rsfletcher

Same deal on Prince Edward Island - In Canada Healthcare falls under Provincial/State jurisdiction so depending on where you live in Canada the level of Healthcare changes.

When I lived in Ontario - I had no subsidies and minimal health insurance so I had to pay for Diabetes supplies and any other prescriptions. If there was an Emergency - a few times I was rushed to hospital with sport related injuries - the Provincial/State Government would pick up the tab. On PEI everything is covered and I feel very fortunate that I live in a place where this happens and one of the reasons why I haven't left the Island.

Canada's biggest healthcare issue from the Physician's perspective is rate of pay. American doctors get payed way more on average than Canadian Doctors. As a result a lot of Canadian Specialists end up practicing in the States so they can make enough money to pay off their educational costs and once they are rooted they have no reasons to leave.

My ophthalmologist who was born and raised on the Island makes about a Million a year but he's a specialist, does surgeries and has a lot of patients. He's also getting close to retirement which is bad for me - but that's the way things go ...

rsfletcher

One other point

Population also plays a role - the state of California has more people than all of Canada - this gives one a pretty good idea of the population difference between the two countries and the difference in size of the healthcare industry.

kyteflyer

In Australia, we have doctors of all kinds. Some rush, some dont. I had a GP who always gave the patient the time he or she needed. You'd be sitting in the waiting room, becoming impatient because T was behind *again* and then you would remember that you would get that time too, and it doesnt matter if you have to wait a while to get what you need. Eventually the Doctor who owned the surgery decided T had to go... because he (the owner) was of the first kind... profit motivated.

Then, there are chain practices. Probably good for minor issues, they do this thing called bulk billing. All covered by Medicare if you dont have private health insurance. But they tend to be production-line medicine specialists... in and out as fast as they can.

And then, there are practices like the one I go to now. Only 3 doctors, give you the attention you need without running desperately overtime, and very supportive. They also keep abreast of "best practice" so I dont have any problems with doing LCHF because my doc thinks its a good idea. I get bulk billed at that practice, because I am on an Age Pension and dont have private insurance. If I was working, I'd be paying for it out of my own pocket, and claiming back from Medicare.

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Sue

Bubbaloo

I’ve never felt particularly supported by my doctor and have felt frustrated on every visit. She’s new to me so it’s only been 5 or 6 visits overall. Still...
I just returned from yet another visit but WOW! did it go a whole different way than I ever expected!

Last January I introduced her to the flash glucose system “freestyle libre” because I needed her prescription. She had no clue what it was until I “schooled” her. (Whether you like or dislike this system is irrelevant to my share, so please dont’t stop reading.)

Today, I was greeted with the biggest smile ever... “oh I’m so glad to see you” she said.. whereupon she thanked me profusely on behalf of her other patients who have benefitted from this system. You could have knocked me over with a feather! Now I’m her BFF. 🙄🙄.

So, here’s the lesson boys and girls... be smarter and more informed than your doctor and you may just gain their respect - but ONLY if your knowledge benefits them! Sheesh.... at least she now respects me....

Bubbaloo

Silinde

Ours is somewhat in between I guess. Sometimes he's rushed and sometimes he takes his time.
He used to be always WAY "behind" before there was an appointment system to the frustration of almost anyone going there I guess, and since they have the appointment system, they do drastically cut time per patient but in general I don't feel rushed out of the door. In a bigger city where I used to live, I've got worse than now (on the countryside).
I heard in the NL it's much, much worse than in BE where I'm from.

kitncalamity

My doctor is not supportive at all. I don't like her a single bit, and I can't wait to find a new one.

I was diagnosed in the ER last December. From there, I was referred to a transition clinic for people who are low income, newly diagnosed with diabetes, and who didn't have a PCP at the time. They started my insulin, and the NP there "fixed" my Metformin (I had been taking one huge pill in the AM and another in the evening, but they kept choking me so she wrote a script for a smaller amount, and I doubled up.) and sent me on my way.

I started seeing this doctor in January this year. When I went to my first appointment, I was not expecting anything terrible. I told her straightforwardly that I have an eating disorder, and I can't recognized food items as food items sometimes. My brain doesn't let it happen, so I can't make myself eat it. Bitter is very bitter to me, so most vegetables I can't stomach. I've tried repeatedly to rehabilitate myself, so to speak, and learn to like things. The issue is that it causes such a huge amount of stress that I end up with canker sores and hives. So, by and large, I just avoid things I don't like, which is a lot of foods.

