Can anyone recomend a good doctor (not for medical card)

[asscore]

Hi,
I have a friend that moved out with me from Wisconsin. He has serious medical issues. We have been trying to get him care but without insurance it has been IMPOSSIBLE.

Earlier this year he was bitten by a brown recluse spider, got MRSA while hospitalized, and that lead to sepsis and pneumonia. All of this scared his lungs and he is in pain all of the time.

He was supposed to get follow-up care upon arriving here in Colorado - and get re-tested for MRSA (it already came back once and resulted in a second hospitalization).

We went to the ER today, they accused him of being there to get drugs - they gave him an X-Ray, and basically kicked him out of there WITHOUT EVEN RETESTING HIM FOR MRSA!!!!

Can anyone recommend an affordable and caring doctor, preferably in north denver/broomfield/westminster/boulder? He really needs to get this shit taken care of.

Thanks!

[ThaiBuddhaMan]

He needs to go to either Denver Health or University Hospital and ask about the Colorado Indigent Care Program. It's a sliding scale rate program. Treatment won't be free but it'll be more affordable than if he didn't have CICP. There are other places that participate in it but I don't know of any in the areas you mentioned.
Good Luck

[ElevateOrganics]

Buddah,
Here is a program that gets Coloradians with pre-existing conditions health coverage. From what I hear it's the best deal out there if you cannot get covered under normal policies.

https://www.gettinguscovered.org/

[ElevateOrganics]

Just checked the sight applications are due by the 15th to get coverage by the 1st.

[cologrower420]

I am in the health insurance industry and I would be happy to help your friend. However, this site doesn't like private info, so I might have to have a mod message you my contact info. I would be happy to disclose our agency info, I work with one of the largest private producers in Colorado. /brag

If there are health conditions, then your friend won't qualify for private insurance.

Colorado has a program for individuals who can't qualify otherwise, that program is called CoverColorado and can be found at www.covercolorado.org. They don't work with private agents like me, so I don't have much info and would direct your friend to that website.

Obamacare created an additional high risk program called GettingUSCovered. Info for that can be found at the covercolorado website.

Basically, if your friend has had health insurance within the last six months, go to covercolorado. If your friend has not had insurance in the last six months, then the gettinguscovered program would be a better fit.

If your friend is a new resident or can qualify for medicaid or something, there could be potential issues.

Insurance is regulated at the state level, so what happens here might be different than what they do in new mexico. Each case is different as well, so it's hard to give specific info without disclosure, which this site doesn't like for obvious reasons.

I doubt I would be able to sell a policy and earn a commission to your friend, but I'm pretty dedicated to helping others navigate this notoriously confusing industry, and I'd be happy to spend a bit of time helping out.

edit: If your friend needs coverage immediately, it's not going to happen. The only 'immediate' plan would be a short term policy through assurant or humana, and those don't cover pre-existing conditions, which it seems that your friend needs. Getting covered takes time. Understand that your friend is asking an insurance company to take them on as a risk, so the insurance carriers are going to make sure your friend isn't the next million dollar claim.

Is your friend self employed? Is there any possibility of getting covered through an employer? You might be able to qualify as a 'business group of one' under colorado's insurance regulations, but you have to have the business, tax returns etc.

edit2: It sucks, but insurance is expensive because healthcare is expensive. There are more MRI machines in the city limits of Philly than there are in the entire country of Canada [citation needed].

[cologrower420]

I just 'reported' the original post to a moderator, with the request that my email address be sent to the OP.

I would be happy to help with the application process. Cover Colorado seems to be the best option, but there are still eligibility guidelines, and I have concerns about this person's recent arrival and potential problems qualifying.

Good luck.

[asscore]

Thanks for the help!

We tried Denver Health, since we don't live in Denver County they told him to screw off.

He is not officially disabled so he doesn't qualify for medicaid. He hasnt had insurance in the last 6 months.

He works a crap job without insurance and is a caregiver. So no luck there.

Thanks for the link to gettinguscovered and HCPF, I will have him check them out / apply and see what happens.

Worst case scenario is I guess we have to find him a "residence" in Denver county, although from what I have read Denver Health is so overburdened they have a huge waiting list.

His last round of medical bills was over $200K.

[cologrower420]

Thanks for the help!

We tried Denver Health, since we don't live in Denver County they told him to screw off.

He is not officially disabled so he doesn't qualify for medicaid. He hasnt had insurance in the last 6 months.

He works a crap job without insurance and is a caregiver. So no luck there.

Thanks for the link to gettinguscovered and HCPF, I will have him check them out / apply and see what happens.

Worst case scenario is I guess we have to find him a "residence" in Denver county, although from what I have read Denver Health is so overburdened they have a huge waiting list.

His last round of medical bills was over $200K.

You have to remember that finding an affordable, private insurance plan will be impossible, since your friend is asking the carrier to take him on as a risk.

His only options are likely public aid like medicaid or covercolorado. He won't be happy with the service or the product, but welcome to the future of our healthcare delivery system if obamacare stays as-is.

If you can, get him set up as a business of some sort. If you can show tax docs and if you're willing to spend some time and effort, your friend could get a better private plan that's guaranteed issue and covers pre-ex. It's complicated but it can be done.

If he's already in debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars, it would be nice to spread that risk around. Right now, you and I and other taxpayers are paying his medical bills since he's receiving care through the ER, which you are seeing is expensive. It would be nice to spread that cost around a large pool of peers who are also paying into the system.

I don't understand why young people don't carry insurance. I'm in the industry so I'm biased, but ignorance of consequences is appalling among today's young people. I'm not talking of the OP or his buddy, just society in general.

[mustangwomyn]

Thanks for the help!

We tried Denver Health, since we don't live in Denver County they told him to screw off.



That is correct Denver Health only provides services for Denver County Residents under the CICP program. However University of Colorado (which is a much better facility IMHO) does not have the same restrictions & your friend may qualify through University Hospital. You can get further information on the CICP program at:

HCPF:Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP) (http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/HCPF/HCPF/1214299805914)

But keep in mind I do believe you need to go to the hospital to apply for the program

[asscore]

Wisconsin has great social services, and most hospitals are non-profit.

All of his 200K medical debt was paid by the hospital's community outreach program.

You can walk into any hospital and get treated, no questions asked other than name, address, and social security number.

My wife broke her ankle, we went to a ortho hospital and she got $50K surgery with nothing asked about her income.

If all of this proves to be too difficult I am starting to think it would be best to fly back to Wisconsin and get treated where peoples lives are more important than profit.

As for why young people dont have insurance... they same reason we dont save for retirement (or just save money) because there aren't alot of old school formal jobs with pensions and health care, (or hell, even pay fair wages)

Everything is always just scraping by.

[ThaiBuddhaMan]

... However University of Colorado (which is a much better facility IMHO) does not have the same restrictions & your friend may qualify through University Hospital. You can get further information on the CICP program at:

HCPF:Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP) (http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/HCPF/HCPF/1214299805914)

But keep in mind I do believe you need to go to the hospital to apply for the program

You are correct on both accounts, UCH is better and one does need to met with a Financial Counselor at the hospital to get on the program.