...that she is NOT eligible for a colonoscopy and REFUSES to order one - even though Mom IS high-risk because she's had polyps (which can be pre-cancerous). Mom has Senior Advantage with them - basically Medicare gives K-P boatloads of TAXPAYER money to take Mom's care off their hands. And they are REFUSING to provide that care in this case.

NOW:

Medicare ITSELF does cover colonoscopies - one every 10 years for normal patients, one every 2 years for high-risk patients - which my Mom is because of the polyps. Last she had one was 2003 or so, she said. (thank you folks from my other thread for providing this info).

HOWEVER - HER DOCTOR (who, mind you, works for Kaiser which is an HMO being paid by the government to provide her with care) REFUSES to schedule the test, claiming she's "too old" for it.

MEDICARE covers it.

MEDICARE is paying K-P to provide it to my Mom.

HOWEVER, K-P REFUSES to order/schedule/pay for a test that Mom NEEDS even though they ARE getting handsomely paid by Medicare to provide her with care.

SO - WHO is "rationing" health care? WHO is DECIDING THAT IF MY MOTHER GETS COLO-RECTAL CANCER SHE CAN JUST DROP DEAD because she's "old"? (can you say "death panels?") Oh Noooo. It's NOT Medicare doing this! It's NOT the "government" doing it. IT'S KAISER-PERMENENTE - who refuses to provide the care / preventive tests because they obviously want to POCKET the money they're getting from Medicare to do so -- instead of providing my Mom with the tests that Medicare would otherwise cover.



THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ANSWERED MY OTHER THREAD, HELPING ME TO SORT THIS MESS OUT. Needless to say I am LIVID about this shit. THIS is a prime example of WHAT IS WRONG with health care in this country. It's FOR-PROFIT and not FOR CARE - and the goddamned HMOs/insurance companies (in this case) are TAKING PUBLIC money into their private coffers to provide care my Mom IS ENTITLED TO AND NEEDS - but then are REFUSING to do it - so they can KEEP the profit.

Let me make this clear: MOM'S DOCTOR does NOT work for my Mom. She works for the HMO - Kaiser-Permenente. I WONDER how much of a bonus she gets each year BY DENYING TESTS AND CARE MY MOM AND OTHER MEDICARE PATIENTS ARE ENTITLED TO AND NEED - thereby allowing Kaiser to POCKET more of that money they're getting from Medicare as profit?

Eh?