When my brother died today four years ago, I knew he would want my parents to come to the Bay Area to live with me and my family.
This naturally means that we have to calculate their medical insurance. My parents are green card holders, and I know that five years before they became residents, even if they were 75 and 80 years old, they were not eligible for Medicare, but they were eligible for federal health benefits.
They had Obamacare before giving up their green cards, but it would be difficult to exchange them. If I say that they have no income in the United States (which is true), then they will get Medi-Cal, which is not my preference. If they want the ACA premium subsidy, they have to produce a large number of documents showing Indian income, which will be a nightmare for me.
Fortunately, my brother realized the well-known American dream of immigrants, so my inheritance is what I rely on to fight for insurance for them. Kaiser is my best choice-as a health care journalist for many years and living where I am now, the integrated medical system is my first choice.
everything is fine. My parents like Caesar. I love Caesar. Their care coordination is very good-if the primary care doctor refers to physical therapy, they will call immediately to schedule an appointment. Their efficiency is unparalleled-when you go to the clinic in person, there is very little waiting time. Kaiser’s vaccination distribution process went smoothly in most cases, and it was the same for my parents. Three to four days after my parents order on the app, the pharmacy will deliver the medicine. Everything is peachy.
The greatest asset is of course the doctor. Dr. Albert Lau is their primary care doctor. According to the appointments I participated in, he was very thorough and confident. My father, mother and I like his radiation oncologist Dr. Lawrence Scala very much. When my father was diagnosed with moderate prostate cancer in 2020, he basically spent an hour explaining our radiation options. This was discovered in India at the end of 2019, but considering the relatively early stage of the cancer and the overall prospects of prostate cancer patients, I decided to wait for them to receive treatment after they arrive in January 2020.
Dr. Scala led us through this pandemic. He postponed my father’s treatment in early 2020 because he believed that my father’s risk of dying from Covid-19 was higher than his risk of dying from cancer. I am happy to report that my father has now effectively cured.
So you see-I love Caesar.
Until last week. My parents have not returned to their home in Kolkata, India since January 2020. They will leave on November 21. I asked my father if he could write to his primary care doctor and ask if the doctor could approve his medication in advance so that he would have enough money to come back in early May. Dr. Liu tried to help us within three months after his medication was used up in January.
But when I called the pharmacy, the person in charge of the patient thought it was an appropriate request and approved it is not important. The pharmacy operator basically told me that I have to call Kaiser’s insurer because the benefit says you can only order for 3 months at a time.
Yes, but we did not take the medicine in advance, I retorted. It’s not that my dad will take medicine like an addicted person, and then we will ask Kaiser to provide more medicine, which is expensive for them. Dad will be very angry when he does this-these are for high blood pressure and other chronic diseases, and they are completely titrated.
In any case, I dutifully called the claimant. Well, suppose the person answering the call ruled that there is nothing they can do-if you want to get more, you will have to pay for it out of pocket, because every 3 months is a benefit.
benefit? It’s ironic.
For whom? What kind of “welfare” does not take into account the living conditions after the once-in-a-century pandemic? Why can’t my parents get the medicines they absolutely need even after paying only USD 30,000 in premiums this year?
Reporters should remain neutral, do not insert themselves into the story, only report the facts. However, healthcare is too personal, and my frustration and worry about my parents are facts that I cannot ignore. I recently returned from the HLTH conference in Boston, where MedCity News hosted a follow-up on patient participation, focusing on “patient-centered” care.
Alas, the lofty ideals have not yet transformed the basic reality.
Photo: poshfoto, Getty Images
