Vintage Eric

[Eric]

Oh that's because I use a dummy account for my Twitter since I only use it to aggregate esports and gaming news - not really something I want popping up on a job interview as my only hobby lol. I'll shoot you my handle by DM, but my FB/IG are the ones I use mainly outside of Twitter.

[Moonface]

I swear you said somewhere but did you say you worked at a hospital or something like that or am I remembering wrong?

[Eric]

Not sure how I missed this but yes! I work in the emergency room doing what's called "registration": I pretty much check patients in and I go into their rooms to ask them fun questions about sensitive topics like: "what's your name, address, social security number, are you married, may i see your medical insurance cards, and who do you want as emergency contacts?"

Sometimes I get to talk to psych patients with neurological disorders or people that are juiced up on drugs but I still need to figure their story out so that the hospital can begin authorization with their insurance companies...

My job description is essentially a marriage between medical records and billing, and I do what the front desk clerk at any doctor's office does pretty much, but because it's the emergency room and it's not a good idea to have a line of patients waiting, I go to your room instead of you go to me.

It's stressful and it's not where I saw myself 9 years after high school, but it pays my college bills and gives me benefits until I graduate into a real career. It has the small benefit of developing my social skills quite a bit I guess...you learn to be direct and assertive so that both patients nor the medical staff take advantage of you. But that's something you need to do when you work in any role in healthcare, tbh.

[Moonface]

Do you ever have patients who can't or won't give you the details you need? What happens in those cases?

[Eric]

I don't get paid enough to push them any further than "ok cool, next question." If they straight up refuse having anything to do with me, I need to let the doctor know because at that point, they're refused to provide insurance or sign consent, and both are needed if their diagnosis needs further work past emergency stabilization. For the record: it's illegal in the U.S. to turn away any patients if they don't have insurance, but if they need any outpatient procedures to continue care, then insurance kind of matters.

Our system is complete bullshit tbh.

[Moonface]

Our system is complete bullshit tbh.

Do you mean the system where you work or the healthcare system in general?

[Eric]

Our healthcare system. I used to work as a financial counselor where I helped people get on social security benefits, Medicare, or Medicaid. I had people nearly at death's door trying to get authorized for a procedure that would save their lives but simply didn't have the money for it. I've had people that have a LOT of income, but because they have so much debt their income was basically non-existent and were effectively broke.

So many people that our healthcare system ignores and if you make a cent more above the state's definition of the Federal Poverty Level (it varies by state), then you are disqualified from getting healthcare from the state. For the same reason, so many people die because they don't have the insurance and couldn't qualify for the dumbest reasons...I had some people quit their jobs just to sign up for Medicaid or Medicare because otherwise they could not afford to pay for their medical bills. And even then, so many are left for paying for so much out of pocket and are left to die in debt or pass it on to their next of kin.

Seriously fuck anyone that does not see healthcare as a human right.

[Moonface]

Our healthcare system.  I used to work as a financial counselor where I helped people get on social security benefits, Medicare, or Medicaid.  I had people nearly at death's door trying to get authorized for a procedure that would save their lives but simply didn't have the money for it.  I've had people that have a LOT of income, but because they have so much debt their income was basically non-existent and were effectively broke. 

So many people that our healthcare system ignores and if you make a cent more above the state's definition of the Federal Poverty Level (it varies by state), then you are disqualified from getting healthcare from the state.  For the same reason, so many people die because they don't have the insurance and couldn't qualify for the dumbest reasons...I had some people quit their jobs just to sign up for Medicaid or Medicare because otherwise they could not afford to pay for their medical bills.  And even then, so many are left for paying for so much out of pocket and are left to die in debt or pass it on to their next of kin.

Seriously fuck anyone that does not see healthcare as a human right.

I feel that. I made a whole thread on how I felt the system is bullshit a while ago. Recently I got new insurance and they wouldn't give me any discounts because Shira's job offers me health insurance, despite the fact that it would cost me over double as much to take that offer over getting my own insurance.

[Eric]

Yeah dude, it genuinely makes me consider moving to another country some day and trying the world out - I've considered moving in with a friend in Canada or maybe getting a job in computer science somewhere in Europe. Are you guys staying in Florida for the long haul?

[Moonface]

Are you guys staying in Florida for the long haul?

No idea. I know we'll be here for at least five more years because of my school and stuff, plus we only just recently bought our first house. I don't have a clue what other state I'd want to move to though. I feel like a lot at a glance fall into being very expensive or just in the middle of nowhere with little to stand out with. Like for all I know North Carolina could be great but it seems to be one of those places that isn't an instant thought for somewhere to name in the US and so there's not really a common standard of knowledge about it like say, New York or Chicago or New Orleans or Texas.