She literally called me at the time of the appointment to tell me she can’t see me. She was so apologetic, but was like “I absolutely can treat you, but I’m not allowed by your insurance”. Fuck this country.

Update: I went to urgent care. Before leaving home, I called to be sure they would accept my insurance (Aetna). They said yes… After arriving for my appointment, they told me they do not accept my insurance. I will simply leave without paying.

Final Update: I can understand that that differences in physical biology demand different attention. That’s not what I’m complaining about. It’s the way it’s set up. I was told that at my appointment. Why not just refer me to a specialist? The website could’ve even just referred me to urgent care (yes, my insurance requires a primary care physician’s referral for urgent care, according to the urgent care facility). But, no, their goal is to obfuscate and irritate until the patient gives you and pays out-of-pocket.

I was able to receive care at a cost I could not afford. I won’t discuss what I had to do to “find” the money to pay for care and prescriptions. That being said, the condition I was diagnosed with was more serious than a simple infection, and I’m glad that I saw a doctor. I need further treatment and just hope I can get insurance to cover any of it.

If you’re an American reading this, please consider ways to get involved in organizing in support of Medicare For All in your community. Here is one resource I have found. We don’t need to live like this. We deserve better. Stay safe and healthy, friends.

  • smokinjoe@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I think most everyone knows this would have to be in the USA.

    Sorry OP, I really hope those greedy assholes just made some shitty mistake.

  • ivlarac@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It’s painful to read stories like this. I really feel for all the people who can’t afford to see a doctor whenever they need it.

    I live in Spain and here we have a social security network paid by the people through taxes. It has its flaws, as probably everything has, but we have people here saying that it doesn’t work and we’d be better paying for private insurances to get better attention and pay less taxes.

    The thing is that today a private insurance can cost 50-100€ per person, something completly affordable, but what the people saying this doesn’t take into account is that the private companies have a backup with the national health service. The private insurance is great for small things, seeing your physician, a small surgery… but if you have a serious problem they’ll send you to the national health service to be treated.

    I hope you can have a proper treatment for your illness and that it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg. I also hope that your country can find a way to help everyone equally and not just those who can afford it.

  • justhach@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The entirely of modern America could be summarized with “Mildly Infiruating”, tbh.

    It is utterly baffling to me how the US has not figured out nationalized healthcare. Literally every other developped nation in the western hemisphere has at this point.

    A politician could come out and say “my number one priority is to ensure that every American has access to healthcare, paid for by the state”, and would instantly be villified by like half the country, and that’s insane.

  • salt@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Are you sure this isn’t just a CVS thing? It says the same thing for me and I know my insurance covers UTIs for everyone. Maybe try an urgent care?

    • DRx@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This is correct… there is 2 things to remember here

      1. CVS only has nurse practitioners, nurses, or pharmacists that are doing the screening, and must refer for certain cases
      2. There are 2 types of UTIs….
      • complicated and uncomplicated
      • Men ALWAYS have a complicated uti due to the anatomy of where the uti is located
      • women can have either, these NPs are only allowed to treat UNCOMPLICATED UTIS and must refer all complicated cases to a physician.

      FYI it has nothing to do with insurance

  • goldenbug@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I am sorry this is happening to you. I cannot even phantom why this is the case, anyone could please explain to me why UTIs are not covered for men?

    • borkcorkedforks@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      There is a documented thing insurance companies have started doing where they deny claims until you appeal them. AI was being used somehow to determine which cases.

    • Nobody5585@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Unless you are unemployed. Then you have to pay the unemployed tax (GSS) whether you use the healthcare services or not.

      • x4740N@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That sounds so fucking stupid

        You’re unemployed so pay us money you can’t recoup until we make you homeless

  • haxguru@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Are the people in the comments bots or real people? It’s too good to be true that so many people have switched to Lemmy!!

  • guyman@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Sounds like discrimination based on sex. A clear violation of the Civil Rights act of 1964.

    • average650@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It might be, but some health related coverage is legitimately divided along sex lines. I don’t know what the answer is, but it might not be so simple.

      Stupid either way though.

    • Landrin201@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Car insurance companies are literally allowed to discriminate by sex and will openly tell you that they do so, why would health insurance be different?

      • UniquesNotUseful@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits different treatment of insured persons on the basis of their sex in connection with pension funds. This was a supreme court ruling, so kind of linked but not quite.

        https://www.jstor.org/stable/253100

        Interestingly, in UK and EU it became illegal to discriminate by sex for car insurance from about 2012, without very careful use of data - which doesn’t happen. It is allowed to be linked on things like jobs though.

        • STUPIDVIPGUY@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          newsflash: US never cared about civil rights and despite it being “law” it gets regularly ignored on an institutional scale

  • tigaente@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    That’s disgusting if you ask me.

    Also, you have to be 18+ for getting a contraception appointment. I guess teens in the US are also having sex like teens in other parts of the world and would very much need access to contraceptives, right?

  • Texas_Hangover@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Just tell them you identify as female. They won’t be able to say shit unless they start throwing religion at you.

  • BurnTheRight@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    There is a cause and there is a solution for our disgusting system.

    Conservatives (including neo-liberals) serve corporations, not citizens. If we can marginalize conservatives (including neo-liberals), then we can have nice things like the other 31 developed nations on earth.

    This cannot improve while conservatives (including neo-liberals) have power in our nation’s government. Period.

  • citsuah@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    do get it treated OP, however one does that in that joke of a country you’re unfortunate enough to live in. Do know that unlike female UTIs which are relatively common and often uncomplicated if treated, male UTIs are not common and CAN herald some other underlying pathologies (such as urinary stones, blockages, anatomical problems etc) which should be properly investigated. So do go see a doctor if you’re able to.