Democrats and Health Care
Health care apparently isn’t an issue for every citizen. Whether you have a health care plan or not can depend on many things, such as employment, income, personal choice, and health. For some of us it is the most critical issue of the campaign. I would like to present you with an example of our broken system. For me, it is very personal as it affects a family member. The case in point is simple. We are talking about a quadriplegic, now in his late fifties. He has been a quadriplegic for forty years.
Instead of filing for disability and Medicare/Medicaid, he chose to try to earn an income. He fought his way through college and earned a degree. Rather than sit at home and feel sorry for himself, he made every possible attempt to earn an income and pay his way through life. For almost forty years he was able to do so, even with the high cost of medical supplies and services needed.
At one point he had health care insurance through a group plan in which his wife participated. That sounds great on the surface. The insurance company collected the premiums and listed him as a covered individual. But, there was a glitch in the program. Almost every incident that he needed to use the coverage was denied because the insurance company could link it back, in some negligible way to the quadriplegia. When he had pneumonia, it was because of limited lung capacity resulting from the quadriplegia. That’s just one example, but you can see how the system works, or doesn’t work.
Eventually the cost of the coverage became so high and since the benefits didn’t exist except on paper his coverage was dropped. He continued to try to earn an income, but because he chose to work rather than give up the American dream, he didn’t qualify for Medicare/Medicaid. At that point it became a crap shoot, knowing that sooner or later he would lose.
Last year he lost. He developed pressure wounds (decubitis ulcers) and became totally bedridden. It was discovered that one of his hips was out of the socket. He refused to go to the hospital because he had no insurance. Eventually, it became a life or death situation and his family forced him to go. He was hospitalized for three months, and during that time had a complete hip disarticulation.
The hospital personnel was astonished to discover that he wasn’t on Medicaid or Medicare. But, he didn’t qualify because for forty years he had managed to just stay afloat, supporting himself as best he could so he wouldn’t have to accept “welfare”. That was his American dream.
It was heartbreaking to hear the doctors discuss whether he was worth the effort or cost to save. Eventually, the situation was explained to one doctor who was so amazed that the patient had tried against all odds and fought for his dream that he performed the surgery. As the doctor learned more about the patient he realized that this quadriplegic had lived a quality of life with an enthusiasm that most other folks without disabilities don’t enjoy. The doctor became his most avid advocate.
During the hospital stay, the patient was finally granted Medicaid and disability benefits. His work record had not qualified him for Medicare or Social Security Disability. He was a couple of quarters shy of the employment requirement.
The patient left the hospital with a total bill of well over a half million dollars, but alive. His disability benefits are less than $400/month. He has lost his home. Although he requires care 24/7 for the present, he does not have home health benefits. In fact, a family member had to learn give him shots at home to remedy a urinary infection that was potentially life threatening. His wife has had to quit her job to take care of him, because he is still bedridden, although improving daily. His rehab therapy was limited to three months of out patient care. His family continues to work with him to help regain his arm strength and his dignity.
And, when the time came for him to go in for a check-up, the state coverage informed him that his doctor was not in the “plan” or the “network.” In fact, none of the specialists, the vascular surgeon, the orthopedic surgeon, nor the infectious disease specialist, were in the network. The representative suggested that he would have to accept a doctor who was in “the plan.” How absurd! The number of doctors in his area who were qualified and trained in his specific condition were three in number, the three who had saved his life. The orthopedic surgeon agreed to see him even if the insurance would not cover the visit because he realized how much had been invested in this patient and the care that would be required.
Health care goes far beyond a hospital stay. Without follow-up care and home health care there is little need to worry about hospitalization in some cases. What is the point? Why would we think we have won a victory if a person is allowed to go to the hospital and be treated and then be sent home to die? We need preventative care. We need hospitalization coverage. We need home health care for follow-up.
A person should not be penalized for having a disability or for trying to overcome it. It should not be an all or nothing system. A person should not be denied help when he is trying to contribute to his care but can’t do it all by himself.
If there is one thing we must all learn, it is that we are not talking about 47 million people with no names and no faces. We are talking about one person, one individual 47 million times, each with a heart and soul, each with feelings and aspirations, each with dreams and goals. We are talking about an individual, 47 million times over, who may have lost the first roll of the dice, but who hasn’t given up on winning and is still willing to try. We are talking about fighters, people who have fought the hard fight against all odds and are willing to fight on.
We are talking about people like John Edwards, who understands the fight and has shown a willingness and a passion to take the fight to the people and to the Congress, and to corporate America, who is willing to fight for the rights of all people, not a chosen few.
The three Democratic candidates have very similar healthcare plans. There are differences, and for that reason, there is a link to each of the plans below. But, the differences are minimal. We must concentrate on electing the person who has fought the hard fight for patient rights, who will continue to fight for patient rights and will fight on until there is victory for the people…. all people.
In this upcoming election, it isn’t enough to have a plan. It takes passion and fight to put that plan into action. The plan isn’t the power. Getting it implemented is wherein the power lies. For that reason, I continue to support John Edwards because he has faced these obstacles and class injustices and met them head on. And, when the going got tough, John Edwards stood his ground and fought on until he won.
The Plans can be Downloaded in PDF form:
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