There was a time when I would've considered the ACA unnecessary. That I would've been annoyed by it. This was also a time where I had little to no interest in politics. It's funny how life has a way of humbling a person and teaching them something new about themselves on a regular basis. This is a story about how I ended up needing the help in order to make myself better.
"Well why didn't you just get a new inhaler?" I felt a sinking pit in my stomach. I was at a follow up visit to my doctor after ending up in the ER a few weeks before because bronchitis had made my asthma worse and I couldn't breathe. The first thing my doctor asked me was where my inhaler was when this had happened. After all, that was in my plan. I tried to explain to her that I only had one inhaler and it had been stolen the week before when I was riding the bus. Somehow, despite my explanation she didn't understand that since I was uninsured at the time, I just couldn't afford a new one. It was only after the ER trip that a friend of mine had pity on me and bought the inhaler for me.
I lost my insurance in April 2012 because I had been working at a call center that had outsourced its customer service department overseas. This was my fourth lay off in about six years. The whole time I had been trying to go back to school but in playing musical jobs I had never managed to do so. I decided to make school my focus and work secondary and deal with it.
Because I have asthma, I've never been able to get insurance without going through my work before. COBRA would've cost me over six hundred a month, and while my state had opened a high risk pool, it was still too expensive. My NP was awesome and made sure I got refills of my medication before I lost my insurance and gave me a list of community services for when I did lose it, because she knew I wouldn't be able to come back afterwards.
I did everything I could to make sure I would be taken care of. I signed up for a prescription plan at a local pharmacy, I found local clinic that was free, run on community donations. Still there are things that free clinics couldn't handle. Waiting all week to see a doctor because you got sick on Sunday and the free clinic is only open on Saturday isn't helpful when you're so sick you can't breathe. The doctors are volunteers so there's no guarantee of continuous care. In fact, the push is to get you into a local public health or community clinic, but they often were not taking new adult patients or were an hour drive away.
It was about a month after I lost my insurance when I found a lump on my right side, along the edge of the breast tissue. The free clinic provided me a referral but when I called the places they suggested I was turned away. I was told I was too young, that the office no longer provided services, or that they were out of funds for the year. I continued to fight to find a way to access services, but without a referral from a PCP I was getting nowhere. I finally took the time to bus out to one of the few clinics taking patients. They contacted a local imaging center attached to a public hospital to get me in. This started in June, I was finally in for imaging in October. In November I would get a biopsy and find out it was benign. It took me six months from start to finish to find out what was there.
It would be another year before I would get insurance again. In that time I ended up in the ER enough times the doctors started to recognize me. There really wasn't anything either of us could do. I couldn't manage my health without being able to afford regular doctor's visits and medication and they couldn't make a solution appear out of thin air. My wisdom teeth got infected and had to be removed but had to wait two months for a dentist who would help. I was on antibiotics so long I ended up with a GI infection. Bronchitis, allergic reaction, a set of second degree burns from how bad at cooking I can be. They got to deal with it all, despite the fact that most of these things were preventable.
All if this changed in January of last year. I live in one of the states that approved the Medicaid expansion and set up their own healthcare exchange. I was there on day one to shake hands with the Governor, tell him my story, and sign up. I stood up with him to others to encourage them to use the exchange as well. It is the only day of class I've missed since I started back.
Because of the Affordable Care Act I was able to get needed blood work that I had not been able to afford. Reliable access to medication. The first thing my PCP did, remembering how just a few months earlier I had ended up in the ER because I didn't have an inhaler was make sure to get me a prescription for one so I had a backup. One thing I know is I appreciate the opportunity more than I could ever express.
I know there are naysayers out there who will tell me that those things are not really free and that someone has to pay for them. One day I'll graduate and that person will be me. I seriously hope that I am paying to make sure someone gets the care they need with the money I pay into the system. It's saner than paying for what happens when they can't. The system we have isn't perfect, but it can only get better if we put effort into it.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Yet another liberal who is disappointed with Obamacare.
You must have missed the part in recent history which clearly demonstrates that "liberals" are in favor of a single payer system and were sorely disappointed that the Democrat POTUS offered, instead, a warmed up conservative approach to fixing our broken health insurance system.
Nope. As for being poor. I'm in the second to top highest income bracket and I pay more taxes because I got off my orifice went out and got a degree that vastly improved my earning potential.
I'd try and explain it however so far, you've shown you tend to reject anything that doesnt correlate with your world view and I dont have the time this morning
One thing I've found about americans who dislike the idea of the ACA. Is they would much rather believe the hysterical propaganda fed to them by republican politcans about universal healthcare and other such incarnations than take time actually listen to people who have actually experienced these systems.
Since you are not American, I have a question for you. Do you insult citizens of other countries online? Or do you only insult Americans?
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
America's "most vulnerable" have a roof over their head, eat everyday, own cell phones and flat screen televisions. You don't know what real poverty is. Real poverty occurs in other countries.
What do you know about poverty in America?
Rather than assuming things about other people, why don't you tell us what YOU KNOW to be factual and true about poverty in the USA?
You must have missed the part in recent history which clearly demonstrates that "liberals" are in favor of a single payer system and were sorely disappointed that the Democrat POTUS offered, instead, a warmed up conservative approach to fixing our broken health insurance system.
Yes I am aware that millions of liberals are disappointed with Obamacare. I doubt jaycam believes it though.
Facts please, not hearsay. I mean it's not like we don't have homeless people, right? All the poor people in the US have roofs over their heads because Turtles says so. They all have the cheap little 200 minute obamaphones too! They all get SNAP benefits! The thing is, they don't. In order to get most of those benefits, you either have to be working or unable to work.
You can argue that sales and property taxes don't pay for the ACA, but they do help pay for state benefits like supplemental food and housing benefits, educational programs, and all the other "freebies" that Turtles wants to rally around.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Since you are not American, I have a question for you. Do you insult citizens of other countries online? Or do you only insult Americans?
Who do you insult online?
I welcome the thoughts and opinions of non-Americans on this subject. Afterall, they have benefit of living with a much different health delivery and payment system than we have. There are things we can learn from their experience. Unless we are not humble enough to believe that we can learn from the experience of others.
They all get SNAP benefits! The thing is, they don't. In order to get most of those benefits, you either have to be working or unable to work.
You are lying again. Unemployed Americans are fully eligible for SNAP, welfare checks, and medicaid.
You can argue that sales and property taxes don't pay for the ACA, but they do help pay for state benefits like supplemental food and housing benefits, educational programs, and all the other "freebies" that Turtles wants to rally around.
Wrong again. SNAP is FEDERALLY-FUNDED, not state funded. Do your homework before you attack me.
I welcome the thoughts and opinions of non-Americans on this subject. Afterall, they have benefit of living with a much different health delivery and payment system than we have. There are things we can learn from their experience. Unless we are not humble enough to believe that we can learn from the experience of others.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
It's not that hard to understand what I wrote. Poor people in the USA are rich compared to poor people in other countries. Poor Americans are obese. Poor people in other countries are LITERALLY starving.
Does this mean that in your view American poor are not poor enough to deserve compassion, emapthy, or assistance from the society they live in? Are you one of the American "conservatives" who believes that American poor must live in 3rd world poverty in order to qualify as poor?
toomuchbaloney
16,070 Posts
You must have missed the part in recent history which clearly demonstrates that "liberals" are in favor of a single payer system and were sorely disappointed that the Democrat POTUS offered, instead, a warmed up conservative approach to fixing our broken health insurance system.