June 13th 2007 4:07 pm
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Okay, I am totally frustrated with the Veterinary world right now.

In the human world, if there is an "emergency" and you go to the ER, they have to see you and treat you. If you don't have insurance or a way to pay, they cannot refuse treatment in the ER (they can refuse to admit you, and transfer you to an hospital that will treat "indigent" patients). And in human hospitals, you can make payments, you don't have to pay the entire thing up front. I should know. I worked insurance billing while going to nursing school!

But in the vet world, if you don't have any money no one will see your pet no matter what. They can refuse to see you in the emergency clinic if you can't pay right then and there.

Then there is pet health insurance. Fine, I looked it up and there are some pretty reasonable plans around. But I have called six vets in my area and NOT A SINGLE ONE bills the insurance company. I have to pay, then they give me the statement and I send it to the insurance company for reimbursement.

Ummm, if I had the freaking money right at this moment, I wouldn't need to bill the insurance.

One place has a "hold check" agreement, but I do not have a checking account. If you are a poor student, unless someone is putting money into the account for you, you avoid checking accounts. A recipe for disaster, hot checks flying everywhere and the poor college student is now in more debt than before! So, I don't have a checking account. I have a savings account, and a debit card for the savings account. No checking. So I can't leave a check. The person answering the phone at this clinic said that sometimes people "borrow" checks from someone for them to hold, while they make the payments. Anyone want to loan me a check??? I didn't think so.

So, my dog is in pain, she limps and favors her right forepaw. Either she has sprained it or she has cut her paw or gotten a foreign body in her webbing. I can't see anything. She is confined to her kennel and I can't get anyone to actually look at her that knows what the heck they are doing! I can do humans, but I don't do dogs. I mean, I can handle the basics, but this is beyond my ken.

I am not a deadbeat, I am not trying to get medical services for my dog for free. I am not going to run out on the bill. Oh well. Time to take her out on the leash and let her walk around a bit.