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When you first become eligible for Medicare you get a special 'Introduction to Medicare' appointment with your doctor. It takes an hour or so, includes extra te

When you first become eligible for Medicare you get a special 'Introduction to Medicare' appointment with your doctor. It takes an hour or so, includes extra tests, and discussion of different topics. People might not be 'waiting for Medicare' but instead may simply mention things in this more detailed appointment, or get extra tests, that they wouldn't normally.

solosoyokaze 6y ago
I think most people wouldn't "normally" get a checkup like this because it's extremely expensive to not just go to the doctor, but also deal with any issues that may be diagnosed.
- PragmaticPulp 6y ago
  FYI: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many annual wellness checkups are covered without copay or coinsurance for anyone with insurance. Anyone concerned should check into these benefits. Obviously, those without any form of health insurance still fall through the cracks.
  - solosoyokaze 6y ago
    My point was that it’s not the checkup that costs a lot, it’s the treatment of what’s discovered that keeps people from wanting to get diagnosed in the first place.
  - zz865 6y ago
    Yeah its free until you get a random bill from the lab for tests that weren't covered.
  - maxerickson 6y ago
    Many providers will code those appointments differently if they depart from "preventative care". So like if you mention that your knee has been hurting, they will diagnose that and charge based on the diagnosis rather than the preventative care appointment.
  - ndqc 6y ago
    There are a thousand ways for unscrupulous providers to turn what you thought was a wellness checkup into whatever they want. I'm new to this, but on my first attempt at a "wellness checkup" the practice gave me a form to sign when I arrived explaining why they would be billing me: it wasn't really a "wellness checkup" because I might ask the doctor a question.
FalconSensei 6y ago
In Brazil, a poor 3rd world country, we diagnose that on public healthcare without problems, at any age. I guess money is not the problem, just deciding how to allocate it. For those who have insurance, yearly complete checkups are a thing for any adult, and the most basic insurances you get at work you would only pay the first $20 out of pocket for a doctor appointment and a few basic tests. But if you don't have private insurance, you would still get appointments and tests if you have any symptoms, and the doctors are probably going to order a few tests if you didn't do a checkup for more than a year. BTW: in my 15 years as diabetic there, I think I only bought insulin out of pocket 2 or 3 times - because I traveled and either forgot one (it's 2 insulins) or it went bad. Also, most of the time didn't pay for the test strips either. All paid by government. Saves them A LOT of money if diabetics don't get more sick and are able to work. In the times I had to buy, a pen cost like, $10 for the cheap, $30 for the expensive one?
- texasbigdata 6y ago
  Aren't you guys second world? With that darn acronym Bric? Not to be pedantic but approaching $2k per capita per month is a materially different life and culture than perhaps other comparable cultures at sub $1,000 per person per month
  - nine_k 6y ago
    "Second" used to be the communist bloc, led by USSR. USSR was disbanded about 30 years ago, but the idea of numbered "worlds" persist. (I'd assume that Russia and China are first-world countries now.)
    - seniorivn 6y ago
      there are no first world countries among former third world countries, only first world cities
      - oblio 6y ago
        Well, first world regions too, sometimes.
refurb 6y ago
Indeed. In Canada we have free healthcare and preventative screening but not everyone takes advantage of it. No doubt a comprehensive screen at age 65 would explain some of it. Edit: Indeed it does! Even those who have insurances prior to 65 see a spike. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/09416968-f2f8-4d15-9934-48603af93f34/cncr33498-fig-0001-m.jpg https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/094169...
- lostlogin 6y ago
  > free healthcare and preventative screening but not everyone takes advantage of it. Sometimes these things are explained by looking at them from the other side. People aren’t taking advantage because the system wasn’t geared towards them or excludes them, or did in the past. I have no idea what it’s like in Canada but the New Zealand healthcare system has some dark history and a history of institutional biases that are still a hinderance today. Despite being identified a long time ago, large gaps in healthcare exist here between various population groups. https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/reducineqal.pdf https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publicatio...
  - refurb 6y ago
    That is definitely true, but don't underestimate the number of patients who aren't all that interested or motivated to do what their doctor tells them to do. I worked in healthcare and even for very serious diseases, patient adherence to say taking their medicine regularly, is pretty atrocious (even when it's free).
    - lostlogin 6y ago
      Some of the things that have happened here are atrocious. It a while back now, but involuntary enrolment in a cervical cancer study occurred, where some patients were left to develop cancers to see if invasive cancer did actually occur. More relevant though, and ongoing are the regular stories and findings that New Zealand is doing poorly with Maori health, with cancers found later and worse outcomes when treated. This persists after 20+ years of effort that was supposed to address it. It’s really bad as the differences in outcome are huge. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartwright_Inquiry https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartwright_Inquiry https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/tatau-kahukura-maori-health-statistics/nga-mana-hauora-tutohu-health-status-indicators/cancer https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health... https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1907/Hauora_PrePubW.pdf https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1907/Hauora_PrePubW.pdf

solosoyokaze 6y ago

I think most people wouldn't "normally" get a checkup like this because it's extremely expensive to not just go to the doctor, but also deal with any issues that may be diagnosed.

