By VERNA BROCK
Coming off several days of nursing four queasy dogs, I have given a great deal of thought to how genuinely lucky my pets are. Over the past year or so, we have been able to repair a ruptured disc in Beau’s back, treat bouts of Cushing’s disease, seizures, acute anxiety, a dysfunctional thyroid, address a beloved pet’s sudden blindness, and tummy aches.
In our case, said pets are fortunate to live with humans who can afford to provide medical help. It all adds up, monetarily speaking, and Ed and I are grateful to help them. But I can’t help but ponder the plight of my human friends who struggle everyday to afford health insurance, prescriptions, tests, and specialists.
I know people who have sometimes had to choose between medicine, food or heat. I could share real horror stories about the desperate balancing act of juggling finances while lives hang in the balance (I won’t, since I know everyone can do the same). I’ve watched the cost of medical care skyrocket, the increases often explained as necessary to cover malpractice insurance and lawsuits. Which, in and of itself, is sad.
I can’t help but believe the richest country in the world can do better when it comes to providing universal health care to its citizens. Despite our prosperity and amazing medical talent, America is the only westernized country that doesn’t provide guaranteed access to health care for its citizens.
It is my fundamental belief that no one should face financial ruin because of a serious disease or catastrophic illness. I also believe the system can be fixed, improved, and corrected.
Currently, our system is segmented, dependent upon private (often employer-based) insurance and public programs like Medicare and Medicaid. This results in millions of un- or underinsured families. Despite the billions of dollars spent every year, our country has the worst health outcomes when compared to other high income nations, with the highest rates of morbidity and mortality. Clearly, the system isn’t working, it is blatantly failing.
I wish I had the answer. There really are other, proven, options. Somehow we need to light a fire under our legislators, so they’ll take the crisis in health care seriously, and find workable solutions. Lawmakers must answer to their constituents (we voters, The People), not the AMA, Big Pharma or the insurance industry.
Afterall, no one should need a GoFundMe app to pay their doctors.
I guess I need to make a few phone calls. Time we all make ourselves heard!