Zach Kornfeld's Terrible Experience With Healthcare 

Shouldn't be able to profit off of people's illness (looking at the ins. Not the workers who bust ass to keep us well and alive)

We have turned over control of the entire field of medicine to insurance companies. Our health decisions are ultimately determined by for profit companies not doctors. It's shameful

@@ecokrazykinda agree but at the same time we wouldn’t have many of the medical achievements we have if there was no monetary incentive for companies to develop them

​@@lolzman122 Most innovations aren't born out of profit motives. They're born out of need or human curiosity. The profit motive generally tends to get in the way of innovation.

​@@brandonpitt8384you have a very optimistic view of the world buddy. Companies fund new research only on the premise that the resulting patent will make them money. Individual Researchers do the research for betterment of the world but still they would only do it if there was sufficient salary for their family there. Just the truth.

That’s what I was thinking 😂😂😂

😂😂😂😂😂 maybe he has never

His gentle and kind "yeah!" When Zach's walking through the steps he would have to do on him is hilarious

Off-camera voice: we could cut you and then stitch it and... Mike (*sweating profusely*): Meh, it's boring...

😂😂😂

If you don't mind sharing- What kind of surgery did you end up having/what was the diagnosis?

A hospital I went to did the same thing in 2018 with my Sinus Surgery. My ENT told me that my case was case in particular was so rare and unique that it was kept for studies to med students. I did ask for the footage of the surgery and they never replied back so I took it as a no lol. But I'm glad that my case is being used to help the med students to this day. I hope that your condition will find a cure or treatment and I'm so sorry you had to go through this! I wishing you all the best!

Well, I'm a white guy. And the Emergency Room Docter sent me home.....after weeks of misery found out, I had a vocal cord paralyzed, and it could be deadly. Sooooo.

@@morphius3162001 I hope you're feeling better. My ENT doctor told me that had I never got the surgery or my sinuses treated, I would have died from meningitis in a short matter of time😩

​@morphius3162001 is your point that its awful it happened to you as well, or that "it happened to me, a white guy, so your experience as a woman and/or person of color is invalid."? Because the tone is a bit vague here.

On one hand, I agree with you that insurance companies need to be better regulated and shouldn’t be allowed to just not pay for your care after they take your premiums. It’s disgusting that they think they’re allowed to deny medical care to people for any reason, and I do think they show blatant favoritism by not covering female-specific or trans-related procedures and not covering mental healthcare, and I wouldn’t be surprised if women and LGBT people had higher insurance premiums across the board, just like how companies often pay women less than men for the same job, and charge women more than men for what is functionally the same product. On the other hand, the government is also guilty of denying medical care when they have no right to do so. Especially in the case of reproductive rights and trans rights. There are some places where you can’t get tubal ligation or birth control until you’ve had a child, or you need your spouse’s permission, and certain procedures and medications have been made illegal to use just because they can potentially be used for abortions, even if that’s not the intended use for it. Not to mention that abortion bans often don’t have any exceptions for cases of rape/coercion, or underage pregnancies, or even life-threatening complications. And in the case of trans people, there are some places where gender-affirming surgery or hormone therapy are inaccessible or even illegal, even though those surgeries are morally the same as any other cosmetic surgery done for mental health reasons, and hormone therapy has many uses and not all of them are transgender-related. It’s disgusting that certain people just aren’t allowed to get the care they need because a bunch of bigots are blatantly trying to punish them for existing.

As someone who works doing prior authorizations every day i can tell you they constantly deny claims that are supposed to be approved because they are aware the vast majority of people won't appeal. It was done to me!! My doctor uploaded a 118 page document filled with sooo much proof that i needed a continuous glucose monitor and they denied it, when i called to appeal they said "oh but here's the proof why was it denied? I said well you're the insurance you tell me 🤦🏻‍♀️

They do, that's why it's so horrible. The insurance companies are basically government run, it's a fascist system of oligopolies.

@baph0met They set some guidelines, but otherwise do not care or police what they do. Not that it is good if the gov controls it all, but they shouldnt allow insurances to do whatever they please. I used to work in the field, its frustrating trying to get the government to step in even when there has been a clear violation.

@@anyght The insurance companies lobby the government, they have a mutually beneficial relationship. The only good choice would be to allow competition, but the government and the oligopolietic insurance companies wouldn't like that since they would get crushed by the competition.

