Some Personal Thoughts on Healthcare

It's been hard to get a chance to sit down and write. Life has become all that more challenging for my mom, and now I have to expand my vast medical knowledge that I refer to as my internet doctorate degree even more to include matters of kidney issues, pneumonia and respiratory therapy. These areas of specialty were unknown to me as my nighttime reading veered toward Transverse Myelitis, Cerebral Vascular disease, and urinary tract issues. I do my best to keep up with information, so that I can take a proactive approach. Pay attention to what drugs she is getting, and make note of the care that she is getting so that I know someone is paying attention, and I can anticipate or recognize problems.

I share this personal information because at this very moment someone is raging about the alleged Evils of "Obama Care."  Fox News is making it an almost obligatory battle cry 24/7 by politicians wanting to beat the drumbeat for their base. Of course I doubt any one has read the entire Affordable Care Act or can justify very much of their outrage other than they are pissed off that everyone would be forced to pay for insurance. Changing the system will not be easy. But it is a must.

I haven't read the entire thing either, to be honest. I've been a bit busy trying to deal with the massively expensive, completely incomprehensible healthcare system we have now. Which, if any Republican has a suggestion about how to improve it other than "tax cuts" and "defeat Obamacare" I sure would like to hear it.  All I hear are crickets. And an an oxygen tank behind me, but that's another story.

Medicaid/Medicare is the biggest "problem" out there. I say problem because it is the most costly of all. I hear all the blame thrown around at the bottom feeders who run their child with sniffles to the emergency room. I see on TV the gunshot victims on life support after gang shootings who have no insurance and are clearly costing the system millions. But I also see the elderly who worked their whole life and now, through no fault of their own have found themselves living on social security alone, and after their savings are exhausted, they are accepted into Medicaid, and live out their lives in nursing homes at a cost of 72 thousand dollars a year. In Eldercare it's called "spending down to Medicaid." And our population is getting older all the time. Baby Boomers are retiring. It is going to be an even bigger drain on the national coffers.

My mom is home for now. It is expensive to keep her here and requires a lot of sacrifice by family. It is exhausting her savings and at some point she won't have the money to stay at home because she can no longer afford the care she needs. And at that point, she just may join the ranks of the Medicaid people. In a civilized society we have the obligation to care for the elderly, ensure that they do not suffer needlessly, and have a life with dignity. This aid is important, because it is a safety net. I don't think people understand just how necessary it is.

I'm sure the Affordable Care Act needs a lot of work. But don't just criticize and walk away. Find solutions, find alternatives, try to help people the best way we can. Or the future will be very bleak for us when we are old, and our health is failing. And we didn't go to bat for ourselves when we could.


Here is great column from Reg Henry on the health care debate, I find him spot on with his gentle humor and  his way of stating the obvious.