Healthcare Headaches

I look forward to Sunday mornings.  Most weeks I sleep in, I make a big breakfast for the kids and myself, then I curl up with a cozy blanket and watch Sunday Morning and a political show or two before crawling out of my jammies.  This morning was a bit different.  We had gone to the drive-in on Saturday night and wandered through the door in the wee hours of the morning.  My typical routine was a bit off kilter.  I woke up a tad later than normal and caught the last 20 minutes of Sunday Morning.  After yet another mind numbing mention of MJ during a commercial I changed the channel.  I landed upon PBS – Bill Moyers Journal was coming on, highlighting healthcare reform.  This is a HOT subject in my family; mom is a national healthcare company big wig, I dealt with insurance company red tape for far too long.  Mom barks loudly about ’socialized medicine’ and the ‘downfall of America,’ while I understand through experience the difficulty of obtaining good, cost effective health care when you have either a history of or an ongoing medical concern.  We are on opposite sides of this battle field.

Due to a history filled with chronic rare disorders, cancer, and ongoing medical issues within my household I am what is affectionately referred to as uninsurable by healthcare companies.  What this means is that they either deny me coverage or charge me an arm and a leg… I am their worst nightmare, a major liability because I use my insurance to cover my treatment and the treatment of my children.  At one point in time I was faced with decision, go without insurance or pay $1800 per month for coverage plus $40/$60 deductibles and have very little prescription coverage… this was the best that insurance companies, at that time, could offer me. (Thankfully my insurance situation has changed, but the fact of insurability and cost effectiveness remains for countless Americans.)  My Mom, on the other hand, receives stupendous coverage through one of our nation’s largest healthcare companies, for a mere $10 a month… even with a history of heart attacks and chronic disorders.  Hmmm… now how does that work? 

I am easily frustrated, not by people’s passion for their stance on healthcare in America, but by the unwillingness of some to listen to and respect divergent view points. I understand that the matter of healthcare in America is a very sticky one.  I understand that there is good and bad with both commercial and government run healthcare.  What I don’t understand is the need for misinformation, scare tactics, and greed when it comes to the lives of our citizens.  We live in a wealthy and very advanced nation, yet many of our citizens are struggling for even the most basic healthcare coverage.  I am not on the Nationalized Medicine Bandwagon, but I do feel that we should have options beyond the greedy fingers of corporate CEO’s who care more about their profit margin than my receiving proper care for a brain mass. 

This morning I could not turn away from Bill Moyers as he spoke with Wendell Potter, a former Cigna Executive.  It was very interesting. 

I am a firm believer that no decision should be made, on healthcare or otherwise, without a full understanding of every aspect of the subject that is being determined.  It is my hope that people continue to educate themselves on all aspects of the matters of healthcare reform before making a decision as to whether or not changes need to be made and how those changes may take place. 

To view today’s episode of Bill Moyer please visit the PBS website. 

To view an interview between Mr. Wendell Potter and Rod Kall of OpEdNews, please visit the Huffington Post.

~ by mina75 on July 12, 2009.