Still smoking support and chat thread

[aikanae1]

OMG!!! Are you still in limbo after all that time? Hopefully they were able to treat you there and refer you, instead of sending you home in pain with issues. Good luck Aik!

I'm on my way to get my new partial, it's finally ready. I'm so excited, although already dreading the trip. They seem to have forgotten the reason I sought their services in the 1st place, anxiety and fright. Nowadays they just breeze me right in and start procedures without a second thought. Last time I had to hold up both hands and request a chance to breathe. The assistant talked me through it with visualizations, bless her, because I thought I was going to suffocate.

Hope you're all having a great day!

Yup. That's one of the reasons ppl avoid dentists.

I don't want to get into too much detail (because I'm steaming mad) but I have nothing. They couldn't find the crystals this time for psuedogout. A lot of questions which is stupid. They drained the fluid; bloody and cloudy (not good), did gram stain, this and that. Ortho thought it was torn cartilidge (possible. my knee has locked before) then told them I was in 3 weeks prior. Not one of these fools had checked and I think I mentioned it hourly. My temp was 98 which is a fever for me because I normally am 96. It's like they didn't believe me either. I finally got Tramadol and it's making my stomach do flip flops. No idea why NSAIDS caused such horrible bleeding and that's why I was told to go to ER in the first place. I'm really ....... I felt like the Marx Bros. could have done a better job. Oh yea, the only food offered was ham and cheese sandwich; all of which made me sicker. I did sleep through a lot of it. I called the nurse who sent me to the ER and read her the riot act. The doctor they referred me to was another primary care doc - not a specialist! If I say much more it's gonna get censored. I'm living on soda crackers. I've added 20lbs from the cortisone I guess. They won't give me more of that.

 

[DoloresB]

Yup. That's one of the reasons ppl avoid dentists.

I don't want to get into too much detail (because I'm steaming mad) but I have nothing. They couldn't find the crystals this time for psuedogout. A lot of questions which is stupid. They drained the fluid; bloody and cloudy (not good), did gram stain, this and that. Ortho thought it was torn cartilidge (possible. my knee has locked before) then told them I was in 3 weeks prior. Not one of these fools had checked and I think I mentioned it hourly. My temp was 98 which is a fever for me because I normally am 96. It's like they didn't believe me either. I finally got Tramadol and it's making my stomach do flip flops. No idea why NSAIDS caused such horrible bleeding and that's why I was told to go to ER in the first place. I'm really ....... I felt like the Marx Bros. could have done a better job. Oh yea, the only food offered was ham and cheese sandwich; all of which made me sicker. I did sleep through a lot of it. I called the nurse who sent me to the ER and read her the riot act. The doctor they referred me to was another primary care doc - not a specialist! If I say much more it's gonna get censored. I'm living on soda crackers. I've added 20lbs from the cortisone I guess. They won't give me more of that.

Sorry, Aik, but I can't "like" this. Why are these people not listening to you? Why are they not helping you? This is absolute insanity!

You need to see a rheumatologist, and an orthopedic surgeon for your knee. Primary care docs only have a basic working knowledge of what you're going through right now. Why can't they just admit that this is beyond their expertise and refer you to a specialist??

 

[aikanae1]

i use 100% vg nic / 100 VG base only pg is from the flavor, just thinking outside the box wud it make a difference if i used 80vg/20pg with 100%vg nic and pg flavor with a end result about 65vg / 35pg, wud the flavor change or stay similar

Oops. I had it backwards and thought you were trying to increase VG. The DIY forum is full of VG or PG debates. This is the first time I can think of where someone proposed doing a direct comparison. Do it and review. I'll be interested. My hunch is you'll have increased throat hit. Most ppl using that high VG also add DW to help carry flavor and that would increase TH (but maybe not as much).

Yea. It would be interesting to intentionaly do a comparison review of what some of the minor additives/base changes actually do.

I assume your flavors arrived.

