Sunday, 19 October 2008

• Things that are heavy on my heart

  So maybe some of you have heard that there is some kind of "big election" coming up next month. Maybe the biggest of it's kind in our country's history. Well, it seems like people are more hard core about their candidates than usual (or at least moreso than I remember from previous elections) - and it is starting to get a little out of hand. I will admit, however, that if my candidate doesn't win I am going to be scared about the forecast for our country's future. One issue in particular, though, that I am very heavy-hearted about is the  one pertaining to health care. I am hearing a lot of middle and upper class friends talking so much about their fears of socialized medicine. What this says to me, in not so direct terms, is that they really like the fact that they have good health insurance through their employer which covers most if not all of their medical needs with minimal or at least affordable consequence to their own pocketbooks. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. I, too, am one of those people enjoying the benefits of having great health care coverage through David's employer. I mean, I'm going to have a baby in January and it is going to cost next to nothing for the entire process. How awesome is that? The thing that I feel heavy-hearted about, though, is that we have become so dependent on and comfortable with the current health care system that we have closed our eyes to it's demons. What we don't see as we enjoy our regular check-ups and cheaper than cheap prescriptions is that there are people in our country who have horrible health care coverage - if any at all. For people who don't get insurance through their employer it is next to impossible to afford an individual plan. David and I were members of that population for three solid years when David and I moved to Indy. The catch, though, was that we made too much money to qualify for any type of governmental assistance. We had to look into individual plans, and foud that when you're making $13/hour you can't necessarily afford a family plan of $350/month or more for insurance on top of all of life's other demands.  We lived in fear for those 3 years that we might have any type of health issues, and we certainly were terrified by the thought of getting pregnant. This is a reality for people every day, and some of these people don't have the hope of getting a sweet daddy job that will change this around for them (because of a lack of education, or experience or even a lack of motivation). I have family members who have the absolute worst insurance coverage with deductibles that are through the roof - so if something did happen to them they would have to pay an exorbitant amount up front before their insurance would even kick in. What I am trying to convey is that this issue hits close to home for me on more than one level.  Now, before this becomes a rant I will get to my point. What I hear people saying is that they care about social justice - yet the thought of giving up this current health care system seems too uncomfortable for them. This system is NOT working - and I feel like there is a better model that might not be as posh for me - but it will ensure that someone else has the right AND ability to see a doctor if they need to. That's all...
  
  I heard someone very important to me say this past week, "I was talking to my son about what he wants to do when he finishes college. I asked him, 'do you want to be rich?' He said 'yes' and I told him, well then don't become a doctor!"
  
  My thought is this. Dont' become a doctor because you want to be rich. Become a doctor because you want to help people live longer and better lives. Something has to change.
  
  

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