No Come Sunday we will finally be able to insure our working/middle class, who dont qualify for Medicare, who dont qualify for Medicaid ,and who depend on an unreliable employer-based system or who dont have an employer because they own a small family business and have a pre-existing condition that makes it impossible to afford health insurance. So they dont get it. Instead they walk around without insurance, dont take care of their high blood pressure or diabetes, because they cant afford it. Until of course, they have an MI or they have a stroke, and are faced with a 400,000 hospital bill that they cannot afford, because of course we dont refuse anyone in the ER for treatment but we still send them the bill. The hospital social worker then tells them they dont qualify for any aid because they have more than $3000 so therefore they should be able to afford the $400,000 bill. They are discharged home and the bills start coming with more zeros at the end than they have ever seen in any bank account. They keep ignoring the bills, cant afford the hospital follow-up appointments, until they get a collector civil suit threatening to put a lien on the home that they worked all their life to be able to buy. We expect them to sell away their assets until they are left with nothing and then we'll give them Medicaid. We pay too much taxes in this country and spend too much money on defense (a trillion) to be denying people the right, yes the RIGHT, to quality health care that is accessible to all.
Pray that youre really poor, over 65, or rich enough to afford your own health insurance in ths country because if youre anywhere in between we're just gonna hang you out to dry.
Unfortunately the Republicans have made so many edits to our health care bill without even changing their vote to a YES that there is no longer a public option, but at least some tax breaks for those paying out of pocket for health insurance. It's a start to something historic.
Thank you President Obama for starting what could be history tomorrow. I didnt go into medicine for status, prestige, money, reimbursements. I didnt go into medicine to make sure Medicare reimburses me for every 3 epidurals I put in my patients spine every 6 months. My personal statement from college says I went into medicine to help people. Where is my altruism? Still intact, I hope. Yes Id like a decent living and a decent home to support my family in. I think medicine will always be able to give me that. But for now, I want to make sure my neighbor, my friend, my sister, and every other person I know out there that doesnt have health insurance, and falls in the cracks where there are no Medicare or Medicaid protections, is provided with a human RIGHT to health insurance and health care coverage. Afraid of a government take-over? Dont be, it's times like this where we need one.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/20/health.care.main/index.html
Keeping my fingers crossed for Obama Care tomorrow!!
I still enjoy inpatient.......... I just like doing the whole MSK clinic / EMG / fluoro injection thing more.