​

 

[aikanae1]

Wow Karen. Another win! Good for you! An SVD is a pretty nice prize too. Congratulations.

I still do not do Facebook. But, I tell ya, there seems to be a lot of ecig stuff going on over there. I hate giving personal info out though on something like that.

How do you get a FB acct without posting personal info and email, etc.? Does everybody just make stuff up. I do not even know how to do that and not be linked to the real me. I would make a sorry excuse for a criminal, not smart enough. Even to set up another email don't you have put some real info If somebody knows, please PM me.

Yes ppl do just make stuff up. I started on FB that way and it got to be a PITA because I had so many old friends I was connecting with that I finally opened a "real" acct under my real name. You don't have to fill in any of your profile. FB will bug ya too. I did but set everything to PRIVATE. I still use a "spam" email address with them and not my primary one. Ppl can email me directly through FB. The most annoying were "invites" and game scores since I don't play FB games. If I hover over the arrow on the top right of the post, I can select "I don't want to hear from whatever again". That's handy. I was getting ads, like PetSmart, and I did the same thing only reported as "spam". Viola. No more.

I was not crazy about using FB at first but I've gotten used to it. There's a lot of ppl I wouldn't normally connect with that I do on FB and I enjoy that aspect. When I first moved to Tucson, I locked myself out and posted on FB. A volunteer from a group I had joined locally saved my day (I had met them before). It's very cool for stuff like that IMO. Now I wish all my friends were on it since it makes staying in touch so much easier.

I think you would love FB with the new grandbaby and you can keep all the settings PRIVATE. If you sign up, plan on taking some extra time to run through all the settings. That really is key. You can view your page/timeline as different ppl to make sure you have your settings correct. But I think it'll be simple for you since you probably won't want to share much.

​

 

[ShariR]

That is how I feel morally. I am hoping that the kid was just showing off. You know being a donkey's behind. He had his friend their and I am an old(er) lady that stopped in the shop. Do not want to get the kid fired but I do want to have a talk with the owner, to feel out his views and see if he advocates this business opinion. I am also going to check out the other vape shop in town near the other high school and see if they are selling to kids. Then a chat with both owners and if no change, a chat with either our mayor or city planning and zoning or show up at next city council meeting. Stopped in at Nashville Vapor today in next town over, they also have a mother shop in Nashville. Run real nice and set up nice. Very expensive and higher end equipment and sells upscale juices like The Standard and Alice in Vapeland. Targeting different market.

I do not have the time right now or the inclination to get into a big fight with a couple of tiny businesses one on one. I do not need the headaches. I do have a concern about who they are selling to and fraud and potentially harming a high school kid who wants to sub ohm.

The thing is, I can not purchase a pack of cigarettes or a 6 pack of beer for DH at the grocery store or gas station without handing over my Driver's License and I am almost 60. These shops should be held to the same standard, but it is not the law in TN. I bet it will be soon. I do not want it to take a kid blowing his hand or face off for something to be done. I do not want laws against vaping and selling of product(s). But greed is rising fast here.

I am thinking about how I want to approach this matter. I can be a bit over bearing and come on too strong. I have to calm down and think it through so I do not make a mess of it. This town is small enough that it could make the local newspaper (which means nothing ever happens here).

Shari I would explain to the owner how if he doesn't stop selling to kids your going to the next PTA and school board meetings to clue in parents. Then follow through if need be. While we don't want negative attention brought to vaping there is STILL a right and wrong and no matter how harmless we as vapers feel it is - it's still wrong to market and sell to kids.

 

[mountainbikermark]

Yes ppl do just make stuff up. I started on FB that way and it got to be a PITA because I had so many old friends I was connecting with that I finally opened a "real" acct under my real name. You don't have to fill in any of your profile. FB will bug ya too. I did but set everything to PRIVATE. I still use a "spam" email address with them and not my primary one. Ppl can email me directly through FB. The most annoying were "invites" and game scores since I don't play FB games. If I hover over the arrow on the top right of the post, I can select "I don't want to hear from whatever again". That's handy. I was getting ads, like PetSmart, and I did the same thing only reported as "spam". Viola. No more.

