

Ears-a-ringing: How the medical industry keeps me up at night - buf
http://bufordtaylor.com/post/31321384959/ears-a-ringing

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noonespecial
An ear infection can _rapidly_ become a dangerous acute condition. The last
time I had one I realized I needed to see a doctor on Sunday. By the time I
saw one on Tuesday (first available appointment) I couldn't walk. I have
fairly good insurance, all things considered.

The doc prescribed ear antibiotic ear drops and painkillers, _scolded me for
not coming to see him sooner_ , and blessedly gave me 2 refills on the
antibiotic prescription "just in case". The prescribed course was only on
bottle.

The bill to insurance was almost $500. The antibiotic was $10, not covered,
just $10. My takeaway: they risked my hearing (and possibly worse) to gatekeep
a harmless, topical $10 drug with the intent of over-billing an insurance
company.

What did I do? Oh yes, I filled both of those refills and stockpiled them.
Next time I'm in agony at 12:30am with an appointment 2 days away, wondering
if I should risk my family finances with a trip to an out-of-network ER, I'm
pulling out those drops and giving it a try.

Is that dangerous? Hell yes. I wouldn't have dreamed of it even a few years
ago. Damned if it doesn't seem like an acceptable risk nowadays.