PragmaticPulp 6y ago
FYI: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many annual wellness checkups are covered without copay or coinsurance for anyone with insurance. Anyone concerned should check into these benefits. Obviously, those without any form of health insurance still fall through the cracks.
- solosoyokaze 6y ago
  My point was that it’s not the checkup that costs a lot, it’s the treatment of what’s discovered that keeps people from wanting to get diagnosed in the first place.
- zz865 6y ago
  Yeah its free until you get a random bill from the lab for tests that weren't covered.
- maxerickson 6y ago
  Many providers will code those appointments differently if they depart from "preventative care". So like if you mention that your knee has been hurting, they will diagnose that and charge based on the diagnosis rather than the preventative care appointment.
- ndqc 6y ago
  There are a thousand ways for unscrupulous providers to turn what you thought was a wellness checkup into whatever they want. I'm new to this, but on my first attempt at a "wellness checkup" the practice gave me a form to sign when I arrived explaining why they would be billing me: it wasn't really a "wellness checkup" because I might ask the doctor a question.

FalconSensei 6y ago

In Brazil, a poor 3rd world country, we diagnose that on public healthcare without problems, at any age. I guess money is not the problem, just deciding how to allocate it. For those who have insurance, yearly complete checkups are a thing for any adult, and the most basic insurances you get at work you would only pay the first $20 out of pocket for a doctor appointment and a few basic tests. But if you don't have private insurance, you would still get appointments and tests if you have any symptoms, and the doctors are probably going to order a few tests if you didn't do a checkup for more than a year. BTW: in my 15 years as diabetic there, I think I only bought insulin out of pocket 2 or 3 times - because I traveled and either forgot one (it's 2 insulins) or it went bad. Also, most of the time didn't pay for the test strips either. All paid by government. Saves them A LOT of money if diabetics don't get more sick and are able to work. In the times I had to buy, a pen cost like, $10 for the cheap, $30 for the expensive one?

texasbigdata 6y ago
Aren't you guys second world? With that darn acronym Bric? Not to be pedantic but approaching $2k per capita per month is a materially different life and culture than perhaps other comparable cultures at sub $1,000 per person per month
- nine_k 6y ago
  "Second" used to be the communist bloc, led by USSR. USSR was disbanded about 30 years ago, but the idea of numbered "worlds" persist. (I'd assume that Russia and China are first-world countries now.)
  - seniorivn 6y ago
    there are no first world countries among former third world countries, only first world cities
    - oblio 6y ago
      Well, first world regions too, sometimes.

refurb 6y ago

Indeed. In Canada we have free healthcare and preventative screening but not everyone takes advantage of it. No doubt a comprehensive screen at age 65 would explain some of it. Edit: Indeed it does! Even those who have insurances prior to 65 see a spike. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/09416968-f2f8-4d15-9934-48603af93f34/cncr33498-fig-0001-m.jpg https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/094169...

lostlogin 6y ago
> free healthcare and preventative screening but not everyone takes advantage of it. Sometimes these things are explained by looking at them from the other side. People aren’t taking advantage because the system wasn’t geared towards them or excludes them, or did in the past. I have no idea what it’s like in Canada but the New Zealand healthcare system has some dark history and a history of institutional biases that are still a hinderance today. Despite being identified a long time ago, large gaps in healthcare exist here between various population groups. https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/reducineqal.pdf https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publicatio...
- refurb 6y ago
  That is definitely true, but don't underestimate the number of patients who aren't all that interested or motivated to do what their doctor tells them to do. I worked in healthcare and even for very serious diseases, patient adherence to say taking their medicine regularly, is pretty atrocious (even when it's free).
  - lostlogin 6y ago
    Some of the things that have happened here are atrocious. It a while back now, but involuntary enrolment in a cervical cancer study occurred, where some patients were left to develop cancers to see if invasive cancer did actually occur. More relevant though, and ongoing are the regular stories and findings that New Zealand is doing poorly with Maori health, with cancers found later and worse outcomes when treated. This persists after 20+ years of effort that was supposed to address it. It’s really bad as the differences in outcome are huge. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartwright_Inquiry https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartwright_Inquiry https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/tatau-kahukura-maori-health-statistics/nga-mana-hauora-tutohu-health-status-indicators/cancer https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health... https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1907/Hauora_PrePubW.pdf https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1907/Hauora_PrePubW.pdf