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A Patient’s View of the Senate Christmas Healthcare Gift
So, all the great fanfare and all the king's horses. The great and almighty U.S. Senate has spoken. I will have to buy private health insurance -- forever, amen. The defective product that has left me wanting for real healthcare for all of my adult life is now a step closer to being the law of the land.
A lump of Christmas coal all polished up with sparkling rhetoric.
Here's what the Chicago Tribune said this week, and I agree:
On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune published an exhaustive front-page analysis by Northwestern University's Medill News Service and the Center for Responsive Politics of how it was done. The main culprit: "a revolving door between Capitol Hill staffers and lobbying jobs for companies with a stake in health care legislation."
The study found that 13 former congressmen and 166 congressional staffers were actively engaged in lobbying their former colleagues on the bill. The companies they were working for -- some 338 of them -- spent $635 million on lobbying. It was money extremely well spent -- delivering a bill that, by forcing people to buy a shoddy product in a market with no real competition, enshrines into law the public subsidy of private profit.
As we approach the end of Obama's first year in office, this public subsidizing of private profit is becoming something of a habit. It is, after all, exactly what the White House did with the banks. Just as he did with insurance companies, Obama talked tough to the bankers in public, but, when push came to shove, he ended up shoving public money onto their privately held balance sheets.
This is not just bad policy, it's bad politics.
Now, back to my own thoughts as a patient:
I went broke while carrying health insurance, a disability insurance policy and a small healthcare savings account. And if I get sick under this mess of a plan, it will happen to me again. Little has changed except that millions more of my fellow citizens will join my ranks.
How does it happen to insured people under this plan? Easy. Step-by-torturous-step. Slowly. Like water-torture.
1. Buy health insurance at work or on the new exchange;
2. Avoid using insurance due to co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximum exposures -- not to mention lost work time and the worry about losing one's job in a tough economy;
3. If symptoms are noticed, treat by internet medical site suggestions and over-the-counter drugs until no other option but going to a doctor are available;
4. Attempt to make appointment with doctor but first find one who accepts both new patients and your insurance;
5. Go to doctor and pay co-pay up front before ever speaking to anyone about medical problem;
6. Sit in outer waiting room for as long as required, missing work and worrying;
7. Sit in exam room waiting for doctor for as long as required;
8. See doctor for five or six minutes, if lucky, during which time you will either be prescribed some expensive drug to fix a problem the doctor isn't sure you have, referred to another doctor who may have a month or two wait for appointments, be directed to get some tests done you aren't sure your insurance will allow or pay for, and do it all sitting in your underwear or less;
9. Leave medical office owing more than what you thought your insurance and co-pay advertised (and never get an explanation for how that is possible) and never sure if this experience was much different than being to a used car lot where the sales folks have assessed your financing mechanism before showing you anything at all and then only show you what fits the financing not what you need or want;
10. In the alternative, if you collapse or wait until symptoms get so severe that going for an office appointment is impossible, go to an emergency room -- repeat steps five through eight -- and either be admitted to the hospital if your insurance is adequate and you have any available sick-time from work (if not, beg for drugs and to be released) or go to number nine.
11. Need a dentist? Too bad. Have dental insurance? Still too bad. You might get a cleaning and some x-rays, but getting the care you may or may not need will be again totally related to your ability to pay whatever portion of the dental work is not covered (and amazingly, every penny of what dental insurance will cover will be eaten up by whatever problem you may or may not have) -- in the alternative, avoid dentists or just pull teeth as they go bad;
12. When the bills roll in, try to pay some after trying to find out how you can possible owe hundreds if not thousands more than the insurance policy you have indicates is possible;
13. When the collectors call to collect all of the balances due, try to negotiate payments but endure threats of lawsuit, garnishment and worse as the collectors report back to the doctors you saw for a few moments in number eight;
14. Try to get your meds -- if too costly, go without;
15. Try to get well -- if you cannot, go back to work;
16. Try to act like this is all wonderful and you are grateful to have any insurance at all;
17. Get sued by a collection agency for a doctor bill or hospital bill you cannot cover;
18. Sell your house and use whatever proceeds you have to try to pay some of the debts;
19. Collectors for the doctors and hospitals are not happy if you don't pay it all in full and up-front most of the time;
20. Feel stress, fear, anguish -- but don't gripe and don't show it at work -- buck it up, chump;
21. Sell keepsakes and anything valuable to try to stay afloat;
22. Stress, more stress. Fear to answer the phone. Friends and family fall away as they don't want you to ask to borrow money;
23. Keep working -- sick or not, keep working or you'll lose that damn insurance if you cannot pay the premium -- or you'll be back out on the exchange trying to buy another policy that is cheaper and even worse;
24. Watch your elected officials claim victory and history as they work to make sure your kids and grandkids must suffer the same fate if they need healthcare in America;
25. Have a Merry Christmas, so says your U.S. Senate.
Don't think this can happen to you because it hasn't yet? Count your blessings this Christmas.