I was not crazy about using FB at first but I've gotten used to it. There's a lot of ppl I wouldn't normally connect with that I do on FB and I enjoy that aspect. When I first moved to Tucson, I locked myself out and posted on FB. A volunteer from a group I had joined locally saved my day (I had met them before). It's very cool for stuff like that IMO. Now I wish all my friends were on it since it makes staying in touch so much easier.

I think you would love FB with the new grandbaby and you can keep all the settings PRIVATE. If you sign up, plan on taking some extra time to run through all the settings. That really is key. You can view your page/timeline as different ppl to make sure you have your settings correct. But I think it'll be simple for you since you probably won't want to share much.

​

Lotta folks I know are moving to Pintrest for photo sharing without all the drama of other social media sites.
I've been posting on Facebook since Myspace was still popular. I just ignore all the junk Facebook spams incessantly.

Support Our Troops!!!
<><
s pen aholic in Beast Mode (Notetoo)

 

[fpkites]

Laws or not, selling to minors goes against everything the online vaping communities are trying to promote - vaping with or without nicotine is targeted at adults. The technology in general is targeted at current smokers for Pete's sake! It's common sense.

All 4 B&Ms within 3 miles of my house have a big sign saying they will not sell to anybody under 18 years old. I was actually in, IIRC E-Cigs of Denver, and she jokingly asked if I was over 18 when I stepped up to the counter for my juice order and a drip tip.

Vaporleaf turned away 2 obvious kids coming in together when I went in for my K100 mech mod.

Shops that sell to minors only lead to more negative press (of which we have MORE than enough), which leads to regulation, and ultimately taxation if not full restrictions. That's that last thing we need.

That is how I feel morally. I am hoping that the kid was just showing off. You know being a donkey's behind. He had his friend their and I am an old(er) lady that stopped in the shop. Do not want to get the kid fired but I do want to have a talk with the owner, to feel out his views and see if he advocates this business opinion. I am also going to check out the other vape shop in town near the other high school and see if they are selling to kids. Then a chat with both owners and if no change, a chat with either our mayor or city planning and zoning or show up at next city council meeting. Stopped in at Nashville Vapor today in next town over, they also have a mother shop in Nashville. Run real nice and set up nice. Very expensive and higher end equipment and sells upscale juices like The Standard and Alice in Vapeland. Targeting different market.

I do not have the time right now or the inclination to get into a big fight with a couple of tiny businesses one on one. I do not need the headaches. I do have a concern about who they are selling to and fraud and potentially harming a high school kid who wants to sub ohm.

The thing is, I can not purchase a pack of cigarettes or a 6 pack of beer for DH at the grocery store or gas station without handing over my Driver's License and I am almost 60. These shops should be held to the same standard, but it is not the law in TN. I bet it will be soon. I do not want it to take a kid blowing his hand or face off for something to be done. I do not want laws against vaping and selling of product(s). But greed is rising fast here.

I am thinking about how I want to approach this matter. I can be a bit over bearing and come on too strong. I have to calm down and think it through so I do not make a mess of it. This town is small enough that it could make the local newspaper (which means nothing ever happens here).

 

[ShariR]

Oh my goodness! I am sorry you were in the hospital. I hope they made some progress in finding the problem. You are having a rough go of it and it sounds like you are not getting the medical care you need. I know you have done a lot of work getting good doctors. Do you have at least one that you can trust and go to for some help? Sending you hugs and energy to get through this. You will. You are a fighter.

I haven't finished reading comments yet. I spent 17 hours at the hospital yesterday. They have no idea what's going on. That's a long story with a lot of phone calls. I haven't even thought about this yet. "Bill me later" is a seperate company. It's on Amazon and most major sites. Most my day is shot today too. And tomorrow. What a pain.