They just seems like good friends

Libtards

Same guy. Waaaaay different font. Like dr mike is times new roman. Zach is wingdings.

I think doc is very good at meeting people at their level

​@@thisiscaitexactly my thought

That's the same for me with my migraines and chronic pain issues. They're always like, "Oh you're young so you'll grow out of it". And I'm just sitting there like...yeah but I'm suffering NOW. It's so stupid

I’ve had chronic pain, due to some botched surgeries that started when I was in my 20s, I had that a ton. I’ve also had doctors right off a symptom because of a past diagnosis, or they had a similar issue, and it’s turned in to an argument/debate about why ordering a simple blood test would shut me up. Now in my late 40s it’s gotten better, aside from the whole pain med crackdown.

I feel this in my soul and I’m so sorry. The medical system is really weirdly uncomfortable with saying “you have a major problem! We just don’t know what it is.” Unfortunately, they don’t get paid to be detectives. They’re mostly doing triage, tbh. I literally had to research (once I had the internet lol) and fight for YEARS to find out my diagnosis. And it was horrible. I don’t wish it on anyone.

@@4wayStopEnforcementwhat did you find?

yup. it took me six years to be diagnosed with pots and then i was only able to get treatment because my symptoms were so bad i couldn’t function anymore. and even then i had doctors tell me they were shocked that i got sick “out of nowhere” like…. i’ve been telling you i’m sick for YEARS you just wouldn’t listen

😮 I hope you getting all the care you need!!!!

So glad you got answers to your chronic pain. Massage therapy is a powerful tool for me as well in managing chronic pain. Sadly, I no longer have it covered under my insurance plan. Looking forward to having it again sometime in the future. It's nearly as strong / effective as opioids for me, that's how good it is!

Oh boy I can relate to this! Like yes, obviously I understand that my weight has an effect, but there is more than just that! I am so thankful for my former family doctor ordered an MRI (and has in the past as well)! We found out I had a degenerative disease the first time, and the most recent time I had a significant herniated disk that required surgery. The surgery was scheduled relatively quickly, and even then it got to a point when I couldn’t walk without assistance because of the disc pressing on spinal cord. The only reason I don’t see him anymore is because I still live in the town I went to college (I’m 24 lol) and don’t see myself going back to live there and driving 2 1/2 hours is a lot for one appt, though I tried to as long as I could. Thankfully I found a great primary care where I live. But man, it is hard to find people like that!

I had to run through a gauntlet to get what my neurologist was trying to give me for chronic migraine. But just in the last three months I finally got Nurtec. It has been literally life changing. Good luck to you. Keep advocating and pushing for yourself.

I lived for years with horrible migraines, and even have a neurostimulator to help control them. When my husband developed celiac, we went completely gluten free. My headaches improved tremendously, and if I eat gluten now it will give me a migraine. I'm NOT saying you should stop eating gluten, but keep advocating for yourself and don't give up! Chronic pain is awful...

Totally get it I have them too tried so many things!

​@@Jayjayrose16 What does iih stand for? I'm horrible with acronyms and remembering what they mean.

​@@cindy7817 Thank you for not saying it's a cure-all, trying gluten-free. It made me so sick but I stuck it out for a year this see if it would help with the migraines, it didn't, know difference. But I know a couple people that it really helped with autoimmune conditions so I think it's so worth trying but with caution.

I understand that feeling all too well! Courage for the journey ahead. There is a relief at having a diagnosis no matter how bad it is.

Yup! I stopped seeing my specialist because it’s a two hour drive and the medication they gave me had horrible side effects that don’t seem worth the little bit of help I get. I’m having more and more issues and I just told me husband it’s just not worth it. It’s not worth the stress and frustrations of going to these appointments to not get solid answers and not get help.

​@@allyson6735are you the type of person that has bad side effects from almost every medication? I'm like that and it sucks because I don't have a choice to not take the medications. Wish they could discover better alternatives

same.... i feel like my symptoms are very close to chronic fatigue syndrome but it is heavily undiagnosed/ unrecognized and every doctor i meet says its all in my head 😂

Ugh so true. Just existing and coping with health issues/pain takes up so. much. mental. energy. It leaves me with no more mental capacity to get through work and normal things throughout the day.

I wonder how his wife feels about marrying him when he refers to himself as a soft boy. 🤣

@@lillybarnett4027 "and this baby boy is my husband" -Maggie probably

@@mariapaz6379 omg.🤣 I wish I was married to a soft baby boy. Always wanted to be a mother lol.

