Please help me understand. No really, please help me.
So, the health care bill. Everyone is all up in arms on the internets and FB and Im sure on twitter (though, Im not a twitterererer). Lets take a step back and first I’ll ’splain my situation.
When I worked for The Bank, they had what I considered an outstanding benefits package. You will never get rich in banking (well, I should say the lower levels of banking) but banks have good employee benefits. Because I worked for the large company it made sense for me to carry the health insurance for PC and I (as opposed to the small company he worked for where it would have cost somewhere around $1500+/mo to insure the two of us- YOUNG, HEALTHY, NON-SMOKING individuals). Because lets remember- health insurance companies serve no purpose other than to make money. Providing *actual* health care is what they do on the side. So, to get insurance at the bank we had several different options, based on state. We opted for United Healthcare which is one of the larger health insurance companies. We paid roughly $200/month for the two of us–that was our portion-20%. The bank covered the other 80% (EIGHTY PERCENT) of the monthly premium. So, to cover two young, healthy, non-smoking individuals it was about $1000/month. Whenever we went to the dr. at a *minimum* it was a $20 co-pay. Because all of us who have private health insurance know that generally all the costs/fees aren’t always covered so we had to foot the bill for whatever wasn’t covered.
Thankfully (thankfully) during that time (and even now sort-of, (tonsils-Im looking at you)) we have never had any health issues. An ER visit was a $75 co-pay and even though we had Rx ‘benefits’ I still remember when I was “diagnosed” with pneumonia and had to buy Augmentin for the first time….$80 at Target. (I say “diagnosed” because I had just been feeling crappy for a few weeks- NO COUGH, just a little light headed and off. The kook of a Dr. I went to (a Doctor I had to pick from a “pre-approved list of Drs”) insisted that I had a terrible pneumonia, the reason I was lightheaded was because I was so low on oxygen and I had to get an inhaler and chest x-rays and very expensive antibiotics and several other medicines I never used. Because, after getting a second opinion, I did not have anything close to resembling pneumonia. It was a run of the mill non-coughing virus. But, I digress.) At the time I thought all of this- the co-pays, the monthly premiums etc. were not that bad of a deal, relatively speaking. But Jebus- what if something really *bad* happened? We had $ caps so one serious illness/major medical event and we would have been in trouble.
PC was commissioned in 2004 and since then we’ve enjoyed the benefit of military medicine. No money comes out of our paycheck for this. Yes, the reality is *we all* pay for it in our taxes. All of the medical personnel in the military is paid the same as everyone else- that is, dependent on rank/years of service- dr’s in the military are not making six figure salaries. They don’t get any kickbacks or any slap on the hand for providing/not providing services/ using certain drugs etc. The beauty of military medicine is that doctors are actually given the freedom to do whatever they feel is prudent/necessary/appropriate to treat people. That is- to get them back to healthy. If that is an x-ray or an ultrasound or seeing a specialist- they do it. When you do need a Rx- even if its just for tylenol- its covered (free). The 3 weeks of Augmentin that retails for somewhere around $500? Free. The debate in the middle of the night of “is my kid so sick we should take them to the ER vs. what is that ER visit going to cost?” A non issue (free). You walk in, you show your ID and you get service. Period. Its that simple and its that good*. I think some might call this (gasp) socialized medicine.
* I want to note that there are crappy Dr.’s everywhere- ie Dr. You-have-pneumonia. There are bad dr.’s in the military there are bad doctors in the private sector.
Currently there are an ass-load of Americans that have no health insurance. Or they have health insurance that is worthless. Or they have great health insurance but will be denied service/claims because they had something innocuous like a yeast infection once and in insurance company talk thats grounds to put someone on the shit-list and not give them medical care ever again. Ever.
One of my best friends from high school had put on her FB status how annoyed she was that flu-shots weren’t covered by their health insurance. Go back. Re-read that. Let it sink it. Let it swirl around your brain for a minute. A preventative vaccine was not covered. Because CLEARLY, the potential alternative of dr. visits/ER visits or maybe even hospitalization is the far superior alternative? Probably because thats more cost effective (CHA-CHING) for them. Health insurance seems to have nothing to do with actual health.
Admittedly, I have not read the entire 1700 pages of the health bill that has been passed. But from the little that I have read, I just cannot, can’t can’t can’t understand why this isn’t a step in the right direction? Is it perfect? No, Im sure its not. Is it better than what we have now? Yes. It has to be. Because right now we allow people to DIE or go Bankrupt because they have no access to healthcare. What little access they may have comes in the form of ER visits and for the love of all that is holy people- WE PAY FOR THOSE VISITS. Im so over the people that are complaining about how much this bill is going to cost tax-payers- I’ll let you in on a secret– you are already paying for their healthcare. We are the richest country on Earth and we have the greediest healthcare system to match it.
And here is the thing, someone asked me where in the constitution it said everyone is entitled to healthcare? I haven’t read a copy of the constitution lately but Im pretty sure it doesn’t. But all laws and politics and government aside, from a humanity perspective- what kind of society…people….creatures? are we if we are so immersed in our own lives and greed that our moral compass doesn’t tell us: this is just the right thing to do? Otherwise- aren’t we saying that those of us who have health insurance, that our lives and our health are somehow more important than others? As another blogger so eloquently put it: human beings have not been given that kind of power over other human beings.
