No Health Insurance. The 47,000,000 Left Behind November 1, 2008
Posted by voolavex in Uncategorized.Tags: $5, 000, biopsy, blue cross, cancer, condition, disease, doctor, health insurance, healthy, insurance companies, pinko, pre-existing, socialist
2 comments
I have no health insurance. Period. I have an untreatable disease that ideally should be monitored about twice a year and biopsied about every five years. My last biopsy – in 2003 was under insurance and cost $10,000. It came out better than hoped for and so I dodged a bullet. I should have another one but I don’t have the money. Even if I did, I have the “pre-existing condition” that no one even looked for 16 years ago. I could (not will , but I might ) cost some insurance company a lot of money in the future and they are not in the business of healthcare they are in the business of mismanaging funds and saying “no”. I am a bad risk.
I am fortunate to live in a city where a serious, full time Free Clinic, treats anyone – not anything – but enough to get you through the year. It is supported by endowments, donations (large and small) and the time and energy of real doctors who do at least a rotation there. Philanthropists and humanitarians. I get blood work once a year to let me know if I am about to need major surgery or if I have developed a worse condition known as cancer. So far I have been lucky. Waiting in the clinic is not a hardship nor is being assembly lined through. The fact is that the care is more personal and considerate than the average doctor visit. I am going for this year’s blood test next week. My feeling is that it will be okay. If not, it doesn’t matter because I can’t afford to treat it or try to fix it or do anything but have it become worse. So maybe I am a tiny bit concerned.
This is not a cry for sympathy – it is what 47 million Americans, including myself) face every day. It is a result of managed care which should be in the hands of doctors not number crunchers. I should get the same care as a Senator who technically is my employee. One should not have to work to get the benefit of insurance. I wonder – is it really your employer’s job to care for your health? I am not informed enough to say. I can’t fathom who is greedier, Blue Cross (and its ilk) or Doctor Somebody and his malpractice insurance payments or the government who things it is pinko to have healthy citizens. I do know that $5000 a year tax credit is a dirty joke coming from a man with millions. The older you get the more you need care. Starting at about fifty. The ludicrousness of shopping for insurance is insulting. The only person you should be concerned with choosing is your doctor. Insurance companies decide who gets what treatment and they don’t use common sense or kindness to do it. We are the only developed country that does not insure their citizen’s health. This makes us underdeveloped in a very basic way. Does a nation of healthy people make us socialists? Okay – call me names. I still would rather be a healthy American than dead at an early age because of nomenclature and labels.
Voolavex 