This week's article is different. Why? Because I'm ticked. I'm really ticked! I want to share it with you because I believe we have the power to do something about it.
A woman recently posted this to our forum:
- I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic migraines, bipolar and severe irritable bowel syndrome. I have been unable to work for 2 years now. I am also the parent of a child with Asperger's, bipolar and severe ADHD, who wears me out. My husband is a saint. We've been through bankruptcy, exhausted our savings, now we're on the verge of losing our house. All because of out of control medical bills ... On paper, we don't qualify for anything, I've tried, I don't understand how we are considered high income when we struggle to pay the bills and buy food. The only good part is that we are losing weight.
Now our only option left is for us to get divorced, so that my daughter and I can go onto Medicaid ... Hopefully that will save the house, I'm not sure. We're asking for "loss mitigation" to stop the foreclosure, something I'm not very familiar with.
I just needed to vent. I'm angry, I'm scared, I'm miserable. I'm trying to tell myself that it is just a piece of paper, that it doesn't have to change our relationship, but it bothers me. I'm trying to get my head wrapped around the thought of living somewhere else if it should come to that and I hate it. This house has become my sanctuary, my safe haven, I don't know if I can stand to lose it.
Now, what is wrong with this picture? We have a loving married couple. One would love to work, but is too ill. The other is working but doesn't make enough to provide medical care for his family. So, their only way to get medical care is to get a divorce?! To maybe lose their home? This is beyond ridiculous, beyond inane.
What is this? This is a symptom of a seriously ill society and a very broken system! It's one of many symptoms we can look at every day in our forums. Here are some others:
- Insurance companies have too much say in our health care decisions:
- They are getting away with limiting the number of doses of triptans Migraineurs and cluster headache sufferers can get per month.
- Insurance companies can tell our doctors how many days we can be hospitalized. Hello?
- Insurance companies can tell someone who needs a particular medication to try and fail three other less expensive medications before they'll pay for the one their doctor feels is best for them.
- Insurance companies can deny referral to a headache and Migraine specialist until they feel the patient has exhausted all resources at lower levels.
- There are too few resources for people who don't have medical insurance through their employers. Private insurance is prohibitively expensive and often has onerous pre-existing condition clauses.
- Too many people in pain are being treated as if they're criminals. I know people who have gone to the emergency room three days into a horrid Migraine only to be accused of faking it to get drugs and turned away without treatment.
- Because of the abuse of prescription drugs and the media hysteria over it, doctors are reluctant to prescribe adequate medications, even to patients they've known and trusted for years.
Do you remember the election campaign in 2000? How many candidates promised us a Patient's Bill of Rights? We never got it Some time ago, I told you about H.R. 1863, the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003. It's still sitting in Committee in the House of Representatives. I asked you to write letters. I wrote letters and phone calls. One of those phone calls was to the office Congressman Alan Mollohan. I asked that he become a cosponsor of the bill and help get it out of committee. A few weeks later, I got a very polite letter from him. Someone on his staff had checked the bill. He told me that it was in committee, he wasn't on any of the committees, so he couldn't help me. Well, that wasn't what I told them I expected him to do. I expected him to become a cosponsor. Guess what, folks. I keep score! When Congressman Mollohan comes up for reelection, I will actively campaign for his opponent.
It's high time we remember and remind our elected officials that our government was intended to be a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." We do that with our vote and by communicating our desires to our elected officials. When they don't do what we wish, we ultimately express our displeasure by not voting to keep them in office. Please don't forget that phrase means that each of us, as "the people" has a responsibility. It's a big election year, folks. Please make your votes count. If you don't know where all of your candidates stand on the issues dear to you, now is the time to find out. We're living in a seriously ill society with very broken systems. Who else is ticked off?
for a more in-depth version of this editorial, please click here.
We're living in a sick society with broken systems.
This week's article is different. Why? Because I'm ticked. I'm really ticked! I want to share it with you because I believe we have the power to do something about it.
A woman recently posted this to our forum:
- I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic migraines, bipolar and severe irritable bowel syndrome. I have been unable to work for 2 years now. I am also the parent of a child with Asperger's, bipolar and severe ADHD, who wears me out. My husband is a saint. We've been through bankruptcy, exhausted our savings, now we're on the verge of losing our house. All because of out of control medical bills ... On paper, we don't qualify for anything, I've tried, I don't understand how we are considered high income when we struggle to pay the bills and buy food. The only good part is that we are losing weight.
Now our only option left is for us to get divorced, so that my daughter and I can go onto Medicaid ... Hopefully that will save the house, I'm not sure. We're asking for "loss mitigation" to stop the foreclosure, something I'm not very familiar with.
I just needed to vent. I'm angry, I'm scared, I'm miserable. I'm trying to tell myself that it is just a piece of paper, that it doesn't have to change our relationship, but it bothers me. I'm trying to get my head wrapped around the thought of living somewhere else if it should come to that and I hate it. This house has become my sanctuary, my safe haven, I don't know if I can stand to lose it.
Now, what is wrong with this picture? We have a loving married couple. One would love to work, but is too ill. The other is working but doesn't make enough to provide medical care for his family. So, their only way to get medical care is to get a divorce?! To maybe lose their home? This is beyond ridiculous, beyond inane.
What is this? This is a symptom of a seriously ill society and a very broken system! It's one of many symptoms we can look at every day in our forums. Here are some others:
- Insurance companies have too much say in our health care decisions:
- They are getting away with limiting the number of doses of triptans Migraineurs and cluster headache sufferers can get per month.
- Insurance companies can tell our doctors how many days we can be hospitalized. Hello?
- Insurance companies can tell someone who needs a particular medication to try and fail three other less expensive medications before they'll pay for the one their doctor feels is best for them.
- Insurance companies can deny referral to a headache and Migraine specialist until they feel the patient has exhausted all resources at lower levels.
- There are too few resources for people who don't have medical insurance through their employers. Private insurance is prohibitively expensive and often has onerous pre-existing condition clauses.
- Too many people in pain are being treated as if they're criminals. I know people who have gone to the emergency room three days into a horrid Migraine only to be accused of faking it to get drugs and turned away without treatment.
- Because of the abuse of prescription drugs and the media hysteria over it, doctors are reluctant to prescribe adequate medications, even to patients they've known and trusted for years.
Do you remember the election campaign in 2000? How many candidates promised us a Patient's Bill of Rights? We never got it Some time ago, I told you about H.R. 1863, the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003. It's still sitting in Committee in the House of Representatives. I asked you to write letters. I wrote letters and phone calls. One of those phone calls was to the office Congressman Alan Mollohan. I asked that he become a cosponsor of the bill and help get it out of committee. A few weeks later, I got a very polite letter from him. Someone on his staff had checked the bill. He told me that it was in committee, he wasn't on any of the committees, so he couldn't help me. Well, that wasn't what I told them I expected him to do. I expected him to become a cosponsor. Guess what, folks. I keep score! When Congressman Mollohan comes up for reelection, I will actively campaign for his opponent.
It's high time we remember and remind our elected officials that our government was intended to be a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." We do that with our vote and by communicating our desires to our elected officials. When they don't do what we wish, we ultimately express our displeasure by not voting to keep them in office. Please don't forget that phrase means that each of us, as "the people" has a responsibility. It's a big election year, folks. Please make your votes count. If you don't know where all of your candidates stand on the issues dear to you, now is the time to find out. We're living in a seriously ill society with very broken systems. Who else is ticked off?
for a more in-depth version of this editorial, please click here.