Comments on: My Healthcare Story

By: oswaldrivera

oswaldrivera — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:48:54 +0000

The U.S. has the biggest privatized system in the world, and we have the highest medical costs in the world. The reason for that is that private health insurers are privately owned and thus most of their profits go to their investors—not health care. Insurance company profits have gove up over 1,000 % during the last five years while the number one cause of bankruptcy for individuals is sky high medical costs. It's an open secret that the goal of the private health insurance companies is to enroll healthy people and not pay for health care. It is a system inherently dysfunctional and immoral.

I despire for this Republic when 46+million Americans have no health insurance, 30 + million are underinsured, and the private insurers keep making recond profits while brainwashing our senior citizens and town meeting hall nuts into thinking this is the best we can get. Figure it this way, if our current system is so good why is it that according to the World Health Organization we are number 35 in life expectancy world-wide, and behind such countries as Portugal and Herzegovina. In a country like ours, this is just not right.

By: AamanLamba

AamanLamba — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:20:51 +0000

Thanks for sharing this, very sorry you had to go through this and wish Insurance companies were run by people whose mandate was health care, not profit

By: edythe

edythe — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:41:47 +0000

thanks for writing this, anika. a lot of people out there, conservative or no, don't realize what others go through. it's all well and fine to have poor coverage or perhaps even no coverage until one's health falters for one reason or another… Not to mention your tale of multiple insurance turndowns because of “pre-existing conditions.” Between this and the economy, I'm not sure where we're all going in this country.

By: angrykeyboarder

angrykeyboarder — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:38:40 +0000

It is just beyond me how people can have a problem with government provided healthcare. Don't these people have (or had in the not too distant past) parents or grandparents who are/were seniors? Don't any of them know anyone of any age with a disability?

All of those people get Medicare and I doubt any of them will tell you they would rather be covered by regular health insurance (or not covered at all).

By: Another Health Care Story « Practicing Intentional Gratitude

Another Health Care Story « Practicing Intentional Gratitude — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:53:37 +0000

[...] tragedy. Mine is not as scary as the story Cold Waters is living through, as frustrating as Faboo Mama’s story, nor as tragic as that of Doxy’s friend. But it’s what I’m living through. [...]

By: Otir

Otir — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:27:20 +0000

Anika, I came to this country eleven years ago. I have had nightmares about the health insurance system since them. I have never understood why a wealthy country like the United States was so scared about having a system that does not involve profit-based corporates to provide the insurance people can care for their health and the health of their children or dependents. It is an utter shame.

The insurance companies deal with health as they deal with cars: if you are driving into an accident your premiums go up, and eventually they refuse to insure your vehicle. Being treated like a manufactured good is so shameful. The money greed of the big healthcare insurance company is sending me beyond outrage. It is also a huge paradox in my eyes that the country claims so many values related to beliefs in God, and would treat human beings as things that can help turning a money business into the greatest profit making machine ever.

As I keep commenting on these types of stories (and I am not giving any details about what I am going through as an uninsured individual because I am aware that I also made choices to not feed the system, and would rather pay upfront for the visits to the doctors, and keep away from them until I won't be able anymore because of - God forbid - a health accident) I say that health should be seen as it is: the same type of right that freedom of expression, the same as the pursuit of happiness. A basic human right that as a civilized country we are bound to guarantee to every and each of its citizen and people who serve and work for the country.

Universal health coverage is a necessity so that the United States stop being this strange paradoxal country where the best is paired with the worst always.

By: sean808080

sean808080 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:00:53 +0000

The more I hear stories like this the more I realize that most of us have had similar experiences with health care in this country. It's a crying shame that needs to be addressed NOW.

By: dcfemella

dcfemella — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:26:26 +0000

I used to listen to NPR: Health podcast. There was one series that they had where they went around the world to see how countries handled their healthcare. Let me say that I was extremely jealous listening to how some of them had better healthcare than we did. Additionally, when there was an issue with payment, some of the providers were very understanding. This healthcare system needs to change. Someone is unemployed and has to pay ridiculous amounts to be covered. I'm sorry that you went through this, Anika.