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posts about #universalhealthcare more → 
How Do You Balance Your Health And Your Checkbook?
Elizabeth Edwards Sticks It To Stephen Colbert
New York, 7:23 PM
Wed Nov 11
72 posts in the last 24 hours
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How Do You Balance Your Health And Your Checkbook? |
Elizabeth Edwards Sticks It To Stephen Colbert |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
09/20/09
Visit with nutritionist for dietary guidelines;
Visit the doctor when sick for more than a few days;
Look both ways before the crossing the street.
Recognize emergencies: I knew someone who burned himself while cooking. He didn't have insurance, so he tried to treat it himself. By the time he went to the ER, he needed a skin graft and was hospitalized in the hospital for over a week.
09/19/09
I recognize that for non-life-threatening conditions Canadians have to wait a while longer than Americans, but I also know that serious medical emergencies are addressed in a timely manner. I know our taxes are high (my gross monthly pay in August was $4743 and I paid $1100 in taxes, plus $400 into a mandatory retirement fund and $100 in union dues) but they are not unreasonable and they vary with income levels. You could offer me a million dollars and I wouldn't trade my Canadian health care for American health care in a second.
09/19/09
I am an Australian and we are guaranteed a level of free, standard health care. The Australian system is not as radical as the Scandinavian systems, and it works more smoothly than the UK one, partly because it is still partially private.
I'd like to give you a sense of what that means.
I am a 28 year old lawyer with a fairly high income (I say this only to point out that our free health care is not merely a "safety net", but available to all).
Yesterday, I had a bit of a pain in my side, so I called up a doctor's clinic nearby (that I hadn't been to before), made an appointment for that afternoon. I saw the doctor and had some pathology done on the spot. This wasn't an urgent appointment or anything - the doctor wasn't concerned about my symptoms, but she thought it was worth checking.
My bill for the appointment and pathology was $0.
The state keeps a list of medications that are state-subsidised. It covers things like antibiotics, the pill, heart medication, asthma medication and stuff like that. I can't remember exactly how much these things cost, but it's like $30 per script or something. If you're a low-income earner you pay $4. If I had needed medication, it probably would have been on the list.
I also have private health insurance that allows me to see dentists, podiatrists, physios, my chiro etc for free (up to a certain number of times a year) and would allow me to go to a private hospital - if I wanted - for elective surgery. My health insurance costs $11 per week. If I needed to go to hospital for an emergency, I would go to a state one, for free, under the state-provided system.
Because we can go to the doctor whenever we like, we're unlikely to leave things untreated or undiagnosed for long periods of time.
The Australian system is not perfect*, but its mix of public and private mean its close to what Obama is proposing. Anyone who's not behind his plan ... well, you should be.
(*things are different in remote and rural areas. This is just from an urban perspective.)
09/19/09
But there has to be some kind of breaking point. I think we've already reached it. Americans are positively suffocating.
09/19/09
09/19/09
I'm not saying that we shouldn't have equal access to GOOD health coverage and care. I think that we need to evaluate how certain aspects of our society impact what kind of care we think we need.
I worked in an ER and it was amazing the kinds of complaints that people WITH health insurance came in with. Common cold, stomach bugs, etc.
09/20/09
Responsible doctors don't prescribe antibiotics for minor ailments -- they're concerned about the patient developing immunity. Many patients, including myself, don't know whether or not a cold is a cold or the onset of the flu. Last year I had a cold that very unusually persisted more than a couple of weeks and I went to the doctor. Better safe than sorry.
09/19/09
When my classes start in two weeks, the college has said they expect up to 10% of the student body to get swine flu in the first two weeks (which is what happened at the state's other major college when they started in August). I work in a library, so I'm constantly using sanitizer and washing my hands, but I still expect to get sick. Because my health insurance has been so spotty over the last ten years, I don't have a trusted GP whom I could call if I got sick. My preventative measures are pretty basic: wash my hands a lot, eat healthy, lots of water, try to sleep enough. Hopefully those will work until I get health coverage I can trust.
09/19/09
My husband works an awesome job for Habitat for Humanity. He's totally happy, it's his dream job. But because they are a non-profit they don't provide health insurance for their THREE full-time employees. it sucks, and I'm so grateful that we have another option. I can't imagine having two small kids and being without health insurance.
09/19/09
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09/19/09
I mean, so often it involves brain chemistry, so it is physical, no?
If I lost health insurance, I'd be screwed. I have to take anti-seizure drugs for my epilepsy, and thryoid drugs for my Hashimoto's. I take a preventative Migraine drug so I'm not in horrific pain 15 days a month.
I have to get regular testing for my epilepsy, including blood work and M-R-Is. I have to get regular testing for my thyroid. That, in addition to any other incidents that pop up.
I'd be fucked up the ying-yang. It's downright frightening.
09/19/09
If I do get sick, I cough up the money and go to my doctor where they give a discount if you don't have insurance and are paying your balance in full. Unfortunately I usually have to refuse any tests they suggest where in the past I would have been okay with it.
I've changed a lot of the way I've lived since I've gotten married and lost my health insurance. I've started working out daily and taking vitamins and just eating better overall. I am more obsessive about my hand washing. I also take a more proactive approach to my health. I just hope that something changes because I don't know how much longer I can do this.
09/19/09
I've done what you're saying since I graduated college two years ago. I floss almost every day, exercise frequently, eat lots of vegetables which is also very expensive, and wash my hands often.
