[littlp]

Healthcare talk is always so depressing for me on a personal and professional level.

I’ve been a Type 1 Diabetic since 5 days before my 14th birthday. I was always told to have backup plans in jobs because of how expensive maintaining my disease would be. Being a writer wasn’t an option because I wouldn’t be able to afford the health insurance. Whenever I thought about taking or leaving a job, I had to make sure I would be covered by insurance. This was before Obamacare where pre-existing conditions could be excluded if I wasn’t covered for a certain amount of time. When I graduated with a Bachelors in English, I had to pay $300 of the $600 a month for Cobra. Throughout all of this I’ve been very lucky to have family who have been willing and able to help me when I really needed it.

I almost didn’t get my Masters in Social work because I was worried about the insurance and being able to afford my medications. Luckily my husband convinced me otherwise. While in school, I got cellulitis in my leg that killed off part of the nerve and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I ended up missing three months of work. At the time, I was just a student and didn’t get as much AL as other employees. We accrued a ton of credit card debt that we are still paying off today.

I’ve put off seeing the doctor several times. I ended up in the inpatient psych ward because I thought I could handle my increasing symptoms that I attributed to being on my period for a month and a half when it turned it my thyroid levels were severely out of whack. That was almost $3k from the ER visit and the stay itself. I put off calling my doctor about the pain and numbness I’ve been experiencing in my hands until it has been damn near constant because I just didn’t want to deal with more fucking medical bills. It is a huge source of stress. When my husband and I first met, I told him that I’m expensive to maintain, and it isn’t because I like jewelry and fancy cars. It is depressing to think that if I don’t have insurance i cannot afford to live. No one should feel this way. And I am really a lot more lucky than a lot of people. I have pretty good insurance now and a decent paying job. It is such a shame that people are having to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills. I’ve very lucky to not be one of those people...yet at least. Because all it will take is a big hospitalization to fuck us hard.

On a professional level it breaks my heart to see so many older Veterans foregoing their medications because they cannot afford it. All of them are on a fixed income, so if they don’t have the money, they don’t have anywhere to get it so they have to choose between food and their medications. I can only help so much with the programs and funding available. Many will not call an ambulance because of the $1500-$3000 they get charged. And these companies are not very sympathetic. I’ve had several patients whose medical conditions were exacerbated by their inability to pay for the medications. When we have Veterans suffering because of medical costs...it is just a fucking shame. Healthcare is just greed.

I read the letter Keith sent to his dad from fakeCat on Facebook and I can’t wait to see how he responds. No one should feel bad for his dad. He started it by emailing her first, trying to stir shit that didn’t need to be stirred. He isn’t going to learn anything but at least it has been pretty entertaining.


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