What Would You Do?

If you woke up this morning with a sore throat, earache, or swollen glands, what would you do? What if you found a lump in your breast, noticed a mole that didn’t look right, or  numbness in your legs? What would you do? If your answer is you’d call your doctor and get an appointment, do you realize how lucky you are?

For many people, a sudden illness or concern would mean panic and fear. Too many live with the fear of getting sick. Too many go without necessary meds. Too many go without the preventive care that might keep them from getting sick. I am one of them, as are many I know. My husband and I have been uninsured for nearly 5 years now. I had to forgo my asthma meds. I can’t get things like Pap Smears and regular physicals. Two years ago I hurt my back and suffered with severe pain and numbness for 6 long months because no doctor would see me without insurance and the ER treated me like a junkie looking for a fix. One doctor sent me for an MRI. We’d gotten a very generous tax refund that would have covered it, but they refused to see me, saying “No insurance, no service”.  I could barely walk,  and was absolutely terrified I’d never get better. I felt hopeless and alone.

No one should EVER have to suffer or live in fear because they can’t afford medical care. NO ONE. My husband and I, and millions like us, are not uninsured because we are lazy or want the government to take care of us. My husband was lost his job through no fault of his own, and has been unable to find one that provides health insurance. It’s the greed of corporations that is to blame for the healthcare crisis in this country. While CEOs collect fat paychecks and fatter bonuses, the workers at the other end of the ladder, the ones that made them all their money, are treated like disposable goods. They don’t think they have any responsibility to their workers. They aren’t people to a CEO, just easily replaceable parts in a big money machine.

I know some people think the uninsured can get free care at the ER. Yes and no. They’ll help you to a degree-if you have an ear infection you’ll get antibiotics (hopefully you can afford them-there’s no free care at the pharmacy!) Break a bone, they’ll set it. But there is a stigma attached to being uninsured in the ER, trust me. I’ve been there many times. I got wonderful care when I had kidney stones, but when I hurt my back I was treated like a nuisance. When I went there 8 weeks pregnant and bleeding, it was even worse. I saw the OB/GYN on duty for all of 10 minutes. He didn’t examine me, just told me it was too soon to know if my baby was okay and to go home. Then he handed me a paper saying I had been diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. As almost all women know, that is a life-threatening emergency. When  I questioned it, he bit my head off and yelled, “Didn’t you hear what I said? Go home!!” and walked out (I didn’t have an ectopic pregnancy thankfully, but sadly, I did lose my baby).

And then there are things like cancer, diabetes, thyroid disease, and more. These things need regular treatment and meds, things an ER can’t give. So what do you do if you have no insurance and get sick with something like that? Some states have special programs that take care of uninsured cancer patients. Otherwise, you’re on your own. And that’s where the fear comes in. Every time you don’t feel quite right, every time you get an ache or pain, you worry. Every cough, every headache, every twinge brings fear. I live with that fear every day as do millions like me.

The systems in Canada and the UK are far from perfect. There are long waits and other problems, but those citizens live free of fear. They know if they get sick they will be cared for. They won’t go bankrupt or have to suffer. That’s how it should be. No one wants to live off the government. They just want to live without fear. They want to be cared for when they are sick and be able to get help when they are hurt. Health care should be a basic human right, not something you’re only entitled to if your bank account is large enough. Jesus tells us to love thy neighbor and care for one another. When He helped the lepers, gave sight back to the blind man and helped the crippled man walk again, He didn’t ask if they had insurance. He didn’t refuse them because they were poor. He saw their need and helped them. That’s what “Obamacare” is. It’s not a hand out, it’s a hand up many people desperately need. It will save lives.

Health care is a luxury in this country, and that should be a national disgrace. We must stop catering to the rich and start caring for each other. Benevolence before bank accounts. Philanthropy before profits. I am tired of being scared, tired of worrying. I know I am not alone in that. Don’t look down on us. One day you could be called into see your boss, as my husband was in 2009, and told your job of  15 years is gone. It could easily happen to you, and if it does I pray you don’t wake up sick one morning with no doctor to call, and no way to get help. It could happen to anyone. It happens every day.