I'd really like the gift of healthcare. Medicare for all, single-payer healthcare would remove so much of this awful process. That would be a gift.
- Posted in
120 Comments so far
Show AllRight on, Ms. Smith. As someone who by necessity interacts with the "health care" industry on a regular basis as a customer, er, I mean patient, I can attest to the accuracy of your description. Rarely does the bill from the third party who administers my docs' businesses bear any relation to the statement of benefits I receive from the company who administers my health insurance policy, or to the account statement I get directy from one of the three non-medical staff one of my docs has to hire to handle all the paperwork.
Thank heavens we don't have an oppressive government bureaucracy handling this. /snark.
And I thought Congress couldn't get much worse. I was wrong again.
Obama is doing Ronny Raygun proud...the Raygun Revolution accelerated American fascism and Obama is institutionalizing it.
Somehow we must face reality. Even you, Donna Smith, whose words have so moved and enlightened me these last few months. There will be no change from on high. Not economically, not politically. We are on our own. We, have two collective goals. One is to establish a health care system that works for us all. The other is to topple the forces that prevent us from working toward this goal. Everything else, is merely a distraction and lost time. Enough small sticks thrust into the spokes of the machine will surely stop it. If nearly 20,000 Americans really die each year because of inadequate, or no health care coverage, than the answer should be clear. We shut down this machine by taking to the streets. Stock up on food and shut the machine down. It won't take everyone to do this, but it will take a lot. There is only one other option that I can see. But, I don't like the sight of blood.
I will not be forced to buy insurance from any insurance company. This is where I draw the line. I will refuse, I may be fined or whatever and I will not pay that fine. I will have my day in court and if sent to jail I will come out a violent revolutionary.
This corporate government is way out of control!!!!!!!!!!
"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." Thomas Jefferson
You will not be alone. This Congress has overstepped the bounds of decency and fair play to the lap of corruption where Nancy and Harry nestle happily.
Unless you're self-employed, I imagine your employer will be glad to pay any fines, including the extra penalties from refusing to file taxes "properly".
If, however, you know of any way of avoiding this, please let us know.
Very true. Avoiding paying the penalty will be difficult, as most war-tax resisters find out. After a few years, the IRS will simply garnish the persons pay, or put a lien on, or even seize, their home or durable possessions like cars.
As in war-tax resistance, the only way to avoid it is to keep ones taxable income low enough (either work for low pay or give excess income to charity) to be exempt from the fine. If the fine is based on gross income, than the deductible contribution strategy won't work either.
JUST DO IT!!! Fear is no excuse. The definition of courage is doing what you fear. Maybe a little more of this on all our plates might actually CHANGE something!
Absolutely ! I have no Driver's license because I will NOT pay a legislated CORPORATE TAX to anybody. Same for this Corporate Welfare "Legislated Living". A Pox on all their houses - Criminal Bastards posing as legislators. Fuck 'em all !!!
What can also be added to Ms. Smith's list is, as a recent article at Socialist Worker.org has pointed out ["The Senate's Health Care Fiasco" Dec. 18, 2009], that the insurance companies will not discriminate against people who have, as the expression goes, a preexisting condition. But what people like Obama are not saying is that people with a preexisting condition [like my wife who has Parkinson's Disease] could pay up to 50 percent more for their coverage. As the article states, this may also apply to older people, "who could pay premiums up to three times higher than younger people."
And also, pre-existing conditions is mostly a big fat red herring. It is a relatively uncommon reason for denial of coverage compared to the other reasons they deny coverage - and never applies in an employer group plan. The most common reason for denial of coverage is the because the patient goes to an "out of network" doctor or hospital, or they have a non-covered treatment or procedure done. The insurance companies will be free to continue to deny coverage for these reasons.
This is an anecdote; it may not be representative, but all the new hires at my employer must wait six months before their "pre-existing conditions" are covered. That's been the case for at least 12 years. With corporate medicine's push to sell pills for everything, more and more people have these "pre-existing conditions."
btw, "pre-existing" is redundant. For-profit insurance delivers not only bad health care, but bad English as well :-).
