Insurance and Healthcare

[PhoenixAzul]

I have to warn you that this is a rather sore subject for me. Please don't be offended.

1) if we are talking about the standard of care in the states, then from my perspective, it's stayed about the same. I've got a chronic illness that requires dr visits and the whole nine every 3 months, so I guess I'm a frequent consumer. If we are talking about the standards of health INSURANCE in the states, then it is abysmal. It isn't the very poorest and it isn't the very rich getting squeezed out, it's working class and middle class families getting blocked from quality care, being priced out.

And the system of "pre existing conditions" is absolute and complete bullocks. I've got to pay double what someone else pays because of something that I couldn't control? And then pay more for medications? My rates were $900/ month without prescriptions to keep my insurance. Medications were probably another $200+/- a month. And then rent. And food. And gas. If I hadn't gone to graduate school, I'd have been bent over the table...I don't know anyone who can make the $1700/month right out of school, and few who had health care right out of school.

2) Pharm reps. Oh how I hate them. I want to chuck eggs at their cars. Before I left for Glasgow, I had to go and get a TB test and a meningitis shot at my GP. So I go in, and the waiting room is PACKED. So I sign in, present my card. And I sit...and wait....and wait....and wait. Finally I got up to check and make sure my appointment was on the right day/time. And through the window, I see that all of the Dr's and nurses are enjoying sanwiches, coffee, cake and such with a drug rep sitting there with his case open....

The waiting room itself has an LCD monitor that just constantly flashes direct-to-consumer drug adds. We're one of only two countries in the world that allow direct to consumer advertising, and it costs the pharmaceutical companies BILLIONS of dollars a year. I'd really rather they kept that money for research or, *shock* reduced the price of the medication. I've got zero sympathy when they lose a patent and a generic comes available.

3) The absolute cluster-f*ck of red tape associated with health care does my head in. Why am I paying someone the above $900/ month to DENY ME CARE? And it isn't the Dr that makes that decision, it's some paper pusher in an office somewhere that says, "nope, can't have that procedure". I pay you to WORK FOR ME, not to put up barriers to my care. That's not the way this system works....you pay, you receive services. We wouldn't accept this type of abuse from any other industry, but health insurance gets away with it because we've got to have it.

When I was getting ready to leave for Glasgow, we were trying to get the insurance company to give me a year's dispensation of my medication at one time. This was a nearly 4 MONTH process of phone calls, faxes, letters, complaints, threatening legal action (I owe my lawyer friend a nice bottle of Scotch for that one), in order for them to say, "oh! ok." (I should note that this is the only time that I have dealt with one person on a consistent basis and she was fantastic...it was a pharm services person in my health insurer, who said to me, "yea this system is shit, we'll get you that med one way or another")

4) The fear-mongering surrounding countries with national insurance is ridiculous. I've lived in the UK for a while now, and I've got a phenomenal GP who is literally 100 yards from my front door. I was immediately given an appointment, physical, podiatrist (which my old insurer wouldn't cover even though I'm diabetic), diabetes specialist, and a prescription waver form. The standard rate of prescriptions in the UK is 6.18 GBP...about $12 USD with exchange rate. But if you've got a condition that requires constant medication/monitoring, or if you're in a couple of other situations, the prescriptions are absolutely, positively, free. I don't pay a pence for them. And it isn't just insulin, it's flu shots (weren't covered under my old insurance), biohazard bins, they'll pay a good portion of orthotics should I need them....

And I've never waited to see a Dr. here. I've always gotten prompt appointments and treatments. My flatmate (also american) had a stroke (she's 22) the third week of us being here, and she was given treatment at no cost, and she continues to recieve treatment for the blood thinners and other things she takes, again at no cost. She might even be able to apply for transport funds, because the neurology clinic she has to attend is cross town from our flat.

But I guess my point is that treatment is no good if it is only for the rich. It would make more sense to me to given EVERYONE access, especially the working class. If you've got a healthy person who isn't having to scrape and decide between medicine and food or medicine and rent, then surely they'll be a better employee. Surely if they've just got a GP to go to for a blood test, that can prevent them from being disabled later. I don't know, to me it seems that if we make an investment in the health of EVERYONE then we should see the economic gains in productivity.