Proselytized at the doctor's office!

[OnionPatch]

I just talked to my brother-in-law, who just came back from the doctor's office. He and my sister (who live in South Carolina) are self-employed and the only health insurance they can afford is catastrophic care. It has a $5000 deductible or something crazy like that. Anyway, he has a hernia and went to find out if he needs surgery and if so, what it will cost. Well, apparently, the price was beyond my brother-in-law's means but the doc said he'd probably be ok for awhile without the surgery if he takes care of himself. My brother-in-law told him he would be eligible for Medicare soon so he hopes he can hang in until then and the doctor muttered, "Yeah, you can wait for Medicare to do it and screw over your doctor." Apparently that was when the doctor tried to "save" him!! He said he had not mentioned anything about religion or anything whatsoever to open up this conversation. I guess he was spouting all the regular lines, "You know Jesus died for us...Do you want to go to Heaven or Hell...have you accepted the Lord...and blah-dee blah." I wish I could have been a fly on the wall because my brother-in-law told him he really didn't care to be saved just then although he had nothing against Jesus, Jesus was his favorite "long-haired-hippy" :) and a lot of other good stuff I wish I could have heard. Anyway, the good Christian doc charged him $250 for an office call. I guess my brother-in-law won't be going back to him for the surgery when the medicare kicks in! The guy is ticked at Medicare because they won't pay as much as he prefers to charge and he wouldn't offer my bil an affordable price, either. What are people supposed to do? So it's come to this; faith-based health care. If you can't afford the health care, your doctor will offer to save you. Have you ever been proselytized by a health-care professional? :wtf:

[Warren DeMontague]

1. As much as I can't stand being proseltyzed, for $5K I might have pretended

Seriously, though, that sounds like some kind of an ethical breach.

[blm]

2. Where in SC are they?

Maybe I can be of some help.

[OnionPatch]

11. The are near

Spartanburg. My brother-in-law also has emphysema, so it's not like he could just work harder to pay for the surgery or anything. I think he'll be 65 in a few years, though, and will get the Medicare.

[blm]

14. check your pm

.

[Debau2005]

3. I would have reminded the doctor

that if he lived what he preached he would waive his fee knowing the money situation. After all good Christians are supposed to love and help their neighbors....or did I get that part of the Bible wrong? :shrug:

[David Zephyr]

That doctor loves to take Medicare money, too.

He's just protesting it, but he'll cash every check that comes his way.

[OnionPatch]

23. That's what I was thinking, too.

I didn't add that part where my brother in law told him he wouldn't be coming back since the doc thought the medicare was going to be ripping him off. Reportedly the doctor said, "Well, if they're going to rip someone off, it may as well be me." ....Yeah, doc, right. I'm betting Medicare pays a fair amount for the surgery.

[NanceGreggs]

4. Your brother-in-law should have scheduled the surgery ...

... and when asked about payment arrangements, told the doctor that Jesus would cover it personally. "You DO trust in the Lord, don't ya, doc?"

[OnionPatch]

19. Yeah, he could have said

You know, Doc, you're right. I'm going to trust in the Lord and just schedule that operation right now! Set it up for me, ok? :) I'm sure the doc would have changed his story.

Seriously, I know my brother-in-law wasn't there hoping to get a handout. He was hoping the operation would cost an affordable price that he could pay. Or that the doctor would set him up with payments or something.

[Ezlivin]

5. Every damned dentist in the D/FW area is a part-time missionary

If you look around the waiting room you'll notice all sorts of religious books "for kids" and various fundamentalist paraphernalia.

[eviltwin2525]

12. As far as I can tell, pretty much every dentist EVERYwhere....

even here in Seattle.

[Kickoutthejams23]

6. I agree WTF?

Of course almost every doctor I've been to in the last 5 have been hindu or jewish but still. I can't imagine a freepers response if some doctor started lecturing him on Vishnu. Check that doc for meds.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. Highly unprofessional. The proselytizing (sp) is a separate issue from

the guy trying to get a higher fee. The religious talk has no place in the doctor-patient relationship unless perhaps sought out by the patient and agreed to by both.