Reading this, I am deeply saddened. My heart goes out to all who trust the system to help them in a time of need. Whatever the need - capitalism is based on profit from any and all, regardless of circumstance or ability to pay. Our government has turned our lives and well being over to the profit-makers. This is a dark time for the USA. Many are still comfortable enough not to feel it yet, but when PROFIT becomes the highest goal that a nation claims, all will suffer in time - even the "wealthy" as they are surrounded more and more by the face of want, deprivation, and resentment.
Our nation has lost it's ideals. I believe that We the People must begin to create the community ethics we believe in - on the local level. Insurance corporations can be supplanted by our own community run insurance co-operatives. We can end-run this legislation by co-operating with our neighbors and creating "corporations" of our local resources - "Insurance" co-ops with clinics attached! Let the big Insurance industry stew in it's own self serving juice!
We can all buy-in to our community co-ops and thereby satisfy the mandated insurance without one penny going to the cannibals.
A dark time yes - but there is always the presence of a different direction and the light of community intra-dependence can light the way. America needs to get back to community - and starve the corporate structure!
Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live
MEDICARE....what is it that ya all don't understand? It is in place...no monkey business. Just add a name. Pleasssssss......learn about what we already have in this country.
Good one, Mainestay.
/cm
Thank you for your words of hope and wisdom.
I've seen it so many times. My heart goes out.
22. stress
this adds to poor health, compounding the problem
And the maddening thing is, most either USAns resign themselves to it, or think that they have the very, super-duper, best healthcare in the world!
pjd412
I think this time USAns are far from resigned to it. I don't believe they are going to stand for it.
Our health care is just fine thank you, except that everyone can't get it and it costs too much.
Ranked 37th in the world, even the quality of US 'health' care is inadequate. And we have to pay through the nose for limited access to it?
I've heard there are doctors who operate on a cash basis, but I haven't found them yet in my area. I don't trust for-profit medical corporations.
Depends on whose rankings you use and how they use the figures. We aren't nearly as bad as we are made out to be.
For what helthcare costs here we SHOULD be #1. Talking to a Frenchman yesterday. Their healthcare is far better than ours. The way he explained it, even with the problems they are having and the changes they are having to make, its better organized, comprehensive and offered to every single French citizen.
Single payer would have brought us at least close to theirs. Instead we get a lump of coal for Christmas.
Skip the Insurance middleman, just fold up a few hundred dollar bills and mail them to Evan Bayh’s wife.
Thanks for the laugh.
Joe
Madhoosier---
Hundred-dollar bills won't cut it, Plebe.
Better a kilo of Colombian coke. And hope for an overdose.
Which is what just happened in Washington D.C.
Hubris.
My avatar is twitching with anticipation as the Empire crumbles.
-30-
26. Die.
Do not worry The Obomber is over in Hawaii today fat and happy with his kickbacks (over $2 million from insurance in the last election I read).
Have you seen that he is spending $5000 per night to rent that house... Who the hell do you suppose is paying for that??
Give me any one but the obomber, Santa send us Sarra Pallen any one.. If you are listening Santa give us a real Populist. We will not elect anyone who had anything to do with this give away to the insurance industry at the expense of the American people. The Democrats have just signed away their future. And by the way the future of the country.
erclone
Very nice post, but Sarah P? Lets not get totally carried away!!
There seems to be only two avenues of redress left for us to pursue:
1. Start organizing for massive civil disobedience at the community level. Strategize and organize.
2. Actively work for the creation of a new political party that will put the Republicans and Democrats out of business.
This is a dark day for Americans. Let us pray that we can pool our power and regain control of what was once a democracy that was the envy of the world. With determination and perseverence, perhaps we can eventually give real meaning to "Change we can believe in!" As of now, those words ring hollow for all of us.
When is America going to get off its dumb ass!?
When it passes either a law or a constitutional amendment that strips corporations of the same rights as humans and we remove private money from all elections in this country. Until then, money will be the thing that calls all the shots. And that is not only stupid, but it's societally suicidal.
Until the money is removed from elections, all we will ever have is institutional bribery.
I lived overseas for years and in many ways, wish I had not come back. The only thing keeping me here is family and personal obligations.
Besides, New Zealand, the 27 member states of the EU, Canada, Norway, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Cuba, Japan, Taiwan and all the other countries with affordable health-care don't have enough room for 100 million Americans.
Can American citizens even move to these countries without jumping through a huge array of hoops? I would relocate to another country in a heartbeat if I actually thought I could gain admittance, but about the only other contries that Amreican citizens can move are Central or South American countries if I'm not mistaken.
