My personal experience with health care
I started out with crisis level hypertension. (245/145 - "how did you make it to the ER alive?") Then I added diabetes. After years of trial and error, I have the BP under control, but I have to take 10 pills a day (7 different medications, some twice a day) Add in 2 pills (2 drugs) for the diabetes and 1 for cholesterol, that's 10 drugs, 13 pills a day. Cost? $0.00.
In addition when my hand started shaking I asked to see a neurologist - parkinson's. (I haven't started to medicate for that yet, but when I do that will also be free) Then the neurologist said that people with parkinson's are at risk for skin cancer, so I should see a dermatologist. My primary took a picture of a small lesion near my eye, sent it to a dermatologist, and she will see me in (if she responds like the cardiologist and nephrologist and the neurologist did) in three weeks or so.
Sounds like I have great insurance, doesn't it?
How many ways could my insurance company have killed me? Well, I would up with my combination of BP meds by trial and error, so I don't really know how many are actually necessary, but if the insurance company refused to pay for the right one(s) my blood pressure would shoot up (I know, I've tried it) and it'll be stroke time in what, a year? Two?. Parkinson's and diabetes are only fatal if untreated (?) but they're pretty easy to catch and would only be left untreated if my insurance company dropped coverage, which is now supposedly illegal, (for now) so I won't count that. But what if my little skin lesion is malignant? If it is I will only have caught it by luck. Well, a skilled and thoughtful neurologist, but I only saw him because my insurance allowed me to, and I will only see the dermatologist because my insurance is allowing me to.
What is this great insurance? Medicaid. Granted, I live in a wealthy and liberal county, so I suppose I should say an adequately funded medicaid, but that is as close as America gets to single payer. Because it is NOT insurance - it is the doctor doing what he should do, not what the insurance company allows him to do.
In "fairness" I did just have to wait three hours to see the nephrologist - he had a run of new patients (thanks Obama, really, they would not have come forward if not for the ACA. and thanks Bernie, this is a "community clinic", like the ones funded through "the Sanders amendment" of the ACA) and had to spent more time with them than scheduled. (I can't complain, he did the same for me)
Comments
A close relative went on ACA medicaid just before a
serious hard to diagnose condition started causing problems. Saved her life. I do not think she could have moved fast enough for private insurance with prior approval requirement and copay considerations. It took 3 long hospital stays, 4 ER visits and a team of specialists to get her stabilized and find the problem.
As a nation we have multiple systems in place that could be expanded to provide medical care with medicare, medicaid, Indian Health Services and Veterans Health Systems to all citizens. Our politicians need to feel their careers are in jeopardy (including lobbying) if they do not perform.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Your story would raise no eyebrows
in Canada even if you were 45 and gainfully employed.
Your "insurance" would cost you no more than a few hundred dollars a year, depending on your income, as a surcharge on your income taxes.
Welcome to the 21st century.
There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.
I'm 59 and retired
so that I can qualify for medicaid. In fact, I am refraining from applying for disability because the stock dividends from my savings would push me over the limit for medicaid eligibility. I just asked what my ACA policy would cost if I did go on disability, and it would be $1 in yearly premiums and a $75 deductible, but what abut the coverage denials? And then, the $500+ a month subsidy that would go to bribing politicians.
By the way, when I was working (I was a taxi driver) I was rear ended once, with 2 Canadians in the car. They refused to be taken to the ER (they were probably not hurt, but that wasn't the point) Instead they demanded to be taken to the airport.( where I was originally taking them ) If necessary they wanted to be treated in Canada.
On to Biden since 1973
I learned from my wife
that Canada will pay for emergency treatment in other countries when required. That said, I don't blame your Canadian passengers for insisting on Canadian care.
Depends on the country.
I wouldn't necessarily want to be treated in a Tajikistani ER.
There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.
And yet ColoradoCare is still facing pushbacks.
"It's a tax increase!! Death Panels!! Job killer!!"
Paid for, of course, by entirely out-of-state Big Pharma and Big Insurance interests because ColoradoCare threatens their profit$.
NEWS FLASH, motherfuckers: Coloradoans have already produced all the profits for you that they ever will. The non-owning classes' good jobs are gone, and your profits from Colorado with them. The replacement of unstable private insurance premiums with the stable, limited ColoradoCare taxes is good for both business and labor, including small business.
It's just not good for you, grifters. It ends your grifting scams. And that, too, is a good thing.
http://www.coloradocare.org/splash/
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
You can beat chronic illness by changing your diet
Check out Forks Over Knives
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg]
Plant based. No more animal products. No cholesterol in the diet. No oil. You can do very well against hypertension and diabetes. After I went plant based, I was able to stop my hypertension meds. My fasting glucose went from 80 to 67 (I never had a problem with glucose) and my total cholesterol went down to 149. No pain in the ass meds or frequent doctor visits anymore. Just once a year! I'm 62 on Medical, by the way.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRTKfRXwBTg]
I generally don't mind waiting in a doctor's office
It's always good when I'm not the person with most urgent needs.
So glad you're getting what you need.
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member