 

[ShariR]

I used to make them drug me or put me out. Does not work with dentures. I feel for you. But I do not have anxiety like you. I just hate them. Mine in particular. Good luck and bet you love it!

OMG!!! Are you still in limbo after all that time? Hopefully they were able to treat you there and refer you, instead of sending you home in pain with issues. Good luck Aik!

I'm on my way to get my new partial, it's finally ready. I'm so excited, although already dreading the trip. They seem to have forgotten the reason I sought their services in the 1st place, anxiety and fright. Nowadays they just breeze me right in and start procedures without a second thought. Last time I had to hold up both hands and request a chance to breathe. The assistant talked me through it with visualizations, bless her, because I thought I was going to suffocate.

Hope you're all having a great day!

 

[ShariR]

I am trembling with anger at your hospital experience. I have gone through similar in doctors office with my past medical history. I had one ortho surgeon tell me I did not have my 1993 multi level cervical fusion because he did not see the evidence of it in my neck MRI in 2008. By then it had disintegrated, which is what the 1993 ortho surgeon told me would happen over the years. The doctor actually called me a liar in not so many words. He would not look at my med records from 1993 that I had in my hand.

So I hear your anger. I think todays medical treatment is being modeled after McDonalds. Devise a business plan and follow it. Take out common sense and humanity.

I do hope you can make some headway with this. I am sorry to say that I have no suggestions to offer you. I just hope that I do not get the same treatment when I decide to have my heart attack or stroke from my heart problems. I will be dead if that is the case.

Yup. That's one of the reasons ppl avoid dentists.

I don't want to get into too much detail (because I'm steaming mad) but I have nothing. They couldn't find the crystals this time for psuedogout. A lot of questions which is stupid. They drained the fluid; bloody and cloudy (not good), did gram stain, this and that. Ortho thought it was torn cartilidge (possible. my knee has locked before) then told them I was in 3 weeks prior. Not one of these fools had checked and I think I mentioned it hourly. My temp was 98 which is a fever for me because I normally am 96. It's like they didn't believe me either. I finally got Tramadol and it's making my stomach do flip flops. No idea why NSAIDS caused such horrible bleeding and that's why I was told to go to ER in the first place. I'm really ....... I felt like the Marx Bros. could have done a better job. Oh yea, the only food offered was ham and cheese sandwich; all of which made me sicker. I did sleep through a lot of it. I called the nurse who sent me to the ER and read her the riot act. The doctor they referred me to was another primary care doc - not a specialist! If I say much more it's gonna get censored. I'm living on soda crackers. I've added 20lbs from the cortisone I guess. They won't give me more of that.

 

[lulu836]

How would you do that?
Nude Nic is making an EM with 100% Vg. The only one I know of.
I've heard a tiny bit of saline (.9% pharmacetical) adds "crispness" to fruits w/ ppl trying to get real fruit taste and not candy.

Especially for DIY:
Add 2 drops of lemon juice per 5ml of any non-tobacco ejuice
Add 2 drops of apple cider vinegar per 5ml of any tobacco ejuice
It improves the taste a bunch. YMMV

 

[ShariR]

I know I am going to have a talk with the shop owner. One on one, without customers present. Just not tomorrow. I am too busy with 3 contractors coming to the house over the next two days. It is stressful at my home now. But the talk with owner will happen soon. I will be nice about it. If they continue to sell to minors there will be enough hot heads and parents to do battle. I will just let owner know what his employees are doing when he is not there. I did not see a sign about sale to minors or age restriction info in the shop, but I did not specifically look for it. If it was there it was not prominent.

There is little vape stuff going on here outside of the tobacco shops selling Blu type stuff and a few B&Ms popping up with the ego and Innokin stuff. Quick and easy starter, make money fast stuff. Nashville Vapor is the main goto for the higher end stuff and they are a quality business. No young kids hanging out there.

