay. I guess its better than not being alive after what life has thrown at me. Just playing the cards Ive been dealt to the best of my ability.

That makes sense, must be nice having family close .... sorry, I was being awfully nosey!

Rach xx

I am in the US and I am so glad the health care passed because my  buusiness is doing horrible in this economy and really I can not afford health care or go see doctors about my strange reasoning in that the doctors do not no what is wrong with me but they still gave me a colstomy  two years ago.It will be so much better for all of us.There should never be a price tag on someones health have a good weekend.

Hey Stallion I hate to burst your bubble but the health care reform sucks the big one. I hope you dont have employees because you will be force to buy heath care for them. And thats a big nut. We are not talking about affordable health care. Obama is talking about mandatory health care. I already got a permium increase and thats $460.00 a month and is sure to go up. And to boot he is going to cut mediicare for the elderly which really sucks. For people who are on a fixed income. He is so far to the left its scary. We are headed for a socilaist society if he has his way.

Here in Winnipeg, MB.  The cost of Ostomy supplies is covered.  We did have to pay back in 2002 but not any longer.