Bobert and Dani,

Prepare to be shouted at. This is important.

If we ever go to a single payer system, you might possibly lose your right to medical privacy, but we have not gone there (yet).

If you see a doctor UNDER OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, he CANNOT and WILL NOT "turn you in" to anyone unless you WANT him to bill your insurance. First, it would be illegal to release your records without your consent. Second, if you go to one of your local QuickCare/Immediacare/DocInABox places, the doctor won't even know who your carrier is, or even if you have a carrier. It's none of his business if you pay cash.

Anyway, even if the doctor could "turn you in" (which he obviously CAN'T) a condition you developed AFTER you got insurance isn't PRE-EXISTING. (I'm assuming here you didn't have symptoms when the coverage started.)

Get a diagnosis and proper treatment. You don't even need an appointment at many of those places and lots of them are open on weekends. Call ahead to find out how much the visit will probably cost. (They probably won't be able to give you a definite figure for the same reason your mechanic can't give you a definite figure before looking under the hood, but they should be able to tell you how much a straightforward visit will cost.) Ask for a discount if you pay cash at the time services are rendered. If you don't like the price, go elsewhere. There are LOTS of choices in your area.

If the diagnosis turns out to be peptic ulcer, tell the doc you want a drug combination using antibiotics from one of the $4 plans (metronidazole and tetracycline, with Pepto-Bismol and omeprazole, for example, may be appropriate). Depending on the particular combination chosen and where you buy them, the total drug cost should be under $40, and possibly as low as $25.

Kent