THE BEST HEALTH CARE ON EARTH?

The claim made by a lot of people in the U.S. is that despite all it's faults, our health care is still the "Best health care on Earth". As the debate heats up in Congress about what to do about our uninsured, I thought I would try a different approach this time around to address my feelings about our flawed system.

I have addressed this issue before in my post "Tax the Rich", which brought me the ire of my right-leaning friends, and more recently in my post "The Universal Health Care Program No One Wants" which managed to piss off some of my left-leaning friends. This time around I'm going to take it to a personal level. I have warned you all before that "exampling" or pointing out an example proves nothing more than that something happened once. It's not a great way to make your point and is usually used by people who want you to react emotionally instead of looking at the facts. But, since I've already covered some of the facts in my previous posts, I though I could be forgiven for bringing the issue back home and personal.

The first time I really noticed the difference in having coverage or not was when I was in my twenties. My wife's brother Dave had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. He didn't have much of a problem getting a doctor to diagnose him, that part can be done in an emergency room or by a doctor willing to take payments. This is the part of our system that Republicans usually trumpet as "the health care everyone gets" after all, they'll tell you, "no one is denied treatment if they show up at the hospital door." What they don't want you to know, particularly if you have health coverage and don't know any different, is that that is only for the diagnosis, not the surgery or the treatment. Once you have been diagnosed as having a major health issue, everything changes. You can show up at the hospital a thousand times, and they'll simply tell you, "You have cancer, you need to find a surgeon." and send you home. Once Dave had been diagnosed, the long fight to find a surgeon willing to work on him with no coverage began. He went to Social Services who sent him to a doctor with a long waiting list. He tried to find another doctor, but each one simply pushed him off with delays, telling him he first needed to see if Medicaid would cover it (nope) then tried to push him through different Social Programs that he didn't qualify for because he had worked his whole life. Each effort to find coverage extends the delays. Finally, after three months, a surgery was scheduled. Prior to the surgery, Dave got another chest X-Ray, the news was very bad. During the three months, his cancer had spread throughout his body. Surgery was canceled and three months later he died. Leaving a wife and two kids. He was never once "denied", simply pushed over and over to the very back of the line.

Some time after that, I was diagnosed with cancer. During a visit for a lump on my abdomen (which was benign), the doctor was showing off his new ultra-sound machine and found a lump that wasn't benign. This happened on a Thursday and thankfully I had good Health Care from my job. On Monday of that very next week I was in surgery. By the end of that week I was in radiation treatment. There was not one delay and within 7 weeks I was done with my treatments and on the road to recovery. I asked my Oncologist what would have happened if I would have had no insurance like my Brother-in-law Dave? His response was chilling, "You wouldn't be here getting the treatment your getting now."

Fast forward to this year. I am now watching my daughter fight for her health with a system designed to provide her with nothing. Nine months ago she was diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid (again, getting diagnosed is not the problem.). The lump on her throat was the size of a acorn and only visible when she raised her chin. She has fought with Medicaid, who again refused her because she has a job (One social service worker suggested she quit.) She has tried to find help through the state, which has pushed her further back saying, "Our budgets are tight, programs no longer have the funding." She has scheduled with three doctors for the surgery, each one giving her dates months down the road and then canceling them at the last minute. Her last attempt got her all the way to surgery door only to have it canceled at the last minute because the doctor forgot to give her medication necessary before the surgery. Again the new date is months away. In desperation she is trying a new doctor who happened to hear of her plight and is willing to help. We're all praying it works out this time. Her lump is now the size of a half an apple and easily visible. She is a single mom with two kids who has worked her entire life.

During the arguments for and against revamping our health care system, a lot of lies and over statements are going to be made on both sides. But I want to lay one lie to rest. The one that, "Everyone gets treatment in America, no one is turned away." While there may be truth in the wording, the real truth is health care for those that are covered is quick and timely. For those that don't have it, it's a battle to stay alive until they can squeeze you in. Children are losing their mothers, sisters are losing their brothers, let's not candy-coat it with some distortion. The argument is that a Universal Health Care Program will result in people waiting for months for a knee replacement. Well, to them I have an answer. It's already happening, just not to you, and for things far more serious than a bum knee.H.C.