https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:31:01 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1213030 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:11:50 +0000 artsyfartsy 1213030@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I made a preconception visit with my OBGYN I wanted to use as a new patient and they couldn't get me in for 2 months. By the time the appointment rolled around I was already 6 weeks pregnant. Lolol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1212965 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 09:51:42 +0000 Mae 1212965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I found my PCP I think I had to wait somewhere around 6-8 weeks to get in with her. Although since that time I've had to see her twice for somewhat urgent issues and she got me in once same-day (very urgent issue) and once next-week (less urgent issue). So I feel like she keeps spots open for her current patients who are actually ill, which I appreciate. </p> <p>My OBGYN was worse. I can't remember how long it took me to get in to see her the first time. I want to say like 4+ months or so. And even as a current patient you can't just call and schedule your yearly exam a month out. You really need to schedule it like 3-4 months in advance at least. But again, I have had lots of times where I was having an actual problem and she got me in either same day or within a few days. </p> <p>So over all, I don't really mind that it takes a while to get in for well-visit appointments because I think that means that they are very responsive to sick visits. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1212948 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 09:46:39 +0000 bhbee 1212948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ineebee: my husband has been making dermatologist appts 4-6 months in advance (earliest he could get) with the idea that "I'll probably have something that needs to be looked at by then" :happy: </p> <p>in some states (like MA where we live) you don't need a referral for OBGYN. I had no trouble getting into the OB I wanted when I was pregnant, but it's totally different because a) you have a definite need to see them and b) they make a ton of money off births so those patients are gold </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1212926 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 09:40:21 +0000 ineebee 1212926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@birdofafeather: I'm glad it was worth the wait for you! :) And thanks, for me, "good" is now defined "first available." </p> <p>@bhbee: A year??? That's insane!! I tried looking at the outer suburbs, and the wait there was even longer. Maybe I'll try looking at the outer <i>outer</i> suburbs... o_O</p> <p>@googly-eyes: That's encouraging! If/when I get pregnant, I think I may have to go that route too - with the referral from the doctor I haven't seen yet. :P Good to know that that actually works, though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1212463 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:59:16 +0000 googly-eyes 1212463@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I got pregnant I had to see my PCP for a confirmation to be referred to an OBGYN because back then we were on HMO insurance. However, I had already been added to a certain medical group when I got my insurance plan. So even though I hadn't picked a doctor and I hadn't seen anyone in the group it only took I think 1 to 2 weeks. I saw my OB a couple weeks later.</p> <p>Sorry you're having to wait so long! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1212383 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:12:49 +0000 bhbee 1212383@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There's a big shortage of pcps where we live. I had to wait almost a year to get into one near us (went further away in the mean time). Crazy </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1212376 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:06:56 +0000 birdofafeather 1212376@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a hard time finding a PCP in the beginning. It took about a month or so to get in to see her, but she is awesome. Hope you have someone good! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-long-have-you-had-to-wait-for-1st-appt-with-new-pcp#post-1211732 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 16:10:46 +0000 ineebee 1211732@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>VENT! Our new health insurance cards came in today, so I didn't waste any time trying to schedule an appointment for a physical in our new city. After calling 10+ doctors' offices, I finally found a doctor who is taking new patients. But the next available appointment was frikkin FEBRUARY! </p> <p>After that, I went through the same circus for an OBGYN, and I now have an appointment for March, 2014. This is unbelievable! Anyone with me? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-508249 Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:53:21 +0000 erwoo 508249@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: Sorry, I don't know. I bought my dog's insurance when she was 8 weeks old and it was $10 a month then. Now it's $30 a month and she's 12. It's through VPI Pet Insurance and I just have the standard plan for her (no vaccinations plan). I believe you can get a quick quote online and it may even have information about pre-existing conditions. If anything, it's worth a phone call before you sign up and not able to use any of the benefits. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-507531 Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:16:48 +0000 PastaAndPotato 507531@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we have it through VPI - we got it when she was 6 mo. old, and its just shy of $25/month. totally recommend it - it covers the majority of all of the ailments that she's had (she had a mast cell tumor removed, several small scrapes, and we're looking into whether her ACL is partially torn now)</p> <p>i don't know about the pre-existing clauses, but VPI's customer service is really helpful, and they can tailor a policy to what you need </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-507502 Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:08:12 +0000 regberadaisy 507502@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Spoon: do you know if your policy has a Pre existing condition clause?