Escalating costs of health care in Nova Scotia are increasingly in the news. This is a serious problem and I agree there is not easy solution… but…listen to this story!
We recently spent a 10 day vacation in the USA. After a few days, I needed to get some medical attention for a minor issue. Our US friends had 2 suggestions…. go to the nearest hospital emergency room, be seen by a GP after a good 5 hour wait and pay an emergency fee of approximately US$1000…. or…. go to a nearby clinic, be seen within a few minutes, and pay a fee of US$400. The decision was not hard to make! The local clinic was the cheapest and easiest solution.
Upon my return, I submitted my health expenses to Nova Scotia Health. All reimbursements ( medical visit, test and medications, for a total of US$400) were denied because I was seen, diagnosed and prescribed by a qualified US Nurse Practitioner and NOT a qualified GP.
Nova Scotia Health would have preferred that I incur over US$1000 to remedy this minor issue in the very same manner at the local emergency service of a hospital…. then my exorbitant claim would have been accepted I I would have been fully reimbursed!
Way to go Nova Scotia Health! Way to go!
—H J
This article appears in Mar 6-12, 2014.
I doubt MSI would have reimbursed you…period…nor should they. MSI was created to cover NS insured residents for services within NS, unless certain treatments unavailable within the province were approved in advance. Some may consider this to be ruthless, but the policy is in place to protect NS tax payers from gouging by out of province providers. I fail to see what you’re bitching about…next time consider private travel insurance. The cost is minimal and, as proven, it would have gotten you out of a jam. C’est la vie OP…can’t say I fell any sympathy for you.
So I guess the ‘cheaper’ way wasn’t cheaper afterall…
but you did save us taxpayers a cool grand and for that, we thank you.
http://www.tuvez.com/wp-content/uploads/20…
“Wahhhhh, I have enough money to go on vacation AND pay for my own out of country health costs, wahhhh”
Nobody cares that you are stupid enough to leave the country without travel insurance!
Me again Sparky….quiet day in Shawshank. In light of your lack of travel planning and common sense. You should have requested Pterodactyl Airlines fly below 10,000 ft to avoid the whole cabin pressure thing. That way you could have hung your bare arse out the door in flight and suffered a real malady. As they say…GO BIG OR STAY HOME!
Well, maybe next time you’ll be smart enough to spend the $15 on travel insurance.
Fuck you and your $400 medical expense. That’s half an oil tank for yours truly. Next time, don’t do me any favours and go big with the 1K.
I guess OP never heard of getting Blue Cross medical insurance when travelling to the states….never leave home without it.
ob, next time get travel insurance for $10.
Likely thinks MSI should cover Vet Bills also.
So you feel you should be compensated although you are not following the rules…?!
travel insurance
repeat 10 times.
Blame it on the smokers! Frankly I’m quite surprised that nobody already has.
Actually your story suggests that we should use a co-payment or voucher system to reduce inefficiencies in the health care system (e.g. lower wait times). $1,000 emergency cost would reduce the number of maroons visiting the ED for a common cold.