i just read it from a certain site when i'm searching for INTELLICARE

READ THIS: The useless intellicare health card. The EXPOSÉ Mar 24, '09 3:58 AM
for everyone
Credits: bethel101
http://bethel101.multiply.com/journal/item/28/28


Sinamahan ko today si dad, ang aking 55-year old father para magpacheck up due to lower back pain and dizziness. Since my sister got him an intellicare health card sa office nila and she's paying dad's card monthly, I was expecting na in a way eh mabawasan ang expenses. But I ended up being pissed off the whole day.

Let me start with 2 stories that would give you some idea on how screwed up intellicare is.

First story is about my mom. More than 3 years ago, mom was diagnosed of breast cancer stage 2B. That time, super bago lang sa convergys si ate, and ang health card nila was MEDICARE. During mom's fight with cancer, meron syang medicare, same like what my dad has right now, only it's medicare not intellicare. Monthly, may chemotherapy si mama, she needed to be confined for 24 hours para maubos nya yung chemo drug na nasa dextrose. Ako ang sumasama sa kanya, I was only a 2nd year nursing student in UST. Number one rule namin ni mama during confinement: di bale nang maiwan ang wallet, wag lang ang medicard. Why? Pagdating namin ng St. Luke's, bigay lang ang card, swabe, zero balance, walang babayaran. As in WALA. Pag for discharge na sya, bababa lang ako sa cashier sa ground floor, ibibigay ang medicare and valid ID, cleared na kami. For 2 years, ganun. Hanggang sa dumating ang araw na sinugod sa emergency room si mama dahil tumigil na sya huminga, then the next day she passed away. I went to the cashier, the bill was 102,000 pesos. Overnight stay in St. Luke's sa ER then transferred sa ICU, then nag-expire na si mama. I gave the card, swabe, zero balance, we can take the body home. My family, especially my sister, was very thankful sa blessing na yun, we did spend a lot pa rin bukod sa sagot ng medicare dahil as we all know, sobrang mahal magkasakit dito sa pinas, just imagine kung cancer pa sakit mo. Kung ayaw mong ipila sa government hospital na laging puno, you really have to spend money. A lot of money. Pero just imagine kung walang medicare, siguro naghada na ako. hahahaha!!! joke!

My second story is about INTELLICARE. Last year, my sister's officemate Noel died because he had a heart attack habang nasa work sa convergys ortigas. As in team mate sya ng sister ko, habang nageemail sila, nagcollapse si Noel, bumagsak sa floor. Tinakbo nila sa convergys clinic. Nag-CPR ang nurse, walang makuhang pulse or heart beat in 5 minutes, medyo critical na yun, brain damage occurs at 6 minutes pag walang supply ng oxygen ang utak. And brain damage is permanent. Anyway, the nurse decided to call Medical City Hospital, nearest yun na hospital na accredited ang intellicare. Pagtawag nya requesting for an ambulance, the nurse on the other line said "Ay, sorry po hindi po covered ng card". The very famous line. Nakipag-away pa ang convergys nurse habang si Noel eh nakabulagta sa floor. According to my sister, mga 10 minutes pa daw bago dumating yung ambulance, at take note, pinagtulungan na lang nilang buhatin si noel from the clinic on the 34th floor papunta sa elevator at sa ground floor dahil ayaw umakyat ng taga-medical city dahil "Ay, sorry po hindi po covered ng card". F*** diba, namatay yung tao dahil hindi covered ng intellicare ang ambulansya!! Ask convergys people from ortigas. They know this.

Now, here comes my experience today.

Kasama ko si Papa kanina right, pumila kami for more than an hour para mapa-check up yung back pains nya sa MEDICAL CITY STA. LUCIA EAST GRAND MALL. But aside from the back pains, gusto ko rin sana pa-check yung blood sugar nya and cholesterol kasi may company check up sila last september, and the doctor gave him maintenance drugs for diabetes and cholesterol. And the doctor just told him diabetic daw sya tsaka mataas cholesterol. Being the Thomasian Nurse that I am, I need to see the blood work out first bago maniwala, I won't have my dad taking some pills na hindi naman namin alam kung para saan, eh hindi naman daw sya kinuhaan ng dugo. Ang kinuha lang eh blood pressure, which is 140/90. And it's not the diagnostic test for diabetes and cholesterol (hindi ko alam kung ganun na ngayon pero sa pagkakaalam ko kelangan talaga munang kuhaan ng dugo para sa mga to). Anyway, eh di pumasok kami nung room ng doctor.
Doctor: Ano ho problema natin?

