There in the ICU she languished while we stood in explicit agony as the medical machine groaned into motion.
This is the face of my mother. Please look closely at her face. She is a perfect example of what the present medical and insurance systems can do to you when given the chance. I have many pictures of her, much nicer pictures. These are the pictures you need to look at right now.…
Article comments
76 - Clavos
Jordan,
I'm not afraid of either of my governments, but I do despise both of them; the US more than the Mexican, though, because it's more divergent from its society's cultural values.
77 - Jeannie Danna
Good night Jordan And Clavos, Remember don't swear! My mom's watching...
78 - Clavos
'Night, Jeannie.
¡Hasta mañana!
79 - STM
Jeannie,
Our system in Australia is very simple but probably quite hard to explain to a foreigner (sorry :)
I'll try. Medicare operates on a schedule basis, which sets a payment for most services ... ie, it might cover 90 per cent of one surgeon's fee, and 100 per cent of another's, depending on what the surgeons themselves decide they'll charge. (It does keep them close in terms of cost though just because it gives a nod to free-market practices).
How it works is: I might go to my doctor, who will "bulk-bill" me. In other words, I pay nothing, and just get my Medicare card swiped like a credit card.
Then I might have to get some tests done, which are, say, 85 per cent covered by the Medicare schedule. I go to a Medicare office and get that money paid back (in cash, if I want) by presenting the receipts and filling out one simple form.
This is where it gets a bit more complicated: In my case, I also have family private health-insurance, which covers the gaps in cost and things like ambulance, and entitles me to a tax break. Without it, I would pay about an extra $1000 levy on my income tax for Medicare in my yearly return simply because of the amount of money I earn.
If I had no private cover, I wouldn't mind that, though, as I believe in the system either way you approach it, and it's equally good.
For instance, my daughter about 18 months ago suffered an epileptic fit in the shower. A paramedic in a 4WD was there in a flash (no cost for that), followed by the ambulance (a small fee), which rushed her to the local public hospital (free) where she was admitted to a nice, new paediatric unit.
Because we also had private cover, we asked if she could have her own room. They gave us one anyway. She was seen by the specialist on duty, who then became her doctor. She was given a battery of tests and remained (all covered on the public system) there for three days.
Total out of pocket cost to me: zilch, with everything (including the private room) but the ambulance covered by the free public system.
A few years back, I needed emergency surgery and went to the local private hospital because it was closer.
I had doctors of my chopice and their fees' and all the tests were covered by Medicare with the small gap in the doctors' fees covered by my private insurance, while my private insurance also covered 100 per cent of the hospital accomodation.
Total out of pocket cost, again: zilch.
There is also a Medicare safety net. That means that if you are required to use a doctor regularly over 12 months, or to have regular treatment in that period and the fee is above the Medicare schedule, after a few visits or a few treatments, Medicare covers the entire cost.
It's a hybrid system geared mostly towards a public hospital system. But even those with private cover often find themselves using the public system without need to use their private cover.
It's very fair, but also offers some choice.
My wife works in a world-leading heart/lung transplant unit at a major teaching hospital in Sydney. There are no queues for life-threatening conditions, and no queue jumping for those required to wait a little while. The transplants cannot be carried out in the private system.
Even the "rich" go through the same public wards, although some of them might move to the private hospital next door to recover later.
I like the whole thing, especially the bit that says I can have a choice ... but also the bit that says I don't have to exercise it if I don't to because I know I'm going to get identical or very similar treatment anyway to someone who doesn't have private cover. I also like the bit that says the government is putting my tax dollar to work to make sure that no one goes bankrupt or settle for second-rate treatment if they get sick.
The health insurance funds didn't go broke either when UHC came in. They just upped the ante on the services they provide.
They now cover all kinds of stuff like gym membership and alternative health practitioners.
Peace of mind is a mighty good thing, and one of the best things a government can provide for its citizens.
Universal health care is one way of doing that.
80 - Jordan Richardson
Canada's health care system is generally very similar to Australia's, by the way. Ours is also a hybrid system, although we need more connectivity between the public and private care so that we can diminish some of the wait times. There are many in Canada who are working on that.
