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Minor #HealthCare observation, been thinking about this for a few days, wasn't going to bother with the write-up, but I've seen multiple messages from friends and colleagues the past few days that have moved me in this direction, so…
Because I am now An Old, I recently jacked up a shoulder and a hip, for which I was prescribed physical therapy at a GREAT PT center. Two separate incidents, but the treatment kind of overlapped.
As the hip got better fast and the shoulder got better slower, I got to a point where my hip "prescription" (chronologically, first) ran out, so we concentrated more on shoulder.
Shoulder is now almost 100%, but I still have appointments I can do. I'm doing a FINAL one tomorrow, and cited cost as the reason for no more to my physical therapist. I'll be maybe $900 out of pocket all tolled, WITH "name brand" insurance (Anthem Blue Cross).
To my surprise, she said she gets it, and does the SAME sorta thing herself: She "rations out" her own health care, usually with cost as a main guideline. And it struck me:
She's got a damn kinesiology degree. She's a highly trained professional doing vital work, and she has medical insurance as well. She's also well younger than me (late 20s?), but when something hits, she does a dollar-to-health analysis.
And think about this: She's a medical damn professional! If anyone understands the import and value of health and wellness, it's her! But she also weighs "What's my health going to cost? Can I actually afford this?"
Even if you're insured, the system is Byzantine, and seemingly punitive. When my hip got jacked up and I couldn't, you know, walk, I didn't know what the heck this was going to cost me. I just knew I needed to walk.
They'll fix you up and bill you later. Not saying this has to 100% be Burger King, but it's nice to know what that Whopper Value Meal is going to cost. As it is, you fly blind. I got my first couple bills, projected out, gauged how okay my shoulder felt, and picked a final date.
And again, that $900 out of pocket is in addition to my monthly premiums—which I consider myself lucky to pay. No gripe-fest, this, as I KNOW I'm in a FAR more fortunate position than others, to wit:
Just the last few days, I head form someone carrying $116,000 in medical debt. The number has become abstract to him. Does he pay it? Can he? Will the piper finally call all due? How long can he continue on like this?
Another cat I know had a DAMN LEG AMPUTATED BELOW THE KNEE, and just spent eight hours arguing on the phone with his insurance company yesterday over rehab. He has to RE-LEARN to walk. 4-6 months. 50 sessions. They don't want to cover it.
We've seen horror stories, LEGIT horror stories, about diabetics rationing their insulin and sometimes dying because they can't afford it. This is flat-out inhuman. Should your neighbor die for the want of $25? Answer = no.
We hear very frequently about how the USA is the richest and greatest country on the planet, but our society systemically fails when it comes to the basic operation of keeping people alive and healthy, which could lead to—guess what?—an even richer and greater country.
#Healthcare has become the weather: Everyone complains about it, no one seems to do anything. And the fetish that US Republicans seem to have over destroying the ACA is just that—a fetish only, with no substance. Remember "repeal and replace?" They STILL haven't put forth a plan.
Folks, this just smells like an All Hands on Deck moment. That's your cousin dying for want of insulin. That's your neighbor teetering over on one leg because rehab is deemed too expensive for Aetna's profit margin.
We gotta fix this. We gotta prioritize. These damn Friedrich Hayek-humping, Chicago-school, supply-side mofos are constantly wailing "Oh, how you gonna pay for it?" Well guess what? No one asks how we're gonna pay for the next $100 billon weapon system. We just do it.
Maybe it's time to apply that "it's a priority, we'll just do it, maybe people are more important than missiles" to healthcare. The inverse is looking pretty ugly.
Again, my situation is a drop in the damn bucket. $900 is an inconvenience in my life, one I can easily overcome. There's people, full-blown Godly creatures overflowing with humanity, who could die over $9. Maybe recognize their humanity. Fix what's broken.
That's all. Twitter often lacks nuance. Try not to sling-and-arrow me too bad if you read this. Thank you for listening to my not-a-Ted-Talk on #Healthcare.