Don't countries in the EU welcome all comers? China, Japan, Asia, India welcome immigrants from all countries wouldn't they?
Canada welcomes more immigrants than we do they say, so anyone can go there.
Canada will not let you in unless you have a career that they consider will be of value to the benefit of the country (or so I have heard.) Also, if you have had any criminal conviction (DUI/misdemeamers included) within 6 years you cannot even cross the border. Of course you probably heard the story of the Canadian professor who during the 60's had experimented with LSD and it was somehow on his record (LSD when he used it was perfectly legal both here and in Canada) and he was refused entry into the U.S.
Canada (as well as the UK, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, and especially Australia and New Zealand) has probably taken a hint from the conceited U.S. imigration policy and in response made it tough for U.S. citizens to enter their country. The golden rule of do onto others doncha know.
The civilized world has grown tired of U.S. hubris. Unfortunately, those of us who truly believe our policy and general attitude towards "those other countries" is arrogant at best, it has caught up and even though a large number of us disagree, we have to pay the price for the rest.
"2. Actively work for the creation of a new political party that will put the Republicans and Democrats out of business."
Remember that half of the population is below average I.Q. This portion of the population, whether they voted for Obama in the last election or not, will vote for the republicans...simply to show their displeasure with Obama and the democratic party in general.
2. Actively work for the creation of a new political party that will put the Republicans and Democrats out of business."
Most of the time, when we talk of forming a new political party, we are thinking of those who are progressive and on the left. This gives us too few people. What we need is a new political party that would appeal to everyone on the right, middle, and left who is disgusted with the business as usual in Washington. We need a "Reform Party" which would demand complete campaign finance reform, total transparency in law-making, anti-trust laws, and tax reform. A "Reform Party" individual would run on his or her own platform and with his or her own education, experience, and previous office-holding background to appeal to the voters.
your right! our uncle tom senate and congress have screwed us again.
this should be a ko for independent candidates running in both houses!
no more step and fetching by our elected officials its disgusting to
watch anymore!
Donna is right.
The American people, most of whom oppose this piece of corruption are right.
Obama and his Corporate lackies are wrong.
Nancy and Harry and their nest of traitors are wrong.
This is how are so called system works now. health Ins. is like all the rest of the marketing scams that have come to dominate our kultur. Reform? LOL! Oh year its reform alright and the Health mafia is celebrating it tonight. Now were all their servants and serfs forever. Wait till the so called subsidies disappear but the bill for your rotten so called health Ins. keeps coming anyway! Wait till taxes have to be raised to pay the ever increasing premiums that never ever go down. Wait till the Ins. Industry and its pals run all the so called Independent regulatory bodies because a corrupt Corporatist regime either Dem or Goper pack it with Corp. flunkies. Won't happen u say because Obama promised? Take a look at the SEC as an example. get it?
"Wait till the so called subsidies disappear but the bill for your rotten so called health Ins. keeps coming anyway!"
I would bet that once the republicans regain control of congress, this will be the very first "tweak" made to this healthcare "reform" bill. Subsidies for poor people is SOCIALISM, and we all know how the repugs. feel about socialism. Gotta feed that "free market" with those government mandated insurance premiums donchaknow!
Donna- You charactertize the consequences of dealing with this abomination of a system quite well. My heart really does go out to you and all who share these experiences.
Here's a thought though for the new year. Make a resolution to read/purchase "Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You" by Jonathan V Wright, MD and Lane Lenard, PhD. Understand the implications of this and how simple it is to fix, along with a multitude of medical problems. Then, find yourself a naturopathic physician or an MD committed to natural medicine. For a significant percent of medical problems you can be treated and cured for far less than the cost of insurance. For other problems, costs can still be cut dramatically.
Shift the paradigm, get away from the TINA (There Is No Alternative) lie they foist upon us, just as they do with chemical agriculture.
Peace
YES AND WHEN I GET CANCER FOR THE THIRD TIME...I WILL JUST "PRAY" IT GOES AWAY.
If you've had cancer twice and expect it to come back it would seem your treatment might leave some room for improvement.
I know that worship of the medical system is a tough perspective to change, but I don't see where I've said just sit and pray. I recommended a book that discusses one of the main endogenous causes of cancer (as opposed to poisons in air, food and water). I've suggested finding physicians who seek the cause/causes of your illness rather than treating symptoms. Treating symptoms never really solves a problem but they all get rich doing it.
