Letter to the Editor
Health care
Published Sunday, March 23, 2008
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Stumble It!March 19, 2008
To the editor:
Mike Maddox’s community perspective (March 18) was right on.
Our hospital is not “non-profit.” If it were it wouldn’t cost twice as much for seven hours here as two whole days in Anchorage.
The two days in Anchorage were having every test there was. Here they had to draw blood four times because it kept clotting before they got around to it.
The thing I object to is two people affiliated with the hospital making laws in Juneau. That is a conflict of interest.
I also object to the hospital buying up all this property. Could it mean they are looking to be our only health care provider in the future.
Think about it, “no choice.”
Community Discussion
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My son who is of legal age had an unfortunate accident with a skill saw two years ago and therefore had to have emergency surgey on his hand. You can imagine how costly that was as they kept him in the hospital over night and he did'nt have any Health Insurance. The surgeon did a good job with what he had to work with. But, when my sons finger healed it healed in a stiff and frozen straight position.
With the help of the local surgeon we gathered his medical records and made an appointment with a specialist in Seattle. Their findings were that my son would have a better quality of life if the finger were to be amputated.
Upon our return to Fairbanks we made an appointment with the original surgeon to go ahead with the amputation. The surgeon agreed to wave his fee because my son still did not have any Health Insurance. But when we contacted Fairbanks Memorial Hospital they flat out said "NO" because my son had an "OUTSTANDING BILL" and until it was paid in full he was not allowed to have anything done there until that bill was paid for.
My son is a carpenter by trade and finds it very hard to work with the finger the way it is. It's always getting in the way. I can't tell you the number of injuries involving that finger and the number of times he and I have had to doctor it up ourselves because the hospital told him he wasn't allowed there, and it's just because he's to afraid to go back to them.
So Fairbanks Memorial Hospital being a NON-PROFIT Organization, I'd say they're in it for the all mighty dollar.
I totally agree with you. They are not a non profit. If you look into companies that claim to be non profit you will be hard pressed to find something that actually fits those terms.
I have seen the hospital waive or lower peoples bills that they consider to be in hardship. But, it would be more reasonable to assume if they can pick and choose who's bills they forgive then they could probably afford to charge way less. The funny thing about this, one of the peoples who's bill they waived was not in any hardship at all.
One more thing, I had to go in for a CT scan and I asked up front the very most my bill would be - they told me $600 - $900 depending on what I was having scanned. 2 months later I received a bill and it was $1346. Go figure.
Don't feel like paying for medical services? Try witchdoctors and Chinese herbs. If FMH didn't have to treat all you people for "Free"(they have to by law), my bills wouldn't be so steep.
Charge us for there service ABSOLUTELY... but work with those that don't have medical insurance. But when something interfers with the quality of life of a human being, and is recommended by a qualified Surgeon and/or doctor that works within their hospital and/or clinics around town then Fairbanks Memorial Hospital should be able to work with a member of the community to make sure they get the best service possible to make it in the community as a decent citizen and not live hand to mouth and on Public assistance.
Tell me... since when does Chinese herbs take care of amputations?
I've dealt with the hospital on many different occassions and for reasons both as a patient and for business. During all of those interactions, you come to realize that the staff is just that, staff. The policies that they work under are decided by Banner Health and the State of Alaska. I've asked the questions before and none of the employees can give a clear answer as to why their policies are the way they are - don't forget that the doctor or billing specialist is just trying to earn a living too. It would take someone more committed than I to lobby in Juneau to try to find the reasons for the way they do business, because it is a business, there is no way in hell you could ever classify FMH as non-profit. A good example of a place to start would be how mental health patients are handled in Fairbanks, talk to your local police on the problem and you'd get an earful! Anyway, the best way to learn the truth is go to the source.
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