Chronic illness and the “punting” for yeeeaaarrrsss so you don’t have a diagnosis but you struggle daily to live up to the expectations of families, friends and employment (bosses, colleagues, clients) when you’re literally lifting your legs with your hands into your car to go to work every morning through tears because you’re in so much pain. People start losing patience and become frustrated and irritated after awhile, even the ones closest to us. A decade, leads to another decade and crippling medical debt and thru dozens of doctors of all different specialties who PUNT over and over after a couple of visits and a couple really expensive negative tests, and if they can’t figure it out it’s ALWAYS “You’re depressed.” Yes, doctor , as a matter of fact I am depressed because I feel so horrific everyday that my life is in ruins and because you don’t know what it is and can’t diagnose it and you don’t care to invest anymore time into helping me….you say that it’s because I’m sad and throw some Prozac at me and wipe your hands of me. But far too many added some emotional abuse while they were at it They would shame me and so condescending. After the opioid epidemic, so many, when the basic test they ran didn’t show anything, THEY ACCUSED ME OF DRUG SEEKING. I didn’t ask for any pain medication EVER! I wasn’t on any pain medication aside from ibuprofen and icy hot and hot and cold packs, nothing in my urine tests ever but I was treated like an addict with full contempt and disgust from the doctor who I came to for help and I got to pay for the pleasure of being treated like a subhuman piece of garbage. People in your life even though they see you are suffering every day, if you don’t have a diagnosis, then you’re a hypochondriac, drama queen, attention seeker, lazy, etc. So even your support system are devaluing your experience and you learn to try so hard to hide your misery and you kill your self trying to keep up and not be a burden in any way, shape or form. You are essentially living a very fake life and plastering a smile on it and becoming sicker and weaker but you are giving everyone 115% of everything you have and they don’t know that every moment of the day you are so ill and exhausted and in pain and so desperate that you fantasize about ending it all because there’s no hope, help or support. You have to become this fake, smiling, normal person around everyone because you’re suffering is uncomfortable for others. You feel absolute shame 24/7, you are an embarrassment, you are abnormal, you start doubting yourself and your experience, you’re just lazy…..you’re a “soft boy”…!! After 30 years of my nightmare I was finally referred to a rheumatologist and on my first appointment he ran few tests and a month later on my second appointment, he gave me a diagnosis and that it my myriad of symptoms was absolutely textbook! I cried and cried because I felt like I was finally vindicated and validated after 30 years!!! My illness can’t be cured but it can be managed but it is a disability and I don’t feel so weak and soft and ashamed when I need to rest etc. Most people I have talked to with (especially an invisible illness)a chronic illness, condition or disability, this is their story too. The humiliation, shame, embarrassment, degradation, abuse from the medical professionals, and unbearable medical debt that went on for years to decades because they were undiagnosed and untreated and ignored by doctors who couldn’t be bothered or who’s ego was too big for them to admit they didn’t know the answer so they made me the problem and shamed me for it! Shame, shame, shame, so I totally understand why he keeps referring to himself in a depreciating manner! We all do!

that's crazy🤗🤗

My dermatologist took care of the arthritis too with the meds she prescribed.

So sorry that you had to gone trough that! I have PSA too and was diagnosed the first time i stepped in to a reumatologist room. My GP suspected this already and send me to the specialist right away. Being called a hypocondriac when you have those symptoms....wow 🤦‍♀️. Hope you will get the results back soon!

Shame on the people who called you a hypochondriac

​@@lillybarnett4027to be fair, for every unicorn disease theres 2000 munchhausen syndromes.

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Are you doing better now after being diagnosed?

@@sarahbells yes, I had an open heart surgery that took awhile to heal from, but I’m much better now thankfully

Similar to me honestly. I’ve been passed from specialist to specialist, with them telling me I’m fat, need to lose weight, need to eat less, that it’s just my anxiety, that my symptoms are in my head, that I have pcos. Yeah, turns out I have Cushing’s syndrome from an adrenal tumor that would’ve killed me if I didn’t keep insisting to my endocrinologist that the meds he had me on for pcos weren’t working. I’m getting surgery in a little over a month to remove my adrenal glands, but the disease already triggered me to develop an autoimmune condition which I’m gonna have to deal with for the rest of my life.