I repeat--There are serious alternatives. You certainly have the right to choose allopathic medicine, whether through ignorance or comfort but to sneer at what you don't know isn't necessary or helpful. Tens and hundreds of billions of dollars are wasted every year on ineffective or dangerous treatments from "approved" medical practices, and that does not include the fraud.
Excuse me! Are you really that obtuse? If I refuse the "medical-treatment" prescribed by my doctors...my insurance can refuse to pay for my care. As things stand in this country...YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. PLAY, PAY, OR DIE.
Oh...Oh....I forgot. Cancer is all my fault because I do not think good thoughts and I am a bad person...............that is according to some.
Just because your insurance can refuse to pay doesn't mean it's not worth it. I do understand that, when dealing with cancer, all treatment is expensive but alternatives are vastly cheaper than chemo and cost has nothing to do with efficacy. I also understand that many could not pay out of pocket at all, but that, too, does not change the facts of what heals and what doesn't.
Why do you read in things that aren't said? No one has blamed you for cancer, altho there are certainly many habits that can diminish or increase your odds. But I couldn't make an accusation since I have no idea what your habits are.
There are always other choices. I and others have made those choices for many years. Find other doctors. They are out there. I worked in 3 different hospitals over a nine year period and I wouldn't pay 2 cents for about 75% of the medical care given.
I recently spoke to a young woman who had fainting and dizzy spells. They checked everything including a 3 hr glucose tolerance test. All was normal. The doctor wrote a prescription for a prenatal MVI (which would have trace minerals in it) After a week of taking the MVI all symptoms disappeared. The doctor said something like "Well, you were obviously missing something, but we don't know what."
If health care is to keep you healthy, the FIRST step should be "what's missing?"
While not reading the entrity of the Bill (as if anyone could or would) I wonder if the Senate consdered a "Citizen Oberver Care Corps" ?
This would be a cadre of Citizens who would be paid a bounty for every fellow Citizen they turned in for not buying their health care insurance.
This "Citizen Observer Care Corps" could knock on doors asking to see a Householders Health Care Insurance policy or report on any conversations they might overhear wherein one of the Radicals claims they will not buy Insurance.
They would then be allowed to spraypaint a giant red cross with an X emblazoned across it on the culprits door. This would allow Blackwater to drive around and easily identify those that need to be arrested.
Or shot...that could just depend on the color of your skin.
This bill still has to go to the House, and the House and Senate bill reconciled.
At least we could all pray or direct our minds intensely toward the go-along wimps and greedheads who represent us to KILL THE BILL.
It needs to be thrown out and trashed in the nearest garbage cans.
The only ones benefitting from this Health Care Debacle of a Bill are the Health Insurance Corporations, Big Pharma, and those who represent us, who will get substantial campaign contributions for being go-along wimps and greedheads.
A SERIOUS SUGGESTION:
KILL THE BILL and THE BILL HAS BEEN KILLED.
Make both your mental mantras, but FIRST, get a picture of the faces of your Senators' and Representatives' in your head, and then, SECOND, focus in and chant your mantras, followed by a good solid, mental, punch to their respective bellies, and OOF!, they double over.
Chanting these mantras, five times a day for about seven minutes would be good, and doing it with friends and family members would be even better, and it might be fun. Also just chant them to yourself, whenever, during the day or night.
Starting now, until the Health Care Debacle of a Bill comes up for final voting, why shouldn't we try shifting the polarities and magnetic energy fields with by-the-people, mass and massive, mentally-directed programming? Our TV programming does it to us all the time and so does the news propaganda that repeats and repeats all day every day on radio and TV.
And, hell, if it works, and our sore-bellied reps abstain from voting or vote NO and the BILL IS KILLED, the people just found their prime weapon against injustice, dishonesty, and exploitation. There's more of us than them.
; - ) ... but a serious, serious suggestion.
/cm
I love my country and I love the government it created as a "structure". It has taken hundreds of years to create this structure. However, I will not hold my breath that those within this structure will do what is best for its people.
Where there is a will, there is a way and in no way do we take NO as the answer, or that it cannot be done. If I had of listened to what everyone told me of what I could not do, I would not have what I have today. Lucky me.
What do we do…..We go underground. WE invite Cuban doctors into our communities. They may teach lay medical personnel and practice if they wish ...all underground of course. There is a lot of caring talent out there.
Neighborhoods donate or designate money for healthcare centers…underground. We do whatever it takes to “acquire” medical equipment and supplies…underground. If the health of the community is not sustained so goes us all when a possible epidemic is upon us.
So say we all!