@78h2o: @erwoo: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-493225 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:29:59 +0000 purrpletulips 493225@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have VPI Insurance for our Newfoundland. We got it when she was a puppy after having repeated vet visit due to UTI. We haven't actually had to use it for anything major (except getting her spayed) but it is nice to get a portion of the yearly physicals/shots reimbursed each year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-493062 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 06:29:24 +0000 78h2o 493062@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do via Pet Plan. Our dog is 2.5 and so far it's more than paid for itself each year (our dog is prone to eating stuff she shouldn't and GI issues). They have been excellent about reimbursement and I usually get the check within a week. I've heard that statistically it's better to put the money you'd spend in an account each month, but it gives us peace of mind I'd something horrific happened we wouldn't be worried about money (we have a $200 deductible and 20k limit) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-493033 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:44:45 +0000 shopaholic 493033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've heard that getting reimbursed is so difficult. From the companies I looked at, anytime you make a claim, you have to pay yourself up front and then submit a claim to get reimbursed. I've had a lot of co-workers tell me their claims were all denied. I looked into it again when Chloe got Glaucoma and Cataracts. She eventually needed surgery. But when I called, even the spokesperson I spoke with told me her own dog had the same problem and she was denied all claims. She told me to save my $. </p> <p>We have our dog on the Banfield Wellness plan, which is more like an HMO or Kaiser kind of health plan - preventative mostly.<br /> It's very helpful, especially in the early years for all the vaccinations, and in the later years, like now my dog is 10 years old. All her office visits for any sort of issue are covered by the plan. We also get a discount for all medications and services. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-492577 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:46:46 +0000 erwoo 492577@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do. My dog is 12 and we pay 30 a month for it. She's had surgery multiple times to remove benign tumors and fatty tissues so it's been worth it for me, I think! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491925 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:20:53 +0000 Foodnerd81 491925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't have it. I looked into it about 8 years ago and it didn't seem worth it, although I think they might have better options now. Luckily we haven't had any major health issues with him, and even if something came up now, over the 9 years I've had him, I probably would have paid more in premiums than surgery would cost. We also finally found a nice and cheap vet! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491915 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:16:30 +0000 LindsayInNY 491915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was told that it's a good investment when you have a puppy so neutering/spaying will be covered. But, beyond that it's generally not worth the cost. My dog has constant ear infections and maybe insurance would cause us to go to the vet more but we don't. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491809 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:47:47 +0000 Bao 491809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's probably one of those things, if you have it, you won't use it, if you don't have it, you will wish you did. I'm no help, clearly :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491781 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:40:05 +0000 charlotte 491781@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we have a policy right now that is $26/month for a lab. its a $100 deductible per incident and pays 90% after that. we got it because he is young, super active, and goes to doggy daycare a lot. i've always heard about labs needing major knee / hip surgeries so we really got it just in case he hurts himself in a major [$5000 dollar surgery] way. interestingly enough, since we got the policy last year he hasn't been sick once or hurt himself in any way! we'll probably keep it at least until we scale back the doggy daycare and/or the premiums become unreasonable [i've read that they increase a ton as your dog ages]. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491255 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:11:06 +0000 immabeetoo 491255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wish we'd gotten it - our shin tzu had to have eye surgery and it was pricey. We should probably investigate it again now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491221 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:00:09 +0000 JerricaBenton 491221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't get it. Our dog has been healthy luckily, but we did pay a lot for allergy testing a treatment when he was little. We plan on getting a second dog after LO is a little older and I think we'd get the insurance then. It would be so worth it if he ever needed a surgery or had a big problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491168 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:43:25 +0000 Mrs Spoon 491168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have it. It's about $25 a month for my one dog. It doesn't cover regular visits but I did get 80% back when my dog had a cracked tooth extracted and a cancerous spot removed. It's been worth it for us in that we 've not lost money and we have peace of mind if something really bad happens. We use Pets Best Insurance. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491164 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:40:05 +0000 littlek 491164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Leialou: We spend a fortune at the vet. But the insurance we are looking at is for unexpected big issues. Ex: cancerous tumor, injury, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491158 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:36:48 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 491158@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't know this was a possibility. Our vet has very affordable prices, so it's probably not something I'd buy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491156 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:36:34 +0000 MrsBrewer 491156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't, although I just have 2 cats. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pet-insurance#post-491151 Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:35:47 +0000 littlek 491151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Does anyone have pet insurance? Do you use it? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it or not. We have 2 small dogs. </p>