[OnionPatch]

10. That's what I thought

I was blown away. My brother-in-law didn't sound too surprised, he said people try to save him all the time. I guess it's the Bible belt, but still.....very unprofessional.

[silverweb]

8. Yup.

A dental hygienist started preaching at me one day after she got busy with her instruments in my open mouth and had me in a semi-headlock. I was never so furious in my life and never want back to that office again.

[asthmaticeog]

9. I was proselytized by my driving instructor when I was 16.

Whatever, at least he saved it for near the end of the last session, so I wasn't trapped in a car with a guy beating a bible the whole damn term.

[OnionPatch]

17. LoL

Yeah, that would have been bad for a whole semester :banghead:

[tanyev]

13. He should report him to the AMA.

Having literature in your waiting area is one thing, but initiating the conversation is out of line.

[OnionPatch]

15. I'll pass that along

maybe he'll want to. He has the feeling the doctor charged him a higher fee because he rejected his attempt to "save" him. At any rate, people shouldn't have to put up with that when the go to the doctor.

[Tanuki]

24. Yes, and

the doc's extremely unprofessional remark, "Yeah, you can wait for Medicare to do it and screw over your doctor," borders on trying to guilt-trip the patient into having the procedure earlier and at his own expense, for the doctor's financial benefit.

[OnionPatch]

27. Right, like my brother-in-law

should be perfectly happy to pay outrageous health care costs and just be worried about the poor widdle doctor. I'm sure he suffers great financial difficulty because of Medicare. :eyes:

[Surya Gayatri]

16. Your BIL should report this

charlatan to the state medical licensing authorities. Abuse of power & the physician/patient relationship. Shameful! SG

[Monk06]

18. $250 to be told something he already knew. I've had three hernias...

out of pocket expense?

Nothing. Nada. Zero dollars except for $35.00 per
month single payer premium.

Yay Canadian Health Care

[OnionPatch]

21. Hurrah for Canadian health care!

I broke my nose in a car accident on vacation up there and they fixed me right up. They were great. There was no wait at the hospital and they didn't even seem like they wanted me to pay until I insisted on giving them my insurance info. It was so unlike the cattle-herding medical system we have here where they have your insurance number before they even look at you. I wish we could have a system like yours.

[Lerkfish]

20. Before my gall bladder surgery, the doctor politely asked if it was ok

if he prayed with us. I had no problem personally with it, being a christian and appreciating how considerate he was about bringing it up, but I still was concerned for any patients who were not christian and what they would have felt like, no matter how polite he was.

I think if the PATIENT brings it up, ok. Or if the doctor says that having a faith of any sort is sometimes helpful to some people in the recovery process, but otherwise, very inappropriate.

[OnionPatch]

26. You know, I don't think I'd have a problem with that, either.

If the doctor politely *asks* a single question in reference to your religous preference, that's one thing, but to barrage someone with all this saving-your-soul stuff this guy was saying is another.

[Lerkfish]

28. oh, I agree completely. I was just chiming in with and instance that

was handled quite politely rather than the rude and obnoxious example in the OP.
The nice thing about the surgeon's prayer was that it was all about my health and recovery, and guiding his scalpel.

[Kickoutthejams23]

29. That would freak me out.

I remember traveling on Air Lingus in the seventies and the pilot said a lords prayer or some Catholic thing before each flight. Scares the bejeeses out of me. (Of course the nuns on board that Mother of God'd every time the plane did "anything" didn't help much either)

[BlooInBloo]

22. I've never been proselytized TO by a healthcare professional, no.

[OnionPatch]

25. Ok, so I've been ticketed

by the grammar police. Warning taken.

[malaise]

30. Good for you brother-in-law although

he would have got a fugg off from me. No doctor who tried that crap with me would have escaped my wrath.