x-sender: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com x-receiver: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com Received: from mail pickup service by IQ12 with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sat, 21 Mar 2015 00:35:35 -0400 thread-index: AdBjkHldRJFxithmS7iomRz0l5nMSg== Thread-Topic: newest ploy by Aiken county to funnel money to Clyburn From: To: Subject: newest ploy by Aiken county to funnel money to Clyburn Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2015 00:35:35 -0400 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000 Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message Importance: normal Priority: normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.1.7601.17609 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 21 Mar 2015 04:35:35.0841 (UTC) FILETIME=[797CD910:01D06390] CUSTOM Ms Sharon E Storck 206 Ambassador Drive North Augusta SC 29841 sharonstorck@gmail.com 8036349565 8036349565 HEAL newest ploy by Aiken county to funnel money to Clyburn I was informed by Aiken Regional Medical Center that I will no longer be able to be treated in the ER WITHOUT PAYMENT up FRONT. as you know, SC did not expand medicaid, nor are their any subsidies available for help with Obamacare. I live on 630.00 A MONTH,PERIOD. you try to pay electric, water, gas, insurance, medical bills, medications,groceries on that amount. thankfully, my home is paid for, so I no longer have a mortgage, if I did,there is no way I could afford to live on my own, I would be part of the working homeless. In December, I fell and broke my foot,not ONE single orthopedic doctor in the entire state of SC would see me without insurance. no one takes self pay ( if I could afford it)so I have no way of knowing if my foot required surgery,the ER said I had to see a ortho in their office to determine any surgical intervention,knowing that wasn't possible. I re-injured that same foot in Feb, and the ER said fracture appeared to be closed and needed to be seen by ORTHO that they believed it could require a screw to stabilize the fracture, it was definitely fractured again, but no one woul see me and ortho wouldn't consult over the phone they had to SEE me, KNOWING that they did not accept self pay pts. and you cant admit for "possible surgical intervention" because it would take a week or more for the swelling to subside enough before they could even perform the surgery. Now I have no way of knowing the exact damage done to the bones on my foot. or if i needed a screw to hold the bones together or not, I do know it still hurts, months later. I can't run or walk briskly at all without having severe pain. Now I am risk of permanent damage to my foot because in SC the poor and uninsured aren't worthy of care.I was told as of April 1, all pts will be sent to the JIM CLYBURN medical center.I do not NEED them, I have a BOARD CERTIFIED family practice physician that is 10 times better than the physicians at the Clyburn center. and they are CHEAPER. my office only charges 25.00 per visit.Instead of receiving care from a NP or PA or Doctor that has been FIRED from other practices. they charge 30.00 at the CLYBURN center. in contrast,this is MY doctors office( http://www.cchsaugusta.org/) CCHS said SC medical facilities are unwilling to work with them to help their indigent pts in SC receive care or testing.We need practices such as Christ Community,they could be the answer to the lack of care for the poor, but you have to find away for practices like this to operate, in SC. Regulations need to be changed to allow them to actually HELP the uninsured in SC. Hospitals should be REQUIRED to offer sliding scale fees based on household income, that way they get paid SOMETHING,and the pt receives the care they NEED.for ex.It's 300.00 for a pacemaker check at my cardiologists office, until Obamacare it was a FREE service performed in the cardiologist office by a rep for the manufacturer. and they could make adjustments to the pacemaker then, now it is done in a HOSPITAL PRACTICE device clinic setting, the report is emailed to the cardiologist and they call you or make you a appt to be seen to discuss your report ( another 175.00 for the appt) the clinic is OWNED and OPERATED by the hospital because the hospitals have now bought all of the practices so they not only own and operate the hospital they own and operate the medical offices as well. It would appear to be an unfair monopoly but obamacare practically forced their hand,in order for practices to continue to be reimbursed by medicare and medicaid. another ex.I was released from a urology practice in GA due