The Cost of Being Uninsured

I had lunch with an old friend the other day. He’s a retired educator, so I wasn’t sure where he stood on the issues of healthcare (in Michigan, teachers have the BEST healthcare).

It was an interesting discussion – he is passionate about healthcare reform. As an educator, he saw how many people fell through the cracks; how many young people did not have access to healthcare; and the high cost of being uninsured.

The costs are not all just the financial costs of going to the doctor and getting prescriptions filled. The cost is in delayed care – those who are unable to see a dentist, and so they have no teeth. With no teeth, you can’t eat. When you don’t eat, your brain and body can’t develop as they should. And you can’t learn. You can’t get a job when you have no teeth… think about it. Would you hire someone with no teeth?

What about the children who have never seen an optometrist? If they can’t see, it makes it very difficult to pay attention in the classroom. Then they are labeled as “trouble-makers” and ADHD. Really what they need is a pair of glasses.

We take so much for granted and assume that everyone has the same values (I get so tired of hearing that word!) and the same resources. But, we don’t. For some families the reality is that food on the table and heating the house are the first priorities – and everything else has to wait.  For that tomorrow that never comes.

The burden is heaviest on the working poor, those families who have jobs – sometimes two or three jobs, but still can’t get ahead. If they get fifty bucks ahead, the car breaks down. In spite of their best efforts, they just can’t make it.

 

Just a hand, not a handout.

Sam was back this week. We have seen him off and on for a number of years. He is a good kid, functions on a pretty basic level. He has two beautiful daughters – ages 8 and 2 years old. The factory where he was working closed and because of some changes in the law, he can’t collect unemployment. He’s not sure how he will feed his family; he doesn’t know how he can look for work with no money for gas – he lives in a remote part of this very rural county. He is one who has been in and out of our system. He is always compliant – he does what we ask, he takes his medications, and when he has work he is insured and we don’t see him for a while.
He is one of the ones I feel the most strongly about supporting. If we can help him stay healthy, he will be back at work. He needs the help that society can give him – he doesn’t want to be idle, he doesn’t want a hand-out. What he wants and needs is a hand. A hand to help him up when he’s down, a hand to guide him because he really is in over his head when it comes to dealing with issues other than survival. Like I said, he’s a good kid, and helping him will make our world a better place.

Kathy

Kathy has been a patient here since 2005. She has one of the most complicated lives I know of. Her husband has lung cancer and has been on and off hospice care for the past six years. She has, at times, had four grandchildren that she was raising while their parents were in jail. And until about a year ago, she worked full time as a cook in a nursing home making minimum wage, with no benefits.

And I think I’m tired.

Her main health issue is diabetes. But like many diabetics, she has multiple health issues including an allergic reaction to one of the most common diabetic medications. She has suffered from stomach problems of unknown origin; she also has had heart problems and eye problems. About two years ago she suffered from a minor stroke – but continued to work, to take care of her husband and the grandchildren.

She finally reached age 62 and was able to draw her Social Security but is not yet eligible for Medicare.

We see her monthly to provide the much needed medications, diabetic testing supplies and emotional support. One of my doctors was opposed to prescribing anti-depressants, but when he heard her story he wrote the prescription!

Through all of this she remains a sweet, caring woman who is more concerned about others.

She deserves better. She deserves a healthcare system that is available to her when she has problems, not one that will be there next Tuesday night.