​@@ALDCBoulevard😢

Individual doctors really do need to take serious responsibility for how often women and people of color are gaslit. I'm so thankful to have an incredible doctor who helps me advocate for tests that I may need done. But of course, once I turn 25, I'll have to find a new doctor and that absolutely terrifies me.

I talked with my chronic pain specialist and she explained that psychosomatic symptoms are real, it’s more like your brain is telling you there is/will be pain where it isn’t. They have done studies and see that the pain signals do show up on scans. I agree that doctors use it to just brush you off and gaslight those with chronic pain

I had a baby last year in November and my OB is still in discussions with my insurance from back then 😒

This happened to a friend of mine as well. And the worst part is he got covid while in the hospital and because of that the hospital faced zero consequences for malpractice or anything because of the covid. All of us were and are beyond livid. He was murdered plain and simple. The doctor knew he had screwed up, tried to cover it up, and then hid behind the covid when my friend died. I’m so sorry for your loss.

My heart breaks for you. I'm so sorry that that happened.

I'm so sorry. That was medical neglect and that should have never been. Sending you love

If accurate, this is asking for a fat lawsuit or at least a very assertive complaint to the relevant ethical board. Very sorry for your loss!

So sorry...I hope peace fills you and your loves for your loss 🙏

I believe I have EDS too but it's been dismissed over and over by doctors. Haven't even been assessed. How did you get diagnosed?

I have POTS. They quickly dismissed EDS as they are closely related. But I think I have baby EDS.

I have the trifecta of EDS, dysautonomia and MCAS and I got lucky because my rheumatologists husband has the same diagnosis which is why she recognized it

@@craftingemily It's weird that they would dismiss EDS _Because_ you have POTS. I'm not a doctor but I was under the impression that they often went hand in hand.

@@mayaenglish5424 yes they do often. But apparently I didn’t have enough EDS symptoms for a further investigation. My GP differs and is still trying to find a doc for me.

As a person with an invisible disability, I agree with you. Major props to Zach for representing the disabled community. I was telling my parents about Zach’s story. I might have been uplifted by this story.

I too have Ehlers-Danilo's Syndrome! I'm disabled because of it. I am enjoying this conversation so much

It’s gotten so bad there are people even going to the states for treatment and just dealing with the bill because access it better there now than it is here…

​@@saram3449I do that. Never, ever thought it was ever something I'd need to do, but now have had multiple family members have to go to the USA and pay out of pocket.

Ugh i agree with this sm. Wish more people could get on this wavelength

That is why you should support free market healthcare ran by insurance companies. Because you currently rely on politicians to make the system right. Obviously politicians are not incentivized to make the system right so why would you suppose they would do so in the future? There should be no healthcare policy. Remove healthcare policy, then you remove political influence from healthcare. At least allow others to opt out of the NHS through tax deductions.

@@henrysanders6544 way to miss the entire point not only of the video, but also of my comment.

@@rosehipowl You realize I am not required to agree with you, especially since you provide no compelling reasons for me to agree with you?

​@henrysanders6544 you realize they are also not required to agree with you, right?

Why are we voting for politicians we can't trust tho?

They charged me for an ambulance once, I said "wow 75 seems steep" so they apologized and said don't worry about it. It won't effect credit and they don't follow up. So I never payed despite a bill.

Same! It's really scary hearing the stories from my friends in the states.

We pay differently and we have our own problems, but yes, we don't have to choose between our health vs being able to pay our bills at the end of the month.

Even worse, doctors refusing to refill medications if you don't see them. For insulin, birth control, high blood pressure meds. It is so expensive to see the doctor and then so expensive to pay for the meds. Some people can't afford both.

​@@tinaet4909 you realize doctors aren't the ones I. Charge of you ACTUALLY getting meds that way? They won't prescribe because they could lose their license over it. They have to follow protocols. It's not the doctor that's the problem here. Not to mention, medications should be monitored. I'm sorry but it's unrealistic to think the majority of people use their meds properly/ medications don't cause symptoms even long term ones that need interventions.

Took me close to 20 years. And that was on top of endometriosis and PCOS. Why didn't anyone believe me? And then came the migraines!

Same, took almost 20 years for my Fibromyalgia diagnosis and being punted, ignored, and gaslit by doctors made it a really hard journey. I feel for all our chronic pain and illness people out there. ❤

Just saw a video by the New York Times about chronic pain and drugs and comments were like "wow must be getting bad if mainstream outlet like that is reporting it" Doctors ignored my friend's severe pain for month. Told him it was old age and arthritis. Ir was stage four metastasized cancer actually.

