The Burden of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients

So relate! My husband-at age 70-has heart failure. He came in one evening after his daily 4-mile power walk and said "I can't breathe." Since then we have a troop of doctors who do not collaborate. His medications are more than our mortgage and we spend a lot of time searching the world for cheaper drugs, and also dealing with Medicare, Humana, etc...I have been healthy enough to organize( excel spreadsheet ) his appointments, medications, drive him to appts until recently. I have severe tendonitis in right (driving) leg) and am unable to drive. I am now getting other health issues and trying to navigate public transportation in our area. Recently, I noticed that my primary care doc posted a sign that reads "only two issues per visit." My ortho doc spent 5 minutes with me (I timed it), told me I need total knee surgery. When I asked him about post-op care, he said go to the website. That was it.

Welcome @fatlikeus, You are definitely not alone in your feelings. I think a lot of us have struggled with obstacles when trying to get the care we need. I recently saw this page on The Patient Revolution website that describes exactly what a lot of people feel and offers some hope along with suggestions on how we can help with our healthcare:
--- The Challenge - The Patient Revolution: https://www.patientrevolution.org/thechallenge.

You might want to check out some of the other pages on the website under Resources at the top, lots of good information.

As unfortunate as it is, we are living, finally, in the age of the Boomers. We're all past 65, some of us well beyond that, and we are.....................................ummmm............needy. Very, very, needy. The various conditions with which we present are encouraging more specialization, meaning more physicians who would normally be content with a career in home care or in general practice, are in training, sometimes for years!. So, just as the 'market' is burgeoning, so is the training system for specialists who are meant to help the elderly 'us' deal with the vagaries of aging...whether we're doing it well or not.
I'm in Canada. The vaunted socialized health care is doing no better, and arguably much worse, than your pay-as-you-go or co-pay systems in the USA. In ON, your wait for cataract surgery is near three months. Here in BC, and this is due almost entirely to the numbers of retirees who enjoy our balmier climes on the wet coast (yes, wet is the correct spelling between November and April), wait times for orthoscopic first visits, for a then-agreed-to repair, for cataracts, and for first contacts with specialists, is near a year.
Just yesterday I drove my wife to Victoria where the 'real' specialists are on the Island. Our visit with a rather fetching, blond, thin, mom of about 35, a rheumatologist, was a whole hour, but she blasted us with questions and was typing furiously most of the time. I think we were patient # 6 for her day, and she had at least four to go. In our system, many of these specialists also have responsibilities to patients admitted to hospital, meaning they have to make the rounds at least once a day. This eats into office time.
We were grateful for the hour. When my wife was scheduled to have her breast removed last September, the visit with the surgeon lasted perhaps 13 minutes. Most specialists have to urge us to avail ourselves of information on the www.

Yes. Having moved to a new location a few years ago, I found finding new doctors, health care providers, a real challenge and frustrating. So much so, that I almost gave up the search in depression, not only in finding appropriate health care partners, but in locating one near or close to my new home. I was told the appointment I needed was in 2 or 3 months or the doctor was not accepting new patients. I was told to go to the urgent care center. My goal was to find care providers with whom I could have a trusting relationship. Through trial and error I have finally found a health care team, but it it took much time.

I relate to many of your points.... to clarify - here is the definition of "Managed Care" = A term originally used to refer to prepaid health plans (generally, health maintenance organizations [HMOs]) that furnish care through a network of providers under a fixed budget and manage costs
That describes "Medicare Advantage" plans NOT "Original/traditional Medicare.
I fortunately have Original Medicare (Parts A, B and D) and I buy a Medigap policy for the 20% not covered by Medicare. I never see a bill and I can self-refer to any doctor that takes ORIGINAL Medicare, I need no approvals and have no copays. Original Medicare is the best health insurance ever! Before retiring, I had my employer plan and that was definitely inferior to Original Medicare: more expensive, less choice and complicated paperwork for me.
And the kicker? For seniors on Advantage Plans that realize the shortcomings...they can switch back to Original Medicare BUT buying the Medigap/supplemental plan may not be possible as the insurance companies no longer have to accept you or can charge you more. So they are stuck. Do not fall for the advertising on TV about Medicare Advantage plans and all the so called "extras".

