My most recent brush with mainstream medicine: Flu vaccines for the kids

    

        I must first be very clear and state that I believe in vaccination.  The benefits of vaccination far out weigh the risks.  Do persons occasionally develop vaccine-related side effects?  Yes, but the likelihood of any major complication is vanishingly small.  This is little consolation for those one in a million instances where a major side effect does occur, but it is the truth.  There is no relationship between autism and vaccination.  This proclaimed relationship has been effectively debunked.  Is there mercury still in some vaccines?  Yes, some flu vaccines still use very small doses of thimerasol, a mercury containing preservative.  Is there any proven or even suggestion of an association between these vaccines and autism or other health problems?  No.  There has been a growing undercurrent of persons refusing to be vaccinated or to have their children vaccinated.  In my opinion, this is foolhardy.  Clearly, these people have never seen a case of measles, mumps, or the complications of chickenpox.  Needless to say, my wife, my kids, and I always get the recommended vaccines.

On Thursday of this week, I opened a few bills which just happened to be from my hospital.  Beth had taken our 3 sons for a drop-in visit with the nurse in early January to get the recommended flu shots.  All three received the inhaled nasal vaccine administered by the nurse.  They were in and out after just a few minutes.  We thought little more about the visit.  All tolerated the vaccine, and no one came down with the flu that winter.  It is now 8 months later…when I opened the bill for this encounter, my jaw dropped.  The hospital had billed our insurance company $195 for each child!  This included an $84 charge for a less than 5 minute clinic visit with the nurse, $27 for a “therapeutic service,” presumably holding the nasal inhaler to each child’s nose, and 84 more dollars for “pharmacy” costs.  The insurance agreed to pay a somewhat lower amount, but denied the $84 “clinic visit” cost outright.  Ultimately, this $84 per child was billed to us by the hospital.  $252 out of pocket for 3 flu shots!  Not only was I irate, but I was extremely embarrassed to work at an establishment which could even consider this being appropriate.  We could have taken all 3 children to the local Walgreen’s down the street and had each immunized for $20 apiece, tops.

Needless to say, I called the toll free number for “Questions about your bill?”  I immediately identified myself as a doctor and employee of the hospital, and asked to have my bill reviewed.  The first woman I spoke with was only able to parrot the charges listed on the bill back to me.  She confirmed that I in fact did owe $252.  After I expressed my frustration, she connected me with her supervisor.  The supervisor was sympathetic and she said that she too would be shocked by such a bill.  She said she would look into the matter and get back to me.  Four days have passed and I am still waiting.  I am hopeful she will eventually get back to me with the matter resolved, and by “resolved,” I mean that I owe no money, but we will see.  The larger matter is that experiences like this, and we all have had them, add to one’s disillusionment with “modern medicine.” Why do my employer and I both spend hundreds of dollars a month for my health insurance if I get screwed in the end?  It is no small wonder that millions of persons in the U.S. and worldwide have said enough is enough and have sought alternatives for their medical care.  While the costs may be fully “out of pocket” when seeing most alternative practitioners, at least you have a better idea of what you are paying for.  I am not yet condoning any “alternative” modality over traditional care, but I am still early in my journey and I can’t promise what my final conclusion will be!  Nevertheless, I will continue to get my children and myself vaccinated even if it means a few inconveniences.

[Next week, a new acupuncturist]