Papa Cortez: Dok balakang ho, sumasakit...

*doctor started to write something sa chart then nagreseta*

Doctor: Sa tingin ko ho arthritis yan, pa-x ray na lang ho kayo

*bethel biglang pumintig ang mga ugat sa noo*

Bea: Dok, gusto ko rin ho sana pacheck yung blood sugar nya tsaka cholesterol kasi ho chineck up sila sa office ang sabi ho nung....

Doctor: (interrupting. take note. hindi ako pinatapos magsalita) hindi ko ho pwedeng gawin yan ngayon kasi hindi po covered ng card. Bumalik na lang ho kayo sa sabado baka pwede nating pagawa.

Bea: (nagbabakasakali!) eh baka ho hindi na kami makabalik sa saturday kasi...

Doctor: (lecheng interrupting again) kasi ho hindi maco-cover ng card yung blood chemistry nyo magiging parang executive check up kasi

Bea: eh kahit bayaran na lang po basta ma-check lang bayaran na lang po namin (dito nagsisimula nang lumaki butas ng ilong ko sa galit)

Doctor: balik na lang kayo tignan naten.

*doctor stood up and went out of the room*

This made my day. F**king doctor. No one ever made bastos to me like what he did! Lalo na papa ko na commander PNP handling lots of men! SInasaluduhan tatay ko kahit san sya pumunta tapos tatayuan nya kami. F**k talaga. Naubos ang lakas ko kakapigil, i decided to go to another clinic. Sobra na. Pero before we left, i asked the clerk there kung sasagutin ba ng intellicare yung lumbo-sacral APL. Hindi rin pala, consultation lang ang masasagot ng intellicare. Oh god, help me. Baka makapatay ako ng tao.

Anyway, lumipat kami sa centro medico in riverbanks mall, i decided not to give the intellicare card na lang since wala rin naman palang matitipid. People there were so nice go there dun kayo magpacheck up mababait sila! Well accomodated kami, well-organized sila so hindi kami naghintay ng matagal. And when I asked questions they answer right away, hindi yung paiikutin ka pa. Nabanggit ni papa na may intellicare sya so binigay ko. The doctor was nice too, she immediately said yes when i requested for a blood chemistry. The clerk also tried to see kung masasagot ng intellicare kahit half ng expenses pero ang sinagot lang eh urinalysis (115pesos sa UST to. hmm. alright.).

So nung hapon, my father had his physical therapy for his hips and arms, he had chest x-ray and lumbo sacral APL done, and tonight we're starting his fasting para sa fasting blood sugar nya for tomorrow AM, and full blood chemistry. We paid 1,600pesos today and the blood chem tomorrow costs 2,030 pesos, pero we really don't care kasi it's for dad's health naman. And he deserves to be treated like someone na kelangan ng check up kasi hello, he's 55 na. And we ended up happy, both parties are happy. Thanks to Ian, dad's physical therapist today, you were so nice and mabait!

So, what's my point? I hate intellicare, Convergys really made a mistake switching from medicare to intellicare. I worked with convergys for 6 months and I heard a lot of concerns about this, yung mga complaints na hindi covered kahit emergency case, or employee na mismo pag nagpacheck up intellicare would say wala pang coverage... It's really unfair na monthly anglaki laki ng kinikita nila from the employees, plus yung mga dependents naman binabayaran ng mga employees, pero parang ayaw nila maglabas ng money for them.... It's health we're talking about here for goddamn's sake, life. buhay 'to mga tsong! One more thing, Medical City. You suck! (sorry sa matatamaan, pero i swear halos atakihin ako sa puso kanina. nurse pa lang hindi na friendly, hanggang doctor. hindi na ako bago sa ospital, i love the smell of hospitals and operating rooms. where's the compassion people??!) Anyway, I hope sa future hindi na ako maka-encounter ng ganito, kasi nakakadisappoint talaga.