Get Well Soon

In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men. ~Cicero

A hospital should also have a recovery room adjoining the cashier's office. ~Francis O'Walsh

It's not what I usually write about, but it's staring me in the face, so I don't have much of a choice. I've been sick the past few days with some sort of infection that has made me want to preform surgery on myself to remove my aching kidney. I took my antibiotics faithfully, and I chugged my way through some water bottles. But last night, I sat in tears from the pain. I called my mother for advice; she never called me back. I swallowed some ibuprofen and thought about my options...I don't have any options.

I have health insurance. The money is taken out of my paycheck every two weeks. In fact, I work for a large clinic that gives me a better rate than many people have, and perks like a free flu shot. However, all I could think about last night was wanting to go to the emergency room. It's just a mile or two down the road from my house. I could go and figure out why the antibiotics haven't helped, I could get relief from my pain, and I could stop this before it turns into something much worse. Instead, I sat on the couch as long as I could, then took some pills to put me to sleep. I have health insurance, and I can't afford to go to the doctor.

I don't understand how this is a political issue. I don't see how one side pushes for it while the other side pulls. My kidney isn't Republican or Democrat- it just hurts! I try to do what I'm supposed to do. I'm not on public aid, and the state gives me nothing. Instead, I have a useless insurance policy because both the deductible and my 20% are impossible for a 25 year old girl who has rent and other bills on her shoulders. If someone is wealthy or someone relies on the government, they are able to drop by the emergency room anytime day or night; the wealthy person pays, and the government pays when the emergency department can't turn someone away. But someone like me is screwed over. So while my sister, without a job, makes it her job to take her child to doctors, I do nothing.

I think politicians are either in complete denial about this issue, or they don't work hard enough to fix it. Why is it okay for people to be bankrupted and go into foreclosure when they have cancer? Why is it accepted for patients to call me and cancel important appointments because they can't afford to go? I don't understand this. I never will.