Love to hear it! This is why sharing our stories is so important

I started to be my own doctor. Paid out of pocket for imaging. Radiologists do most diagnosis. Then sought out specific specialists and travelled to them. I'm not rich, it was for survival.

What conditions do you have?

@@floreamariussorin8652 Whenever there are people in need, there will be others around willing to make a buck. I guess I am lucky I can make a living doing what I am good at but also helping people.

I think it’s how the scale is used. The scale isn’t to compare your pain to others, the scale is to compare your pain level against yourself

Bring a man with you to appointments. Hire a male actor even. It makes a huge difference.

The doctors tell you to Google you’re health issues?! Google is not a doctor. I’m sorry. Sheesh. I hope the healthcare in Canada will improve. I am a little bit Canadian, myself.

Naturopath won't help you. We have to help ourself. Pay for private imaging. Radiologist reports provide indisputable evidence. Then you seek out specialists and travel to them. Our (Canadian) healthcare system teaches us learned helplessness, which has profound physical consequences. I don't expect them to do anything. I come to them with evidence and say what I want.

I see what you're saying, and I agree we need community. At the end of the day though, it all starts with you. Nobody can do your physical therapy for you, nobody stop you from choosing a bad diet. A community can support you, and help you access resources, but at the end of the day, you have to make the choice to make positive changes in your own life.

Maybe if physicians actually actively listened, squashed their biases & stopped going to “mental health” as soon as a few tests were “negative”, people wouldn’t feel desperate & get sucked in by scams . I told multiple mds very specific symptoms & not a single one quoted my description of “feels like legs lit on fire from waste down & like I’m walking in quicksand with bricks chained to my legs.” Pretty descriptive, yet my chart ends up saying “vague symptoms.” Years later tgey find a chronic nerve impingement in lumbar due to worsening arthritis & disc disease. If someone has no advocate, no family & cognitive issues, severe stressors, they continually ask for assistance & are told sorry we’re outpatient we can’t help you, your not sick enough, you weren’t inpatient, & you’re trying to NOT end up inpatient, when severe crushing fatigue (post exertional malaise) is one of your main symptoms, eventually you just have no more energy to fight left anymore. Also, the “I did all the tests (no you didn’t, & possibly the science hasn’t caught up yet), it must be your mental health (mind body connection exists but not at all to the degree that it’s charted as a diagnosis, of course if you already have a MH diagnosis it’s convenient). Here’s the thing, physicians are very driven typically type A personalities & “losing” or “failing” just isn’t an option, so rather than admitting they aren’t sure or the science just hasn’t caught up yet, their ego can be protected when they’re able to blame it on something the patient already has, or that can’t actually be ruled out as a cause (mental health symptoms are frequently related to physical issues but it’s easier to place the onus on the patient & not do the digging. OR label the patient as hypochondriac because they say they searched something on the internet because they weren’t getting answers & came across something that checks all the boxes & they’re interested in exploring that possibility. Doctors-just because you haven’t figured it out yet, or maybe science hasn’t caught up yet, it doesn’t mean it’s mental health. Does mental health cause swollen lymph nodes, fevers, rashes, hair loss, oscillopsia, random sudden cognitive fluctuations, aphasia, etc….. then maybe get a diagnosis of invisible illness with no cause & you’re told to get used to how life is going to be now. MS was initially hysterical paralysis & now we’re looking at an actual cause. Also, maybe think bigger picture & ask questions about patient environment, lifestyle, stop completely running out things just because there aren’t 100 research studies on it. Reactivated viruses, mold toxicity, conditions that are said to be rare that may not actually be rare, people just haven’t gotten diagnosed because Dr’s are taught “when you hear hooves think horses, not zebras.” Just some thoughts, from a chronically ill nurse, that now has medical trauma due to gaslighting & can’t schedule an appointment without having a panic attack (especially new physician). If “the system” is always used as the reason for why these issues occur, will anyone ever address biases. Everyone has them & very few physicians/nurses actually take the time to examine them. Doing so is a start in the right direction. It’s at least something, instead of just waiting for a “broken” system to get fixed. 🤷‍♀️

Do you know what the booklet is called? That sounds like it could be very helpful info!