Laws or not, selling to minors goes against everything the online vaping communities are trying to promote - vaping with or without nicotine is targeted at adults. The technology in general is targeted at current smokers for Pete's sake! It's common sense.

All 4 B&Ms within 3 miles of my house have a big sign saying they will not sell to anybody under 18 years old. I was actually in, IIRC E-Cigs of Denver, and she jokingly asked if I was over 18 when I stepped up to the counter for my juice order and a drip tip.

Vaporleaf turned away 2 obvious kids coming in together when I went in for my K100 mech mod.

Shops that sell to minors only lead to more negative press (of which we have MORE than enough), which leads to regulation, and ultimately taxation if not full restrictions. That's that last thing we need.

 

[Karen N Daytona]

I have ecabs. What you want to know?

how do they vape? are they better than a cig-a-like ? a std ego? they are supposed to be between cig-a-like and ego size

 

[aikanae1]

Oh my goodness! I am sorry you were in the hospital. I hope they made some progress in finding the problem. You are having a rough go of it and it sounds like you are not getting the medical care you need. I know you have done a lot of work getting good doctors. Do you have at least one that you can trust and go to for some help? Sending you hugs and energy to get through this. You will. You are a fighter.

I'm new in town so don't know very many. The few referrals I got were out of network or not accepting new patients (before Obamacare/Romneycare). There's a serious shortage anyway. It can take >6 weeks to see a doctor for a new appt. A current one can take 3 weeks which is why it's good to have one connected to a hospital, like an er. They should have access to all my medical records since I go to the clinic associated with the hospital. In all fairness, this is a teaching hospital too. So there are a lot of residents, but I usually meet the attending physican. They aren't on their own and actually it's kind of entertaining. They ask a question, run out of the room and run back in with another question. But in my experience, the attending physican usually is more focused on getting a diagnosis than in a std ER due to the learning enviroment. Another aspect on why it took so long was that all of a sudden there were several acciedents come in. One was a 4 car pile up that was quite serious and a steady stream of patients just when I was waiting for ortho to arrive. The halls were full of stretchers. Poor girl next to me was probably only 19. The truck in front of her had a load come loose and smashed her into a wall. She had just gotten off work and had no insurance. The hospital told her not to worry. Her mom arrived and the social worker went to work to get her covered on her mom's insurance. It was one less thing for her to freak out about (and she was). Just the type of hospital they are, she'd be fully treated without insurance. But all that commotion delayed my discharge 4 hours.

But they tapped my fluid last time and then again. Ran all the tests. There was no reason for them not to have a direction. No reason ortho didn't look up my previous records. And then there was total ignorance when it came to prescribtions when I left. That was an inexcusable zoo. And then the stupid refferal to another primary care? Good grief. I called hospital administration and then the nurse with the clinic to lodge my complaints. I know they heard me. I should not have to spend full time to get basic minimal care. That's stupid. I have more faith in my ability to dx at this point and that's time consuming. I've been in situations before where nurses know more than doctors and this appears to be another one of those. That's who I'm going to deal with from now on.

Connect with your local vape meet on FB and get some feedback from them for your area. Your not going to change the world and the owner may not see eye to eye with you, but find out where he's coming from first. Don't just assume. What his employees said is not a sustainable business model. If they are attracting kids with sub ohms, then they can't get away with selling just egos. Ppl into sub ohms are in it for flavor and a handful of DIY liquids won't satisfy. Kids are tech savy and they will be online, figure out the difference PDQ. They may buy once but not twice from a shop like that. There's more to that story or else the shop will wither away.

Contacting a local rep to limit sales to 18 and over is a good idea anyway. It short circuits ANTZ trying to get more extensive bans. I think CASAA already has model bills written up. It might be worth a letter reguardless. That's something the local high school would support without getting all emotionally crazy. You'd probably get a ton of signatures in a single visit.

