It is very early in the morning on October 1st. Today is the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month -- across the entire globe. Today is also the first day that Obama Care goes into affect. (Obama Care is the nickname for the Affordable Care Act -- it can be thought of as a negative name or a positive one) And for almost 800,000 federal employees it is the first day of the US government's shut down.
*sigh*
In my life before my breast cancer diagnosis, I was very politically involved and aware. I had a career in political affairs that spanned well over a decade (if I say specific years, I will feel old). My diagnosis and treatment shifted my desire to continue to participate in the political process as work. I just don't have the energy or desire to fight those battles any longer. But as a responsible citizen, I do stay aware of political activities in my nation. While I absolutely love my President (and the First Lady as well), I will admit that I am not always a fan of his work. I do believe that he is doing a great job and the pride that I feel that a man of color is holding the highest office surpasses anything I ever thought was possible in my country.
That said, because of my health history, I was a supporter of the ACA from the beginning. I do not believe that the law is perfect. I do think it is good and very, very necessary. Being sick is a huge problem in this country and to believe that it isn't says to me that you're living the blissful ignorance of the healthy and unaware. If that is you, I will say a prayer that your health never fails you and you never have to experience firsthand the financial impact that a major illness can have on your life.
While I was in chemotherapy, I overheard a conversation that shifted my entire paradigm about life. Another cancer patient was talking to a nurse about his billing. This gentleman was paying for his cancer treatment out of his pocket. Yes. You read that correctly. He was paying as he went along for his treatment. I don't know what type of cancer he had but on that day, he was charged $16,000 for his chemotherapy treatment. SIXTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Meanwhile, my insurance company was being charged $5,000 for my treatment that day. Now, five grand is an enormous amount but since he was uninsured, he had to pay THREE times the amount that I did. I had 8 rounds of chemo. And that was only ONE part of my entire treatment plan. If I had to pay any of that myself, I would have been unable to do that. And I had a good paying full time job. Many people do not.
Again, I don't know what type of cancer he had but I can guess that he had to have probably 4 or more infusions. At $16,000 for each infusion... just that one portion of his treatment plan would cost him at least $64,000. I don't know whether he had to have surgery or radiation... Let's not forget the costs of prescription drugs, hospital stays... etc. My heart broke. He looked able to pay it but I kept wondering how much his credit card would actually be strained by the end of all of his treatment.
That man had the means to pay for his healthcare. Which left me to assume that after it was done -- assuming that he was okay -- he would be able to afford to continue to pay for his healthcare. Most people would not make it to be able to pay for one round of chemo at that cost. I know I wouldn't. I probably wouldn't be here 5 years later to tell you about it. And that's real.
Whatever we may feel individually about the President, I hope that we all can remember that this bill is set to HELP millions of Americans who are unable to get insurance -- whether because they are underemployed, have previous conditions that prohibit them from coverage, or something else. And that brings me to my disappointment with the shut down of the government. While people play games trying to press their agendas, the real victims are -- once again -- the regular folks who work to keep all this going. It is all so mind boggling. The true irony of the situation for me though is that on the beginning of a month dedicated to bringing awareness to one of the biggest killers of women, our government is in a pissing contest over healthcare legislation.Can we be more stupid if we tried?
I really don't think so. I'll leave it up to all of you to decide how you feel about this. Some of you may feel it is warranted. Others may feel like me, that it is stupid. Either way I really thought we were better than this. Since I do my very best not to discuss politics on this blog, this will be my first and my last post on this topic. However, I'd love to hear from some of you about your thoughts about the government shut down, Obama care (ACA) or whatever you choose to share.
**please know that I will be moderating comments on this topic and will delete comments that are threatening in any way. **
Let's talk about healthcare in the United States in the comment box. Let me know how you're feeling today. Hey... you're probably on furlough now anyway, so what else do you have to do?
*that was a joke*
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