I promise won’t get all Bible-thumpy on you, because Im not a thumper (I mean- I won’t even tell you how long since we’ve been to Church….Im holding out hope for Christmas though.) And though it does not say anything in the constitution about health insurance, the bible is pretty clear on what is expected of us. John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is not a suggestion. You cannot live the Christian life without a commitment to loving other people. Some Christians place an emphasis on prophecy, some place an emphasis on spiritual gifts, some place an emphasis on social issues – but the core curriculum for the Christian life is to love one another. It doesn’t matter how much we know, or how much we do. If we cannot pass this test, Paul said we’re “nothing.” Im pretty sure that God is not impressed that some of people feel they are entitled to healthcare and feel justified in denying it to others. Somehow I don’t see the love there. What is really amazing to me is that its the far right individuals who are so against healthcare reform. Those who *claim* (CLAIM) to be such faithful Christians. Ha. Im also guessing God is not impressed that we are allowing polar bears to become extinct because some of those same “Christians” think global warming is some sort of a joke. But thats a topic for another day.
The health insurance thing isn’t like a social structure thing. Its not like the rich people have it and the poor people don’t. Its just a shitty luck of the draw based on the company you work for, really. When PC and I were so gung ho to get out of the Marine Corps and move back to Colorado the health insurance issue was a HUGE, maybe even the biggest obstacle we couldn’t overcome. The company he would have worked for provided insurance….and for all 4 of us it would have been like $1800/month. Even a great salary can’t compete with forking over $20,000 for health insurance. We could not afford to take that job purely because of the health insurance.
I was just talking to PC the other day about trying to never be too political on here. Im sure its the fastest way to lose readers– and I’ve worked up to a few of you now. But alas, some things are worth falling on your sword for and I think this is important. If you have something to say- bring it. De-lurk, use a pseudo name be anonymous. I really am baffled as to why providing access to health care for people is such a bad thing. If its going to cost money -bring it. Tax me. Because no person should have to die because they don’t have money for the doctor. No parent should have to watch their child suffer because they don’t have money for health care (crap- parenting is hard enough without any extra added stressors). No family should go bankrupt because they can’t keep up with their medical bills. This is the direction my moral compass points. How about yours?
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Hello! De-lurking here. I never gave health care much thought until four years ago when my “amazing” insurance that I received through my job refused to pay for two surgeries. Their reason, to my understanding, was because I was pregnant at the time and the surgeries were considered “experimental” and “unproven to be safe during pregnancy.” Trust me I wouldn’t have opted to have surgery during pregnancy, but when you go into kidney failure you don’t have much of a choice. After all the bills rolled in, to the tune of $100,000+, we ended up filing bankruptcy. It sucks and it shouldn’t have happened. I hate that I work a job instead of staying at home with my kids just so I can have them take 1/3 of my pay for insurance because we can’t afford to buy insurance on our own because my husband is self employed. I don’t know if the billed passed is a good or not, but I feel that something is better then nothing because the system we have now is not working!
1 Melissa said this (November 9, 2009 at 2:44 am)
Melissa- thanks for delurking and thank you even more for sharing. I wish we could send a stack of stories like this, 1700 pages deep to all the nay-sayers in Washington.
2 Lisa said this (November 9, 2009 at 3:26 am)
What I don’t understand is how one of the richest countries in the world can have such poor healthcare.
I live in Australia, and I have lived most of my life in New Zealand. These (NZ especially) are tiny little Pacific countries, and they still manage to have a better health system.
NZ – You pay for DRs visits. (usually about $30) If its for sexual health and your under 21 its free. If you are a low income earner your pescriptions are dirt cheap. ALL hospital visits (excpet plactic surgery for vanity’s sake) are FREE. The government pays for this. You don’t even have to pay and get re-imbursed. I had my appendix out in NZ. I spent a week in hospital and had some surgery. I never saw one bill, or even the amount the hospital charged.
AU – We have a medicare card over here. This card proves your residency and then (if you go to a bulk billing doctor) all visits are free. If not you pay and are re-imbursed around half. Hospital visits are once again free, and other major medical treatments get re-imbursed.
I just had a pregnancy ultrasound. If I had insurance it would have been fully covered. (and I could have gone private) but with medicate I paid $101 ad got $51 back. Not bad considering.
Over here they are doing a HUGE push to get insurance. You even get a 30% medicare rebate. Medicare is a part of our taxes, however being a low income earner again.. I can get the fee back in my tax return.
I think a lot of other countries need to adopt this approach. I don’t see how American (money hungry) companys can let innocent people die!!
(ok… rant over! but its interesting to see how other countries work.. and quite sucessfully too!)
3 Ashlea said this (November 9, 2009 at 9:21 am)
Amen, sister.
You said it.
I will never, EVER understand the self-professed “christians” who think “every man for themselves.” Those are the people who make me want to turn away from religion.