I was hoping for single-payer health insurance, but that looks like it might not happen for another two decades. What I'm hoping is that in a year when I'm out of grad school, I can pass an exam and work for the feds. They're the only employer I'm after, unless I can go abroad, until we have true universal health care.
09/20/09
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09/19/09
Besides that, there are plenty of us who are proud to live here because here, we have the option to voice our opinion and try to make things change.
09/19/09
09/19/09
I am aware that the country I call home is less than perfect. We're a work in progress. Still, somehow, I love it. Hell, I still love California, and God knows we are in some kind of mess right now.
09/19/09
(eye roll)
09/19/09
Everyone has made very good points, but I'd like to add one. You speak as if it's easy for someone to decide to leave the country on a whim, which it most certainly is not (particularly for those of us with lower range income). I'd be curious to know your age, as your suggestion seems rather naive.
09/19/09
09/19/09
By the way, Canada isn't problem free, either. You guys deal with Stephen Harper, for god's sake. At least we've moved on to Obama. And some of your crazies in Alberta are just as foamy-at-the-mouth as our Bible-belters. And I've always been amazed at how little Canadians seem to care about their own federal politics -- I don't see any kind of comparable national unity in Canada that you see in the United States.
09/19/09
Some may choose to opt out and go somewhere nice and friendly and easy and some of us will stick with the hard work of making shitty places better.
09/19/09
09/19/09
09/19/09
What it comes down to is that we are all individuals on this website, with our own experiences and understanding of issues. I think we need to ask questions rather than make judgements. (all of you all who pointed that out and didn't retaliate are awesomesauce in my books!! Yay badmutha!)
That being said, my two cents to add to the conversation comes from my perspective of being Canadian and watching the healthcare debate. The thought that I would have to choose rent over a doctor's visit stresses me the hell out, and the stories I've heard from friends of mine in the States about their stress makes me just hope for a better system. I agree on the point that choppery made that it SEEMS like something that should just be an obvious solution.
It's hard for me to fathom what the other side of the argument has going for it (I mean I understand it, I just don't understand or agree, truly, why people are against it or why people are trying so hard to stop universal healthcare). Has anyone got or heard a reasoned argument against universal healthcare that they could share? Most of what I've heard is kind of weird and based on what I suspect is a misunderstanding of facts.
09/19/09
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09/19/09
Secondly, I never said nor implied that it was easy to leave a country. Much like in Canada, the people who suffer the most from living in your country are also the least able to relocate. Not only that, but relocating means leaving one's family, friends, community, work, etc. I'm not saying I can't fathom how people fail to relocate; I'm saying I don't see how people can emotionally bear living there.
09/19/09
09/19/09
And badmutha, I knew I loved you for a reason! Have a heart, on me.
09/19/09
09/19/09
Anyway, as in Canada, lots of you guys *don't* have the option to voice your opinion and try to make things change.
09/19/09
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09/19/09
The reason why we love America is because its our home, and because we want to fix it to make things better for our communities. There are tons of other reasons WHY I love my country, but that's the main one. Its just part of me. Anyway, patriotism has nothing to do with this debate..
09/19/09
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09/19/09
One could say America could do a lot worse and therefore isn't bad, but I don't really dole out gold stars based on how much more horrifically awry something could hypothetically go. It has to actively kick ass for me to be all, "Hell yes, your country is awesome!" and I really, really, really don't think America kicks ass.
Anyway, I wouldn't think anyone is a bitch for saying "I hate tuna" while I'm eating a tuna sandwich, nor would I think anyone is a bitch for declaring their hatred of Canada while I'm a citizen there. Our country has done a lot to warrant hating, god knows.
09/19/09
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09/19/09
Advice? TAKE VITAMINS. EVERY DAY. I swear by Women's Ultra Mega from GNC. I had a physical earlier this summer, and my physician recommended them. I'd been having a lot of g.i. issues prior, and after I'd been taking the vites for a week or two, the belly symptoms cleared right up. I have no idea why vitamins would help, but they did, and I'm just glad I'm no longer having either A) gut-busting diarrhea on the daily or B) stomach cramps after every meal. Seriously. Vitamins. The GNC ones are a little pricey but the big bottle will last awhile. I take them twice a day and I swear I feel better in general since I started this regimen. Also, if you're anything like me, insufficient sleep will do a number on the old immune system. Make sure you get enough shut-eye. That makes a huge difference.
09/19/09
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09/19/09
...even funnier that it was a husband and wife doctor team, but the point still stands
09/19/09
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I am rooting for health care reform in the states.
09/19/09
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09/19/09
He recently got approved for a program though our state with a maximum $25000 lifetime pay out. Still, better than nothing. It doesn't cover his prescriptions for high blood pressure and all his other problems, so he buys the drugs when he can from a little rinky-dink "farmacia."
There is something very wrong with this system and it needs to stop. My brother and I are lucky enough to be covered under my mom's plan, but if something had happened to one of us while she was between jobs a couple months ago, we would have been fucked. My brother had to go to the ER and have an MRI a few months...I think it came out to around $500. There is no way we could have afforded that without insurance. My mom should be undergoing physical therapy for her back problems right now, but her insurance doesn't cover and she can't afford it otherwise. She's a nurse and is on her feet all day, which only confounds her back issues.
09/19/09