to my lack of insurance, they no longer accepted self pay pts. I was then referred to another practice that would accept payments,they have since been bought by the hospital and the hospital has now combined ALL of the urologists into ONE practice so now I have NO one to see me because I was fired by the other office. Aiken Regional has decided that we are no longer worthy of receiving emergency care. we now have to go to the Clyburn center, but they are not a 24 hr center nor can they provide specialized care.such as a urologist, cardiologist, nephrologist, or ORTHOPEDIC. http://home2.ruralhs.org/main/about-us/ take notice, NO EMERGENCY SERVICES, no SPECIALTY physicians. Dr Daniels is a OB/GYN I wouldn't to send my worst enemy to see, I worked with him in the OR at ARMC and do not believe him to be be a quality physician. AT ALL. either YOUR STATE SUPPORTED MEDICAL SCHOOLS that answer to YOU, need to be REQUIRED to make appts for indigent ( they do HAVE assistance programs for indigent,but it is ridiculously expensive,but at least you have a option which is more than private physicians will offer) it cost 80.00 to to be seen at MUSC in GI clinic and you have to pay 10% toward ANY labs or testing, my ERCP cost over 400.00 to be diagnosed with a pancreatic divisum. I'm not asking for FREE healthcare just AFFORDABLE, a true SLIDING SCALE. 400 for a test is unreal, how many people can afford to pay 400.00 UPFRONT for a xray, insured or not. Senator Massey and his wife PAID for my test, since I couldn't afford it. He was aware of the incident when ARMC sent me away and told me I had a UTI when in fact I was in ACUTE RENAL FAILURE, thankfully, I went to another hospital and BEGGED them to please check my labs.I ALMOST DIED. all because the poor or uninsured are treated as second class citizens not worthy of their time.Now we aren't worthy of even walking through their door. it is time you TAKE A STAND for the uninsured of SC. if you insist on refusing to expand medicaid or subsidies to the poor to afford insurance then you need to offer a SOLUTION to the problem. show him SC HAS a BETTER option for its residents, that you CARE about the welfare of ALL CITIZENS. you are in charge of the medical schools, REQUIRE that they offer a LOW COST CLINIC, that community service though providing care for the poor and uninsured are REQUIRED of ALL medical residents before completing their residency or fellowship. are you PAYING them to provide care anyway, so why not require them to "pay it forward" by offering and wORKING in indigent clinics run by the medical school for the poor,on a TRUE sliding scale, such as 10-30 dollars for a appt, not 80.00. That way people can see a orthopedic doctor, or get their pacemaker checked, see a urologist. etc. residents and fellows are a PAID position in YOUR STATE MEDICAL SCHOOL, OUR STATE IS PAYING THEM.it comes out of YOUR BUDGET.Their is NO REASON AT ALL community service should NOT be REQUIRED by MUSC or USC to help the poor. I can't be seen at the USC school of medicine in their indigent ortho clinic because I am not a resident of richland, lexington, or fairfield county, the fact that YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOLS can REFUSE to see a LEGAL RESIDENT of SC based solely on county of residence, is ridiculous. It is state supported discrimination. You say you cant do anything about it, but you can, ultimately the buck stops with YOU. PERIOD. a legal resident should be able to receive low cost care at a state medical facility no matter WHAT PART OF THE STATE YOU LIVE IN.PERIOD. aiken regional needs to be stopped from this blatant discriminatory policy, it is obvious they are filtering pts to a community clinic, but that clinic does not offer emergency services, and federal law says you have the right to stabilizing services, regardless of ability to pay, they have now determined unless you are dying, you are not worthy of their time, unless of course you have insurance. when will you take a stand for the uninsured of SC? when will we care? my foot will never heal properly because of the lack of treatment options available to me.Because doctors even state medical schools can refuse to see a pt based on financial status. a STATE SCHOOL can refuse a appt all because someone doesn't live in the appropriate county. you and your congress allow YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOLS TO REFUSE to even MAKE an appointment, even with a doctors referral, all because of someones financial status.when will you speak up for us? when will we have a voice? I look forward to your RESPONSE on this issue. Sharon E. Storck