My family was in a terrible car accident when we were tourists in Australia and my sister had TWO surgeries, my mom and I were both in the hospital. I was in the ICU for days and the hospital for WEEKS. And it was FREE. Not ONE. Single. Bill.
If they can do it, we can do it. I hate it when people say it can’t work. Because it CAN work. It DOES work elsewhere in the world.
4 Katie (The Yap) said this (November 9, 2009 at 12:56 pm)
Just want to say, um, “you SAID it!”
5 Carrie said this (November 9, 2009 at 3:49 pm)
Agree completely…it makes perfect sense…why is it so hard to get this thing done? We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the Senate can pull this thing through!
6 Kathi M said this (November 9, 2009 at 4:16 pm)
So, my moral compass is totally with you. My problem is that our government sucks and I have a bad feeling they won’t be able to do this RIGHT. You say bring on the taxes, but there are countries in Europe who have a FIFTY percent tax rate! Hum…
And I’m kind of annoyed that the bill seems to be rammed down our throats. For example, how about we BEGIN by fixing Medicare. You probably have no clue how f-ed up Medicare is, but it is horrible. The government pays so little for Medicare care that my husband’s clinic basically looses money every time it sees a Medicare patient. The only insurance with worse reimbursement is TriCare (which is why you will find in the civilian world a LOT of places don’t take TriCare). Instead of fixing that we are going to basically expand it?
Speaking of fixing, why couldn’t they have tried to fix the insurance industry that currently exists? Take away some of their monopoly power (actually I think that did happen), make them more accountable, etc.?
And I don’t think this bill does anything about capping medical lawsuits. Did you know that military doctors can not be sued? Therefore they don’t have to pay malpractice insurance–a HUGE cost. But as far as I know this bill did nothing to address malpractice caps (one of the Republican ideas that I thought had some merit).
Ultimately I would classify myself as worried. But I do know that something has to be done. I suppose I’m just praying that this will be a step in the right direction.
BTW, have you seen “Sicko”? If not, check it out!!!
7 Jessica said this (November 9, 2009 at 5:54 pm)
Well you’ve got me on a ranting roll here because I keep thinking about this topic. I think we also need to examine the American lifestyle and how we are literally digging our own graves with our high fast-food, low exercise lifestyles. There are so many medical problems that are created by people NOT taking care of themselves. And there is ZERO emphasis on preventative medicine. We don’t just need a bill and government mandates, we need a SERIOUS culture change.
8 Jessica said this (November 9, 2009 at 8:19 pm)
Echoing Jessica, we need personal responsibility/accountability. If you’re going to be in a high-risk category of your own choosing, (ie. smoking, obesity leading to diabetes, heart disease, etc.), there has to be some sort of consequense. Docs also have to stop enabling especially needy patients. Both of my parents are in the health field (home health and pharmacy) and they see so many people who are overmedicated, unneccessarily medicated, or are so dependent on going to the doc every week (at least)…it’s almost like their perceived “sickness” defines them…gives them purpose. I guess it’s hard to blame the docs, though. If they didn’t prescribe, the patients would go somewhere else or slap them with a malpractice suit.
Just thinking out loud, here. Something needs to change. I agree (again) with Jessica, though. The gov’t can’t get existing programs right…this could get screwed up fast.
9 Jill said this (November 9, 2009 at 9:19 pm)
Jessica–as I was researching the “gospel”
portion of this blog yesterday I stumbled across a blog that was all concerned about the government getting involved in this. The blog was relating this healthcare to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Several people felt it was not the gov’t place to get involved. But here is the problem with everyone that is saying its not the gov’ts job….WHO’s is it? What other entity/company/force can fix this mess? I know the gov’t is not known for doing things extraordinarily well, but- its got to be a step in the right direction.
As far as medicare- I’m sure on the ’surface’ a practice loses $ from what they get reimbursed….but Im sure that is recovered by what they charge everyone else, right? That is why in the hospital tylenol is $20/pill….they have to make up their ‘losses’ somehow.
I did know that you can’t sue military docs…..I see pluses and minuses to that. I think doctors need to have some responsibility but mostly I think that going to the dr. is a choice, you are going because the benefits outweigh the risks, dr’s are still human and they still make mistakes. At the very least there should be a cap on what you can sue for.
I think I’ll just do another post to address the other items.
10 Lisa said this (November 9, 2009 at 11:33 pm)
About Medicare, I think you are right. But is it right that people with good insurance or people paying out of pocket have to make up the difference for what Medicare is paying? No. And if we all switched to government insurance, then who is going to make up the difference? Who would even want to be a doctor if it is ultimately a money-losing enterprise? I’m not saying doctors are only motivated by money, but they have to be able to run a business and make a living.
11 Jessica said this (November 10, 2009 at 12:20 am)
Jess—I’ll admit- Im not very well informed on the medicare/medicaid stuff. If we all switched to gov’t insurance….I don’t know. I think at some point the tides would have to shift and instead of just having “government insurance” you’d move to something more like the military where you have government run clinics/hospitals. I know, thats going to cause everyone to freak out (take a deep breath…it’s ok)….I don’t know the answer. Thats why hopefully there are people smarter than I that can fix this.
12 lisa said this (November 11, 2009 at 11:11 am)