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Discriminating an Infant? Come on!

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Wyattk

Junior Member
Why didn't this post??

Virginia

My daughter is a tricare patient and was assigned to a civilian clinic in my area. Her primary care manager was at this practice. She went for her four month well checkup and shots. The doctor only gave her one shot out of four. She said the others were unavailable. I placed my name on a waiting list to get her vaccinated immediately. I called every few days for 6 weeks and got the same answer "the vaccines aren't available." So much time passed that I made and international trip (when I questioned the safety of bringing an infant on a germ ridden airplane, the answer I got was "have her wear a mask...") I digress. I returned to the same practice and it was time for 6 month immunizations and still the 4 month ones were unavailable. Now, I have 9 collective shots to give her plus an annual flu vaccination. The doctor told me there were no vaccinations available, period. I asked to be placed on a list. After a week of calling daily and being denied, the doctor called me and told me I had three options- go to Walgreens and get my daughter vaccinated (out of pocket) or go to a health clinic- or leave the practice entirely.

(I'm not a crazy patient. In fact, I'm a nurse and I get it... This was just a little too much)
Well, I left. I was done.

Today I got a letter saying that the practice would be closing and paraphrasing here "some insurances aren't covering the cost of vaccines and services". If you have ever gotten a tricare statement of charges, you know tricare low balls everyone. That being said I suspect my daughter was denied medical care based on insurance that was accepted by the provider. I believe she was discriminated against. I would understand if she was denied insurance from the get go but they maintained open doors to us but refused selective services and misled me into thinking they would eventually be available. If my daughter had gotten sick, that would be serious negligence.

What do you all think? Is this legal?
 

quincy

Senior Member
Virginia

My daughter is a tricare patient and was assigned to a civilian clinic in my area. Her primary care manager was at this practice. She went for her four month well checkup and shots. The doctor only gave her one shot out of four. She said the others were unavailable. I placed my name on a waiting list to get her vaccinated immediately. I called every few days for 6 weeks and got the same answer "the vaccines aren't available." So much time passed that I made and international trip (when I questioned the safety of bringing an infant on a germ ridden airplane, the answer I got was "have her wear a mask...") I digress. I returned to the same practice and it was time for 6 month immunizations and still the 4 month ones were unavailable. Now, I have 9 collective shots to give her plus an annual flu vaccination. The doctor told me there were no vaccinations available, period. I asked to be placed on a list. After a week of calling daily and being denied, the doctor called me and told me I had three options- go to Walgreens and get my daughter vaccinated (out of pocket) or go to a health clinic- or leave the practice entirely.

(I'm not a crazy patient. In fact, I'm a nurse and I get it... This was just a little too much)
Well, I left. I was done.

Today I got a letter saying that the practice would be closing and paraphrasing here "some insurances aren't covering the cost of vaccines and services". If you have ever gotten a tricare statement of charges, you know tricare low balls everyone. That being said I suspect my daughter was denied medical care based on insurance that was accepted by the provider. I believe she was discriminated against. I would understand if she was denied insurance from the get go but they maintained open doors to us but refused selective services and misled me into thinking they would eventually be available. If my daughter had gotten sick, that would be serious negligence.

What do you all think? Is this legal?
A suspicion that your daughter was denied vaccinations because of your insurance will not be enough to support a lawsuit.

I personally would have had my child vaccinated elsewhere before any international travel, regardless of the cost. If your daughter had gotten sick because you did not get her vaccinated, that would have been serious negligence on your part.
 

OHRoadwarrior

Senior Member
There is no law requiring a doctor to provide requested medical services to a patient. In fact, your doctor advised you to get them elsewhere.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
A suspicion that your daughter was denied vaccinations because of your insurance will not be enough to support a lawsuit.

I personally would have had my child vaccinated elsewhere before any international travel, regardless of the cost. If your daughter had gotten sick because you did not get her vaccinated, that would have been serious negligence on your part.
Our local health department will provide vaccinations for any child, for free.
 

tranquility

Senior Member
http://vaperforms.virginia.gov/indicators/healthfamily/immunization.php (Emphasis mine.)

What Influences the Immunization Rate?

Several factors influence immunization rates.

Poverty/access to care issues: Fragmented health care systems, provider unwillingness to deliver vaccines in-office, incomplete availability of vaccines for children's program services, and referral to other agencies for vaccine delivery.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages/default.htm?s_cid=cs_000

Look at note #1 and #2. There could be a shortage of (DTaP and Tdap) and (MMR) in some areas. (Although only the former seems to be specific to early 2016.)
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
Well, it IS early 2016. It's not even halfway through February - that's early in anyone's book.
 

OHRoadwarrior

Senior Member
As an aside, there has has been a "shortage" of injectable b12 for a few years. Only for humans of course, there is plenty for animals. Coincidentally, the price has gone from a 30ml vial to a 1 ml vial for about the same price, with a 30 ml vial costing just under $200 if you can find it. In Canada there is no such "shortage" and the 30ml vial is only about $15. In many cases it seems clear the intent of these "shortages".
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
4 month shots are dtap, polio, rotavirus I believe. MMR isn't done until a year. I would have found another place to get the vaccinations and submitted the claims to the insurance myself, or I would have called the insurance to find out where else I could go for them. It's that important.
 

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