 

[Karen N Daytona]

Aikanae, it seems to me you are going to have to make waves. I know you know how, you probably know with whom. You can't let this get worse. Not only does it sound painful but adding more trauma could mean more intensive work needed. I would go see the primary care jerk and demand a referral. Nobody wants to deal with this garbage anymore. I dread when I finally get my Medicare what it will be like, I don't know yet whether it will be Medicaid too. The mentality at hospitals is to stabilize and dump the patient to a primary car Dr. even if you don't have one.

With Obama care, if you are like me without a dime sure you can have Obama care, but you pay or you will find your Dr. is 70 miles away. In other words no Dr.= false hopes. Even with the government subsidy of $417.00 per month!!!!!!Do you know that if you don't use the whole amount and take the most substandard insurance aka covers nothing and hospital can be over 70 miles away, you get refundable tax credit?!!!!!! I would have had to kick in almost $30.00 to get a dr close by. crazy! I don't have $.30 let alone $30.00 so, I have to wait for medicare and my money to come. It may work better in bigger cities, but not where I live.

I hope and pray that you get relief from the pain!

 

[aikanae1]

Lotta folks I know are moving to Pintrest for photo sharing without all the drama of other social media sites.
I've been posting on Facebook since Myspace was still popular. I just ignore all the junk Facebook spams incessantly.

Support Our Troops!!!
<><
s pen aholic in Beast Mode (Notetoo)

I've got a pretty extensive Pinterest board going on Vape Porn. Mainly stuff ppl have modified their devices with. Some info and some meme's stuff. I couldn't resist.
http://www.pinterest.com/susyns/vape-porn/

 

[aikanae1]

Aikanae, it seems to me you are going to have to make waves. I know you know how, you probably know with whom. You can't let this get worse. Not only does it sound painful but adding more trauma could mean more intensive work needed. I would go see the primary care jerk and demand a referral. Nobody wants to deal with this garbage anymore. I dread when I finally get my Medicare what it will be like, I don't know yet whether it will be Medicaid too. The mentality at hospitals is to stabilize and dump the patient to a primary car Dr. even if you don't have one.

With Obama care, if you are like me without a dime sure you can have Obama care, but you pay or you will find your Dr. is 70 miles away. In other words no Dr.= false hopes. Even with the government subsidy of $417.00 per month!!!!!!Do you know that if you don't use the whole amount and take the most substandard insurance aka covers nothing and hospital can be over 70 miles away, you get refundable tax credit?!!!!!! I would have had to kick in almost $30.00 to get a dr close by. crazy! I don't have $.30 let alone $30.00 so, I have to wait for medicare and my money to come. It may work better in bigger cities, but not where I live.

I hope and pray that you get relief from the pain!

Your not eligble for Obamacare with Medicare. Medicaid will cover your part A and B if you qualify. Never give up traditional Medicare - you can go anywhere with it. Medicare has become the most awesome insurance possible. Just stay out of HMO's. Almost all doctors take Medicare. Nobody takes Medicaid. Some of the Medicare HMO's are as bad as Medicaid and they can charge more than traditional Medicare - crazy but that's what happens with insurance. We really should have had Medicare for all. If Florida has Medigap, grab it even if it costs $300+ a month, then everything is covered even at private hospitals, everywhere in every state. No qualifying if you get when Medicare begins. If you wait, you'll have to qualify and with your history, you won't. But $300/mth is cheap for top notch care that everyone accepts.

I hate Medicaid. I love Medicare. Don't get confused. If you have both the state may try to push you into giving up Medicare traditional because they get paid more for it.

There's a ton of misinformation circulating about Obamacare. Despite it's problems, it's better than nothing which is what we had before. It's like anything else, order the cheapest and that's what you get. The insurance companies are not honest either and they don't help ppl find the best plans. A lot of southern states are trying to prevent ppl from signing up too.

