We hadn’t been home from our trip very long when our poor little Peter got so sick so quickly I finally took him to the ER on base. After conducting several tests (all negative) they transferred him to the Children’s Hospital in Dayton for one night and yet more tests.
The next day Public Health called. The final diagnosis? E. coli O157:H7. Egads.
He appears to be recovering very well, although we are still watchful for possible complications (e.g. kidney failure) that can arise from this infection. So far, the little guy’s peeing like a champ and back in regular underwear for the first time today. Yea!
As bad as this experience was, it could be worse for soooo many reasons…. one of them, of course, financial. I can only imagine how I would have felt over the course of the weekend if, on top of watching my little guy suffer, I had to worry about how we were going to pay for his hospital care. In this country, they treat you first and bill you later. It’s not a question of whether you will be allowed in the hospital for treatment; rather, if and when you will pay the bill.
This is the first time this little guy’s had to be admitted into the hospital, though it was his second ever trip to the ER. His first ER trip was a little over a year ago, for a bash on his head. Because he was dripping copious amounts of blood, we took him to the nearest ER and not to the one on base. As much blood as it was, it was small enough they were able to “glue” the gash rather than stitch it. The bill for applying that glue? $737.05…
Which our TriCare insurance paid, thank God.
I am fairly confident that our bill for this latest ER and hospital visit will be $0. Contrary to popular belief, the military does offer different health care options, and depending on which type you choose you may have choices for your provider and whether or not you pay a deductible or co-pay.
My husband is active duty Air Force and we are covered under TriCare Prime, which means we do not get to choose our primary care manager (PCM) and we do not have to pay a co-pay for off-base visits so long as it’s through a referral from our PCM. This coverage works well if, like us, your family members are all in relatively good health and you live close to base. I will add a caveat that it also works well if you take the responsibility to educate yourself on your personal health as well as on the health of your kids and are comfortable being your family’s advocate…. Because you are constantly seeing different doctors, you cannot count on them to identify problems and/or look out for your personal health.
This is not a dis on military doctors. They are simply often overwhelmed and overworked and very likely seeing multiple new patients for the first time that day, including yourself, many of them for colds and sore throats that have no business coming in for treatment in the first place. Such is the nature of a socialized health care system. (I will not get political I will not get political I will not get political….)
I’m curious to see if we end up seeing a final tally for the care that Peter received at the ER and at Children’s. Because we started out on base and they initiated the transfer to the civilian hospital, the process was more streamlined and I may never see all the paperwork. It is sobering to note that, although they ran test after test, the only treatment he actually received was a saline drip for hydration. Were we not to have insurance, we would still be liable for paying for all of these tests, no matter that they made no difference in the final outcome. (There is no medical treatment for E. coli O157:H7, it just has to run its course.)
But I wouldn’t have it any other way. The peace of mind knowing that everything that could be done was being done is irreplaceable, bill or no bill. Even something so simple as a saline drip made such a difference in Peter’s ability to fight this infection. To think that in some parts of the world he would not have been able to receive even that — or he would have had to wait hours for such care — makes me very grateful indeed.
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Speaking from the other side of the coin (non-military health care) we still need to educate ourselves on good health habits, nutrition, etc. and then DO what we learn, and also be our own health advocates. No one should care more about your health than you.
I'm so glad Peter's not still in that bed! Thank you God! What about the other children that were still there after he left?
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I am glad that he is going to be o.k. Poor little guy! He looks to little in that big bed.
My mom's recent hospitalization was a huge amount of money, and then she had to go into a care facility afterwards for a bit.
Like you, I am just so thankful that we have insurance and live in the country that we do.
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