So I explained all this to her, she said it wouldn't be a problem, we'd work together to work around it, etc. No big deal.

I had an updated A1c in April. It was 5.6%, down from 14% at diagnosis. My fasting numbers were good, she'd been able to lower my Metformin a little, and we were both happy.

On Oct. 16th, we started an adventure. She hasn't had an updated A1c done since April, has never done a c-peptide test, either. But she decided to remove insulin from my care plan. Her reasoning is because "All of your numbers are identical to those of a non-diabetic." which is true. I have very, very few lows, and maybe one or two highs a week, when I forget to drink as much water as I should or I get kinda lazy. It happens. I'm human.

So, no more insulin. I went from 18 units to nothing overnight. I was prepared for some weird readings, some fluctuations, but I was not at all prepared for 170 fasting. Not one bit. Nothing I did seemed to help. Water, exercise, higher protein, nothing. It seemed like just breathing raised my sugar. So I called her up, and said I wanted an Endo referral. She asked what symptoms I had that warranted a referral. I gave her a handful of my readings, and said I wanted to see an Endo for that. She refused to write one, but okayed 10 units of insulin a day. Because I'd previously run out, I asked for more. She wrote a script for 90 days of Lantus. My insurance only covers 30 days. I let them know that I couldn't get the script because of that. She wrote it for 30 days, but it'd be a vial instead of the pen. No problem. I called the pharmacy to make sure it was ready. They said Lantus isn't on the formulary with my insurance at all, but the vial was only $318, so they'd make sure it was ready when I got there. I told the lady that no, I wouldn't be purchasing the insulin.

I called around and tried to find a better price. I called my Mom. I almost threw up. I cried a little. She called her own pharmacist and asked him if there was an alternative, explained what I'd been taking. He said to go to Walmart and buy a vial of Novolin, while they straightened out my script.

This was over the weekend, by the way.

Monday, yesterday, I called them back, and told them that Lantus wasn't covered at all. They asked me if I knew what was covered. I'm miffed that the doctor's office didn't even make an effort to access the formulary to find out on their own what was covered, but that's kind of a side rage. I told them what was covered, and she wrote me a new prescription for Basaglar. I walked to the pharmacy yesterday once they texted me to let me know it was ready, and they informed me that it was one that required prior authorization, but the pen was $390 and some change if I wanted to pay out of pocket.

I notified the doctor's office of that yesterday afternoon, and haven't heard from them, so I have no idea what's going on, but the Novolin N twice a day seems to be working okay.

I'm currently researching doctors in my area, and since I'll be seeing an OBGYN soon, I may ask her for the Endo referral.

I'm really not sure why my PCP would be so hesitant to refer me to an Endocrinologist. I've also got subclinical hypothyroidism, and possibly PCOS, so seeing an Endocrinologist would be really nice.

xring

One of the problems with insurance-plan doctors is that they have to follow orders from the bean counters, especially when they're given a limit of time per patient.
When my dentist graduated, she worked for an insurance-plan practice for a few months & she explained to me why she didn't last very long. Her boss reprimanded her for "spending too much time with patients." He kept reminding her that "We don't make money on explaining treatment options or other care info..we only make money on treatment." She took out a loan & opened her own practice. My first visit with her took 90 minutes - all of it discussion on treatment options. I had her do my full dental reconstruction.

rsfletcher

What a drag - my insulin prescriptions expired (this is so for health insurance reasons) so I got the drugstore pharmacist to extend my prescriptions for a month to buy some time to arrange for a doctor's appointment (prescription renewal) only to discover that my doctor has retired.
I have another - fortunately - but I know nothing about this person so it will be an interesting first meeting. I try to avoid health professionals - and for good reason - the only times I've had bad experiences with drugs is after seeing a doctor. I was prescribed an opiate years ago when I got my wisdom teeth out - didn't take it - I injured myself once trying to carry my canoe down to the river because I was on statins and lost the strength in my legs - until I stopped taking statins - hopefully this new doctor is not prescription crazy!

itissteve

Just because they write 'em doesn't mean you have to take 'em!

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Now with less sugar!

A1c 09-15-2020: 5.6; no meds. Thank you LCHF!

Cricket

I threw away quite a few over the years.

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“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop