…but you can get them in blood.  (A response to Laurel’s post on health care reform)

Federally run healthcare. Federalized. Healthcare.
I sat down today, and I wondered- what does the government already handle related to healthcare, that they don’t fuck up? I am not a rich person. My family is not rich. Neither I, nor my mother, has ‘normal’ insurance. I have the government program for under-21 kids and she gets free healthcare since she has no job (will touch on this later too).
I have to say, people who think there wont be long waits, substandard care, patient neglect, etc under this program… have you been in a government healthcare program before? I have, and to me, it seems as though they intentionally give you substandard care to scare you away from costing them more money.

Want an example? Well, a long time ago, I did have proper insurance. I would get dental work done, and get nasty dental shots, and I hated them- but they weren’t too bad, really. They gave you a shot in the back of your jaw, near the nerve bundles first, to numb you generally and then they would go in to do more localized shots. They had multiple needles and new needles for every patient. The needles were fine tipped, and clean.

Now, I am on the government insurance. I had to get dental work done. I had to wait a month and a half, upon referral, just for a consult- and then another three weeks for the actual procedure. If it had been a painful toothache, I would have been crying that whole time. Luckily, it was just minor pain and soreness brought on by my wisdom teeth- they needed to be removed or it would have eventually gotten worse. So, when I get the procedure done, they do not numb me first then give me the rest of the shots. They do not have nice clean needles for every patient. They have a large steel needle that appears to be older than I am, and they simply pop new vials of novocaine into them. Then they stab anywhere and everywhere in your mouth, while you’re anything but numb, and fully conscious. They do not pay for general anesthetic or any kind of ‘comfort’ features. You will feel pain. Lots of pain. The procedure, once I got past the trauma of being stabbed repeatedly in the mouth ( 20 times at least ), was not so bad… Beyond choking on the gauze they carelessly shoved into the back of my throat.

Want another example? Alright. My mom used to be on government insurance. She had epilepsy. She needed brain surgery, as her medicines weren’t handling it well enough, and she could not function in everyday life. It took multiple appeals, over a year and a half, for the government disability insurance to approve the procedure. A procedure necessary for her to function in society and have a life. They decided it was not cost effective. Only due to the good graces of a very persistent doctor did she ever get her surgery, which was a stunning success. However, they still demanded she stay on what were then, unnecessary medicines.

What am I getting at? I think you all know. The government insurance option will not be a saving grace, it will not be something to save you- no, it wont. It will be profit driven, and the care will be substandard at best. There will be little to no coverage of ‘comfort’ features, so I guess if you want it you better get used to being awake while they cut on you, since believe me they can cut you while you are conscious, but numb- and since general anesthetic is not cost effective, they will.

How can I say it will be profit driven? Simple. Have any of you read the bill? Even a part of it? I have. Specifically the parts about the panel that decides every single rule and term for the healthcare plan. The panel, somewhat un-affectionately called a death panel, is composed of a group of individuals, 1/3rd of which is appointed by the president, and not one of which must be a doctor. Not one.

Now look at the president’s record for appointing lobbyists and big business moguls, if you will, and tell me with a straight face that you think not a single representative for ‘big pharma’ will get onto that board. This board is the one that decides how care is rationed. Yes, rationed. And let me tell you, the rationing becomes much more tight once you are older and are no longer paying taxes- in fact once you get that old, the main thing they pay for is ‘end of life’ counseling where they discuss ‘dying with dignity’. Now I think end of life counseling is alright… when NOT paid for by people thinking of profit first.

Did you know, on other Federal boards like the FDA, many (I believe nearly 50%) of the members have monetary ties into big pharma? (For more info watch the movie Generation RX, they have a lot of sources and specific figures) There are rules for being on a Federal board, but most of those rules can, and have been at times, waived. Tell me, if they are bribing the FDA to allow certain medicines and keep certain test results quiet, as cited in Gen. RX, do you think that the big pharmaceutical companies and large insurance companies will not bribe the panel members anyways?

Beyond that… Beyond the fact that the panel WILL indefinitely become corrupt (look at congress and senate- bought and sold like trinkets by lobbyists), if you are willing to actually do some work, most of the time you can get free or reduced cost healthcare. My mother now has no insurance. She does not have a job either. When she goes to the hospital, she usually gets her bill written off to a charity, like Carenet. There are similar institutions all over the United States, and most hospitals (Not city hospitals, but around here all the ‘Saint’ hospitals apply for this) will write off your bill entirely, yes entirely, if they believe you cannot pay. You can get free preventative care at your local health department, and you can get free medicine from any large pharmaceutical company- On the commercials, they usually say “Can’t afford medicine? *company name* may be able to help”

It’s easy. You fill out some forms for the free meds, to see if you qualify. At the health department, you have to wait in line a while. Yes, this is boring, and it sounds like work, but rather than work and take the FREE venues for healthcare we already have, Americans are crying, and asking for mommy Government to pick us up and give us a suckle on her teat. This is wrong. Are we so inept that we can’t even stand in a line anymore? We can’t go to our local Health and Family Services board and look up assistance programs? We can’t fill out forms? No… We are begging for the Government to step in and take care of us, because we evidently are too stupid and lazy to take care of ourselves. What’s more, we are begging for the whole country, whether they use the service or not, to foot the bill. Yes, we want to ride the coattails of those who have not given up, and demand that we be taken care of because we are lazy. It is no different than a spoilt child screaming and crying when her mother will not get her exactly what she wants- and NOW.

Additionally.. I’m not a republican. I’m not a democrat. I’m me. I researched this and I drew conclusions from the facts life and study has given me. I agree that there needs to be change- so, why not regulate it like the government does when other companies get a monopoly? Prevent Healthcare from getting as big as it does- You know why they don’t? Because lots of those companies are footing the bill for a lot of people in government to live their lavish lifestyles. Campaign contributions, lavish gifts to congressmen and senators, its our government that needs reform along with the healthcare system. Allowing people already infatuated with how current healthcare works will not make life easier for us. It will lead to rationed and substandard care for the poor, with long waits because doctors don’t like dealing with Government insurance, and it will lead to raised taxes for the rest of us.

Want cheaper insurance? Start paying attention to the donations the congressmen and senators get. You’ll realize why they wont strip these large companies of their monopoly. Want cheaper healthcare? Take action to create legislation in your area or federally, regulating malpractice insurance costs or protecting against frivolous lawsuits. Want cheaper medicine? Maybe you ought to question why they don’t allow import of medicines that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars here, but can be afforded for the cost of a light lunch elsewhere. If you think our government, which willingly participates in allowing the Insurance companies to be big, bloodthirsty beasts, that outlaws import of cheaper drugs, and that botches the other healthcare systems it already runs, will save us you are SORELY mistaken. ”