The problems I'm having have nothing to do with Obamacare. They existed before that. There is a very serious shortage of doctors in this state and some of it is political. Doctors don't like to work with HMO's here because they "can't stay true to their hypocractic oath". I've had 5 good ones leave the state or take early retirement because they were "spooked". There are few state regulations (smaller gov't) and HMO's don't need to follow medical standards for utilization. The state is also a front runner in "tort reform" which makes it impossible to sue if something goes wrong. Insurance can do (or not) whatever it wants, i.e. a low risk hedge fund for investors. At least this place creates medical records. A few I went to before say they don't. Perfectly legal.

 

[Karen N Daytona]

I was going to use the Obama care before I found out I was finally getting my disability, that's how I found out about the problem with the doctors being 70 miles away. If I hadn't looked it up to see who was on the Dr list, I never would have known. They don't tell you anything here
Up until this year roommate has both medicare And medicaid , he never had a Dr problem . Recently many doctors are refusing the medicaid and just billing the difference to him. Pain in the ....! I don't know about medigap but I will look at it tomorrow

Your not eligble for Obamacare with Medicare. Medicaid will cover your part A and B if you qualify. Never give up traditional Medicare - you can go anywhere with it. Medicare has become the most awesome insurance possible. Just stay out of HMO's. Almost all doctors take Medicare. Nobody takes Medicaid. Some of the Medicare HMO's are as bad as Medicaid and they can charge more than traditional Medicare - crazy but that's what happens with insurance. We really should have had Medicare for all. If Florida has Medigap, grab it even if it costs $300+ a month, then everything is covered even at private hospitals, everywhere in every state. No qualifying if you get when Medicare begins. If you wait, you'll have to qualify and with your history, you won't. But $300/mth is cheap for top notch care that everyone accepts.

I hate Medicaid. I love Medicare. Don't get confused. If you have both the state may try to push you into giving up Medicare traditional because they get paid more for it.

There's a ton of misinformation circulating about Obamacare. Despite it's problems, it's better than nothing which is what we had before. It's like anything else, order the cheapest and that's what you get. The insurance companies are not honest either and they don't help ppl find the best plans. A lot of southern states are trying to prevent ppl from signing up too.

The problems I'm having have nothing to do with Obamacare. They existed before that. There is a very serious shortage of doctors in this state and some of it is political. Doctors don't like to work with HMO's here because they "can't stay true to their hypocractic oath". I've had 5 good ones leave the state or take early retirement because they were "spooked". There are few state regulations (smaller gov't) and HMO's don't need to follow medical standards for utilization. The state is also a front runner in "tort reform" which makes it impossible to sue if something goes wrong. Insurance can do (or not) whatever it wants, i.e. a low risk hedge fund for investors. At least this place creates medical records. A few I went to before say they don't. Perfectly legal.

 

[aikanae1]

I was going to use the Obama care before I found out I was finally getting my disability, that's how I found out about the problem with the doctors being 70 miles away. If I hadn't looked it up to see who was on the Dr list, I never would have known. They don't tell you anything here
Up until this year roommate has both medicare And medicaid , he never had a Dr problem . Recently many doctors are refusing the medicaid and just billing the difference to him. Pain in the ....! I don't know about medigap but I will look at it tomorrow

Billing your roommate is highly illegal if he's also got Medicaid. A lot of doctors don't know that and they should. That's one of the issues I'm looking into right now. It's dicey because I don't want doctors to stop treatment either. I want CMS to go after state Medicaid programs that aren't paying instead.

​

 

[GtrSoloist]

I'm in a similar situation, I qualify for and signed up for medicaid and got a medicaid card. During the process (which I started in December) I was forced to choose one of two HMO's to administrate the process. The HMO however has no idea that I am enrolled in their plan, so I can't pick a doctor or get anything done unless I go to an ER or urgent care center. Where or not they will pick up the tab for those services is still in question.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy about almost having health insurance (whatever it is it is still better than the none I had before,) but I am running out of all my meds. So I wait... not sure there is anything else I can do.