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Healthcare Political

Benefiting the insurance companies, not the people

Bush is making a visit to Missouri on Thursday to push his health care plan. How appropriate, considering that our Republican governor has cut the number of children and other people covered under Medicaid and Medicare. Over 100,000 400,000 were dropped, and I’ll tell you one thing: they won’t be covered under Bush’s plan, either.

Here’s the deal: I as a single person would not be taxed on my first $7500.00 in income, in order to pay for health insurance. What does health insurance run? About $200-400.00 a month for a single person without pre-existing condition. Monstrously more if there is an existing condition–if you can even get coverage.

Now, if I make let’s say 25,000 a year–that’s a tax savings of about $750.00 or so. This will buy me, on average, 2-3 months of so-so coverage under most of the HMOs in this state. All at the cost of those lucky people who have decent health care coverage for their families having to pay more in taxes, just so that I get enough tax saving to not have enough money to pay for my own health care coverage.

Now, if it were enough to actually allow most working people without insurance to get such, they’ll be joining these HMOs and other medical plans, adding to the profits these companies make. However, the quality of care will continue to degrade, as more and more of these organizations are denying even basic care in an attempt to further increase profits.

The health organizations will like it because they don’t have to cover quite as many ‘bums’ and ‘deadbeats’ and, you know, the people who most of the Republicans would prefer to just die, and eliminate the problem.

It is universal health care or nothing. No more Bushian ‘drug plans’ that helped few. No more compromises, and absolving this country of its social duties in ensuring that everyone has basic health care. No more embarrassing ourselves in the eyes of the rest of the world, as the people who put up with this shit from our politicians, and who don’t have the brains to demand better.

The cost to pay for all this really isn’t the problem. What is, is the health care organizations that are overcharging for services that are being underutilized because someone somewhere wants to make a buck off the backs of Americans. There is a Health Machine that doesn’t want universal health care. It’s not because people are worried about you and me, or jobs, or because of increased taxes, and it’s not because of what the country can and cannot afford. It all comes down to profits and quarterly reports and executive bonuses.

The Health Machine: that’s who Bush’s plan is for and to be frank, he’s not welcome in this state. Let him takes his sorry ass elsewhere.

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Healthcare

When it rains

I just found out this morning I have to have a root canal to the tune of 880.00. I was all set for a bout of feeling pretty sorry for myself–or should I say, sorrier for myself–but then this small job opens up and that small job opens up, and I just got an assignment to write an article, and damn it, I really like some of the photos I took the last couple of days.

Oddly enough, I am left with a strong desire to write something funny. When you laugh, the act requires such a violent personal involvement, it overwhelms all your senses and you can no longer feel pain.

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Healthcare

Life at all costs

I accompanied my father to the surgeon’s office yesterday for his first post-operative checkup. This is easier said than done because my Dad’s in a wheelchair now, and necessitated the use of the nursing home’s transport van.

I got there with a few minutes to spare and the nurse said he was in physical therapy. The van driver was there and walked with me to the room.

Dad’s physical therapist is a guy in his 30’s I would say, short but looked quite strong. There were about half a dozen other older people in the room, and they all looked at me – a blank look I’m beginning to associate with the place. The Therapist’s face was the blankest.

I said hello to Dad and he said “Hi Dear” back, and seemed almost as if he wanted to stand up to greet me, but couldn’t. The Driver looked at Dad’s large wheelchair and mentioned to the Therapist that he was worried it wouldn’t fit into the van. The Therapist replied that of course it was, this was America. America is full of big people, with big wheelchairs and the van creators know this.

I looked down at him from eighteen feet above, and gave him the most neutral, polite, and toothy smile I could summon. I hope it gives him nightmares the rest of his life.

Dad’s chair did fit and we ended up at the Doctor’s office. The waiting room was full of people, and the Driver placed Dad next to a couple of empty chairs and I sat next to him. A woman who was sitting in the chair next to mine, got up and moved three seats away.

I have ambiguous feelings about Bloomington, Indiana. I’ve met some very friendly people, but I’ve also experienced some very unfriendly people, too. It is typical midwestern community, while St. Louis has much of the deep south about it. I find that I prefer St. Louis, especially after waiting in that Doctor’s office, with a room full of people who wouldn’t look at Dad. At the ceiling, at the floor, at the door, at the wall, at the magazines, anywhere but look at my Dad. Of course, Dad does look old now. Not well aged. Not gracefully old. It’s like he’s been beaten, daily, by life. I suppose if I were 10 or 20 years older, I wouldn’t want to look at Dad, either.

The doctor’s visit didn’t go too badly. The nurse took out the surgical staples, with me helping to move my father around. He said I’d make a good nurse, which I took to be a high compliment.

The X-Ray technician was a drop of sunshine, she was that sweet. She knew we’d need help, so she put out a call. Next thing we knew, about six other nurses and other office people were there to help. There’s that good part of Bloomington in action.