I add to my other points:
We in the USA do not have enough doctors. I am at Mayo Clinic and half my doctors are foreign born...of course Mayo attracts doctors because of its reputation for research.
But why are we not educating more doctors? The forecast is for increased shortages of doctors ....
I am 82 and I remember when college was affordable. I don't know how anyone can afford to go now. They work several jobs while studying and that definitely does not contribute to superior grades! And why are kids working when in school??? they should be doing homework! If we want more doctors available to us, then we need to encourage people to study medicine and make it affordable. It should not be a hardship. People should not have to go into debt for education. I have heard some comment that why should we pay for someone to then make more money? Hey how many tax breaks do they give to companies ???? Like Internet companies??? Have people give two years of service to underserved communities for the benefit of the education. Everybody wins.
P.S. Football is not important to my wellbeing and there is a lot more attention given to the sports quality of schools than the academic quality. This is crazy.

I have a similar original Medicare and supp plan, no co-pays or bills and I pay a lot for it.
However, in my area, DC Metro, many docs have opted out of Medicare and make no bones about it. They won't take you on as patient unless you pay out of pocket.
There are many boutique practices and many excellent physicians are leaving medicine.
The area is horrendously over-populated and there are not enough docs to go around. Add that to the standard 10-15 minute appt they allow themselves to be with you and the concern for excellent care is not possible.
Wherever you are, glad you're getting great care and happy with your Medicare.

@gingerw - Thank you Ginger - could you expand on what a "Patient Navigator" is charged with doing for a patient?

I've seen them listed with their contact info at hospitals, doctors' offices, but wondered if they really can help, or can a patient actually get penalized (knowingly or unknowingly) for contacting them? Are they actually required to keep contacts from patients confidential?

Appreciate finding out more about this from your knowledge and position as a MCC Volunteer Mentor (and, as always, appreciate what you do here!)

I hope you are doing OK these days, too!

"Medicare Advantage" is not Medicare!

In Durham we are so lucky to be in the middle of a big teaching university medical system, multiple hospitals and care centers just a few minutes away. The Duke system is trying hard to be accessible. My wife has had multiple surgeries and the doctors have taken the time needed to be sure we knew what was happening. We have Medicare A, B & D, and AARP supplemental, and have only had occasional payments beyond insurance.

Frankly, we landed here by accident as an affordable house arrived just for us. We didn't realize how well placed we were for aging needs. We're on the suburban side of the city, but not far out. We can get to everything we need in 15 minutes without driving interstate highways.

Like many people, we moved in our 60s. That's the time to imagine what you'll need for the next 30 years!

Hi gloaming,
I too am Canadian, and a past Vancouver islander. I am now in Ontario in a large city, serviced by the McMaster - Western medical schools umbrella. Wow what a difference! This is due to the much larger number of doctors and a very high standard of excellence [as preached by McMaster], As well as a much higher population; therefore, much bigger amount of health care funding to this province, which is seen in the staffing, availability and the amount of coverage for medications! This is simply not a fair dispersal with so much funding being needed to service the BC terrain, with a few mountains in the way of easy access!
Glad you got to Victoria where most of the new specialists have come to live! I do miss Victoria so much! [not the cost of living, but the people and the beauty!] I did find that the 'good ones', during consultations, did seem to type the whole time as a way of multi-tasking, and the newer specialists were all younger and up to date on their medical training!
Yes, the web has some great information, as long as you read the articles from reputable sites; there are many sites from medical hospitals that give solid information, and the Mayo Clinic of course!
Trust you have received the assistance needed, and had a safe drive home through the Malahat!