A lot of people talk about the high cost of health care in America. I am going to talk about Sarasota County Florida.

Today there was a knock on my door. I answered it and found an elderly man holding up a woman who could barely stand. At first, I thought the man was collecting for charity but then the woman uttered something about “next door” then I recognized her as the new tenant of my next door neighbor.

I kept asking the man what was going on. His name badge said he worked for Englewood Hospital. He kept saying that he was just dropping her off.

Telling you that this woman could barely stand is no exaggeration.

I helped her into a chair and asked her what was going on.

She could barely formulate a sentence.

I am not a Doctor but have worked in the Health Industry and I wondered if she had also had a stroke. Her body language was that of a person who had had a stroke.

She was also puffy and very bruised. She told me she had been in a car accident and been in Englewood Hospital ever since. She mentioned her electrolytes being out of whack and her confusion. I again wondered if she had had a stroke.

She also explained that she could not get into her apartment.

I just have to ask, why was this woman released? I found out when my Neighbor got home that she was not living in the apartment anymore and she is now back in the hospital. Again, Why was this woman released? She had no where to go and no one to look after her.

My next story is about me.

Since my Mother had been an RN when I was growing up, I had a healthy view of Doctors and I thought I understood what practicing medicine was about.  Unfortunately, came the HMO insurance, and now many people have no insurance.

Family Doctors have been replaced with Walk In Clinics and Walk In Clinics could handle a wide assortment of emergency situations.

My first visit to the Englewood walk in clinic was unique. When I walked in  I saw a notice that the Doctor did not have Insurance and I had to sign a waiver stating that I knew he didn’t have insurance. I was a bit taken aback by it but I had a problem that could not wait for an available Doctor visit. That is being saved for my next tale.

Anyway, on that visit , I wasn’t seen by the Doctor of Record. I didn’t know that until after the man did an emergency biopsy and drainage.. He asked me if I had been visiting people in the hospital. He had me worried   and to tell you the truth, I am still worried about my health because of lack of good services  for people without resources and even with resources I feel that the health care in this State has gone down dramatically.

Recently, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, I had an attack of some sort. I opted to not go to the emergency room because I felt that they would keep me in the hospital over the holidays and I went to the Walk in Clinic (same one as I talked about above)

This time I met the real Doctor but when he asked me what was wrong he admonished me for not going to the emergency room. He didn’t take my blood pressure or even my pulse.  I do not think I will be going back to that Clinic again. It is the one with the HUGE American Flag on 776 in Englewood, Florida.

It is a Bad Scene there folks. I should have known with the picture of GW Bush in the waiting room eh?

Why didn’t I want to go to the emergency room?

3 times at Sarasota Hospital they have not only disappointed me but my loved ones as well. 2 times were emergency room visits

I had gone to Sarasota Hospital at the urging of a nurse consultant who told me of the dire things that my symptoms sounded like they were leading to.

I believed I had suffered a miscarriage after a very stressful moving experience and the symptoms seemed to be getting worse 2 weeks later instead of getting better.

So off I went to the hospital being driven by my loved one. The nurse had wanted to send an ambulance. I nixed that. I told her I didn’t have money for an Emergency room visit and was assured that it would not be a problem.

When I got there I was whisked off in a very efficient manner in a wheelchair to check in.

I gave them all my info. They asked about my insurance. I let them know I didn’t have any and that I needed to speak to someone about financial aid regarding the bill.

I then was put in a room ,asked to change to a gown and I sat there. 3 times a young woman came in asking me about my insurance information that seemed to be missing from my chart.

The doctor came in took a look at my chart and said I was to old to have suffered a miscarriage and my pregnancy test came back negative. He sent me off on my way. No exam , nothing. I was very sick and I was just sent back home.

My next adventure was when my loved one was having chest pains and trouble breathing.

I thought it might be an anxiety attack but to be on the safe side I did not fight his idea about going to the emergency room. When we got there, about 3am, the ER Doctor told my loved one that the ER was for emergencies and not people having anxiety attacks and he was sent on his way.

We still get sent bills for these 2 episodes and you know what? They can rot in hell. They are not getting paid for NOT giving care.

The next time was my loved ones Mother. She had a bad appendix and she was rushed in for emergency surgery.

Less than 24 hours after the surgery, she was released and released without being given antibiotics. Being a nurse she questioned this and was admonished by someone with authority. She was sent home. Of course, she had an infection too from this “oversight”.

She was HOUNDED by the hospital and they really put a scare into her. I think they should be happy that she didn’t have the time to sue their incompetence. But she, like many of us , are struggling paycheck to paycheck. We are the people that fall through the cracks and the cracks are getting wider folks.

Now, back to my “primary care giver”. My Doctor was a Doctor that was on my insurance plan that I was under my first couple years back in Florida. He was my second choice because my first choice was not satisfactory yet he was suppose to be experienced with  my newly diagnosed problem (that was diagnosed by a walk in clinic on Venice Island) but he had a strong foreign accent and I like to be able to understand my doctor and to be sure the doctor understands. When that doctor said” you will have good days and bad days.” I decided to go back to the handbook and pick another doctor. The walk in clinic doctor on Venice Island was no longer covered after the emergency situation by my insurance handler.

So I picked Dr Kevin Miller in Venice who sent me to another specialist.

As far as I was concerned Dr Miller was going to be my Doctor. He under stood when I was no longer covered by insurance and low and behold his office visit went down to 44 dollars . I can’t remember how much he was charging for an office visit when I had insurance but it was substantially more.

I had tried getting appointments with my family doctor and for some reason or another Dr Miller was not able to accommodate me. Now here it was 2 years later and I have the walk in clinic telling me to go to the emergency room or to my family doctor. Yes, I am back to the beginning of my story.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and I got an appointment. They had moved the office to Venice Island. I was admonished for not going to the emergency room, Chastised for having taken up cigarettes again, Nitroglycerin pills were ordered along with orders of blood tests. I went right away and let the blood sucker at me. I had to sign a paper stating that I had been informed that the lab results were going to be released to my Doctor not directly to me. That was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.

I figured Monday I would get a call but I did not. No calls from My Doctors office.

I thought he was probably overwhelmed so I planned on calling Tuesday. Tuesday I called and had to leave a message on the answering machine. There was still no call. Today, there was a message for me saying the Doctor got the tests but has not reviewed them. 7 days later and he has not reviewed them. I can say that he will not be my Family Doctor either and that is too bad. He had a lot of promise but I suppose his wife the Real Estate Broker is doing well enough for both of them.

I did try to find another doctor. One that I called said I could fill out the paper work they required before seeing me and it was quite a bundle of papers I had to fill out and sign, but they  could not see me until after the new year and this was advertised as a 24 hour emergency care clinic.

I also had problems with the Bon Secours walk in clinic as did my loved one.

I have serious doubts whether that Doctor there has a license.

I went there for an ear problem He told me it was TMJ and yes, he charged me and gave me a prescription of Ibuprophen. My loved one went there for an ear problem and he was given an EKG. His ear problem was ignored.

So something has to give. As for me and my house, we are tired of having to always give and receive no service or proper care.