The surgeon –yes, that surgeon, the one who didn’t leave Dad with pain medicine – left a very negative first impression, but a mixed impression after the second visit, when he checked the X-Rays. The first visit was fast and when I tried to identify myself, he just looked through me. The second time, though, he was slower, and more friendly, and even patted Dad on the shoulder. The X-Rays show that the bone is healing nicely (we Powers always heal fast – good thing because we’re all clumsy as hell), and maybe that’s the key–the surgeon’s work won’t be wasted after all.

(I asked someone recently why the doctors work so hard to keep us alive if they’re only going to get resentful when they succeed and we get old?)

Anyway, we survived the trip, staples out, bone healing, and Dad had a nice trip in van. He kept calling me Dear all throughtout the trip, which was endearing at first but towards the end of the visit, I realized he’d been doing so because he had forgotten my name. That’s okay. I like being called, Dear.

Categories
Healthcare

I prescribe a walk

I found a St. Louis community clinic system to see a doctor about the headaches and associated side-effects with my head. The one clinic is booked until next month, but another is free this week, but then you have to show proof of funding.

I’m not unemployed technically because I’m self-employed, though this is a bit of a joke at times (“What’s the difference being self-employed and being unemployed?” “There’s hope for gainful employment when you’re unemployed.”), so the form B201 I would need to get from the overworked unemployment office doesn’t work for me, and it will probably take me a month to get it, anyway. I guess I’ll bring my tax return for last year, except then I had unemployment insurance payments, and this year I don’t, and they’ll charge me accordingly.

The easiest thing to do, I’ve decided, is just spend the rest of the month hiking, and enjoying the start of the Fall color season; write about it here, maybe post the photos, and just ignore the whole thing.

Categories
Healthcare Political

Need

Another thing that Bush talked about yesterday was how it was ‘junk lawsuits’ that are driving the cost of medical care up so high that health insurance costs have grown beyond what the average person can afford. If it weren’t for the fact that people sued doctors and hospitals, why everyone would have access to health care now.

That’s good to know. My Dad fell yesterday and broke his hip and has to have it operated on today, not something that’s lightly done when you’re 93 almost 94 years old. Luckily he has medical insurance to cover most of the costs of this, because his assisted living expenses are eating up his savings. Not to mention all the drugs the doctors keep giving him, though most don’t do a bit of good.

But I want to assure President Bush that if Dad dies during treatment, we won’t hold the hospital responsible and sue them. In turn, will he then get the health insurance premiums lowered in this state so that I can afford to get coverage? It would be nice not to be worried about getting sick. And if I am sick, it would be nice to know I could go into the doctor without being financially ruined by the trip.

But I’m a little lost on the mapping between limiting malpractice suits and available, affordable health care for all. Could he spend a little more time on that one?

Watching Bush yesterday, among that crowd of just plain folk, I thought that he came off rather charming. Likeable even. You know, I don’t think President Bush is evil. I think he grew up in an environment where people are supposed to take care of themselves and their friends and family, not have the government do it. I think he was taught that when people have a run of bad luck, it’s up to them to make the best of whatever situation they’re in. He grew up believing that every little boy or girl, well, maybe just every little boy, could be president someday. After all, just look at him? His Daddy was President, and now he’s president. Things work out, his brother will be president in four years. That’s the way these things work.

I think growing up he looked out on his father’s horse ranch and he saw wide open skies and plenty of green, so he didn’t understand why people talk about Texas being one of the worst polluted states in the country. He listened to his Daddy’s friends as they talked about how this country is rich with oil and Nature, she’s a tough old broad and isn’t going to be hurt by a little drilling.

He was raised in Texas where you just don’t step on another’s man’s shoes, boy, unless you’re willing to pay the consequences. Al-Queda stepped on our shoes, but Saddam was going to, he just knew this – why can’t most of us make this connection? And now that we’ve found out that Saddam really wasn’t much of a threat to us, well, the President said recently that sometimes people make mistakes. The Democrats chortled over that one.

His approval ratings shot up three points after that quiet bit of reflection. To the people here abouts, it takes a real man to admit he can make a mistake.

My own Dad didn’t grow up in a rich family, but he was brought up to believe that family takes care of family, and people don’t ask for help if they find themselves down on their luck. They make their own luck. Of course, it’s a lot tougher when your family isn’t rich, but that just makes the victory that much sweeter.

Dad also thinks that anyone that goes to live in a tree to protect it from being cut down is a nut, and those women who bare their pink bras to protest the war are silly, and pretentious. As for Iraq, well, he thinks it’s the Iraqi’s problem that they can’t see what a great opportunity they now have, and continue to fight among themselves. After all, government can’t do everything for them, either. Shame about our boys, though. And those nice foreign workers. The terrorists, they kill because they like to kill. They enjoy killing, and nothing we do will change this.

As for the cost, well everyone knows war is good for the economy. Look what WWII did for us?

If my Dad survives to November, which is iffy right now, and is capable of making cognitive decisions at the time, he’ll vote for Bush. I think that the President will appreciate that.