Future of Health Care

   Sue

 In this, Lincoln spoke the finest words ever uttered in the English tongue:

    "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nations wounds."

 In the knowledge that Abe was uni-polar this quote has nothing but CLASS & insight:

  "Most folk are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

   There is much I could write about your post. Sadly, Capitalism is all based on MONEY and the "Free?" market system. America is run rampid with lawyers which constricts our society instead of encouraging openeness. Our society has fear of legal retribution which greatly stifles, "Community". And the music goes, on and on, woh-a-woha, woe, woe.. and it comes out there?, Where? Well Sue ,you know the whole shooting match. If this was a easy matter, it would not be a challenge.

  Thank you for all your hard work. "And remember, be good because if you are not good, you can not go along, next time." God Bless

Truly

Joe Buck

I give you a lot of credit for participating in programs that would put most of us a sleep in a minute.  I went one month without health insurance and couldn't afford refills on most of my (9 prescription) meds so I got real creative just to maintain.   Every other day half dose for the antidepressent, every day for the mood stabalizer at half the dose, etc. etc.  The havoc that one month created in my life and the delay it put on me getting healthy and stablized probably cost society and my household more than that one months premium was.  If I had the $600 dollars I would have paid it.  I am now participating in a state subsidised health plan and I utilize the county mental health department and if the way these two public programs are run is any indication of what the nation faces in the future we are all in big trouble.  I probably could have gotten samples for that month to at least keep my mental health drugs up to required doses but I couldn't get in to the pdoc for 4 months after I got out of the hospital and no one else in the department could help me.  I was told this week that if I don't go to a mandatory medicine management class (which will require me to take a day off of work) I will be dropped from the county mental health program.  I better check and see if my state insurance covers private practice. 

Keep up the good work Sue.  I enjoy reading your reports.

I see more stigmatism and discrimination for bipolar patients each year when my insurance comes up for renewal (price increase).

Take medication for example.  I recently had a tooth pulled.  The oral surgeon Rx'd percosette and antibiotics.  The co-pay for those meds was a flat $10 each.

I also had a touch of pneumonia for which I was Rx'd cough medication and antibiotics.  Co-pay for each was $10.

However, the co-pay for my psycho-meds with Anthem... 30%.

Every time I refill Lamictal, the pharmacy cashier looks at the price with an astounded expression and says, "Sir, do you know how expensive the co-pay for this medication is?"

Yes, yes, yes.  

Meanwhile, my pill doc has stopped accepting insurance altogether in an effort to keep his costs low.  $230 per visit.  At least I get one full hour every visit, during which we have substantive conversation about my life, my illness, and how my med cocktail is working to make life better.  We both play guitar, and he has a number of guitars in his office, so we often finish our session with an impromptu jam.