Maintaining medical insurance coverage has been a saga. Primary insurance through Medicare, supplemental insurance through another company and additional insurance for drugs. Then there is dental insurance (which we don't have). Eye visions costs are not in the insurance. What have I missed? You get the idea, medical coverage is expensive and complicated.
So I wonder, how did things get so complicated? Growing up in Plymouth, our family doctor was Dr. Dietsch. He was kind of gruff but very caring. He knew most of the families personally and his motivation was not money.
Dr. Dietsch had an office in the building "kitty corner" from the City Club. You could not schedule an appointment with Dietsch. He posted the hours that he would be in the office and you would sit in the waiting room until it was your turn. Sometimes you could walk into the office and he could see you immediately. Sometimes people would be standing in the second floor hallway waiting to get into the "waiting room". No exceptions. You waited your turn.
Dr. Dietsch had a side entrance to his office and sometimes while you were waiting, he would sneak out to have a sandwich at the City Club or to run an errand. So it would get frustrating as you sat in the waiting room anticipating your turn and he wasn't even in the office. Living downtown like we did, we knew where his car was parked and we knew of the places he might go if he snuck out. So we planned our visits knowing his "where-abouts".
Dr. Dietsch hardly ever wrote things down. I remember that a penicillin shot was $2.00. If you didn't have the cash to pay, he supposedly wrote down the amount and would bill you later. He never billed later.
Dr. Dietsch would make house calls. If you were sick in bed, he'd swing by, treat you and be on his way. What doctor makes house calls today?
Dr. Dietsch was the family doctor for both the Andrews family and the Steger family. So when mom was expecting Debs in 1960, Dr. Dietsch was the physician of record (I think Dr. Steffan actually performed the delivery because Dietsch was out of town). I remember the doctor bill for her birth being $75. Compare that to today. I think today a doctors care for a pregnancy is over $3,000. Kelly's delivery was also under the care of Dietsch.
Somehow we've evolved into a world of specialists, expensive testing machines and medications. I guess we've improved as attested by the age that people live. The average age of men and women today is over 80. Back in the 60's it was around 65. So we are living longer because of medical improvements.
I miss Dr. Dietsch. He was part of the "community family" and you knew he cared. He wasn't driven by the money and he treated people the same, young and old, rich or poor.
Alas, I have adapted to the new world of medicine. It is cold. You are a number. You will get treated when the doctors are ready. Have your insurance card ready. Hope you don't run into a financial disaster.
Somewhere up above, Dr. Dietsch is looking down and shaking his head in disbelief. I shake my head in disbelief.
Maybe I'm just getting old!
Love,
Dad