Bear in mind, too, that as flawed as our system can be at times, there has never been any serious discussion of making it more like the American system. The vast majority of Canadians are desperately fearful of such a thing happening.
For Jen and I, we offset our remaining health care costs with work health care benefits packages. Her union provides her with insurance that offers 80-90% coverage on dental, vision, and something else I can't recall at the moment. It's very convenient in that it covers a lot of what the basic UHC doesn't. If we didn't have the work benefits, which most every job in Canada provides for workers who put in at least 30 hours a week (even Tim Horton's workers get health benefits!), we could still purchase a similar package for a very small cost on a monthly basis.
81 - Jeannie Danna
STM, Thank you for taking the time to write this excellent example of what Australia's UHC plan looks like. I hope your daughter is well today :)and has your wife read my essay. I would love her opinion on it. Did I capture the hospital setting correctly? Could I post this detailed comment in my Blog "@ Home With Rodiogal"?
It is ironic that the two people this morning besides me who want Universal Health Coverage for the United States are not citizens of "named blind country." Wake up America! :(
82 - Jeannie Danna
Jordan, You also give so much of your time and energy to this issue of such a poor and greedy For-Profit-health-Care system your neighbors to the south of you are stuck with!
I am embarrassed by my fellow citizens, most of them anyway, there are some people here at BC who see Universal Health Coverage is the only humane answer to our health care crisis and that it is long overdue.
This morning I woke up thinking about Charles Manson of all people! because "Charley" enjoys the same Health Care as our illustrious Senators and Congressmen. Tell me, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
83 - Ruvy
Jeannie,
I read the article you wrote in honor of your mother, may her memory be for a blessing. You blasted another home run out of the park. Great job! Great read!
A profit-driven health care system will abuse people the way your mother was abused. But Israel, which has a system not dissimilar to Australia's (OI just p[aid the 441 shekel health insurance premium today at the post office) can be just as abusive. I'm not arguing in favor of establishing a profit-based system here. It would be a total disaster. But if the fellow who suffered heart failure who lived a couple of buildings down from us when we lived in Jerusalem was given proper treatment, instead of being ignored in a warehouse and left to die, his wife and daughters would have hope instead of bitterness in their lives.
Bureaucracies are concerned with their existence and little else; this is true of all bureaucracies. Sometimes, one gets lucky and runs into a medical team that cares. But doctors and nurses are people, just like teachers are. Sometimes, you run into the teacher who inspires you for life (like my fifth grade teacher) - or you run into a miserable clock-watcher who does not give a damn for here charges (like my oldest son's first grade teacher).
Once, my wife lost a baby in its 16th week. The gynecologist pulled the dead fetus from her body and told her, "Congratulations! You have a son!"
My wife still tears up thinking about this, and the way that son of a bitch behaved to her still angers me over twenty years later. Schmucks and vicious bastards infest the planet, Jeannie.
As for the United States adopting health care, I would note for you that the first universal health care bill was submitted to Congress by Meyer London (Soc. NY) in 1904. Had an intelligent universal health care program been adopted in the States after WWII when the country was at the height of its power, it would have worked well. Unfortunately today, the United States is broke - this according to the Blessed of Hussein (that is what Barak Hussein means in Arabic), not me.
Any owner of a mom and pop store will tell you you can only buy what you can afford to pay for; and America can no longer afford to pay for an universal health care system. I'm not being snide or nasty. I'm being truthful.
Anyway, congratulations again on a wonderful and deeply touching article.
You are a talented woman who has a true writer's gift, and a remarkable story-teller's style. I may not agree with your point of view all the time, but do keep writing! And write what your conscience tells you to, no matter what. You write very well.
84 - Jordan Richardson
It is hardly possible for America to spend any more money on health care than it already does. It nearly doubles the second most expensive health care system in the world (Canada's) with obscene amounts of money dedicated to managing the complications and processing all of the various types of insurance. There are literally thousands of insurance companies offering different types of "coverage."
So while it could be argued that America couldn't afford UHC, it probably should be argued (and could be argued with greater evidence) that America can't afford to continue pouring the money it does into the health care system it saddles its citizens with. In other words, America can't afford not to attempt some form of UHC.
Of course, thus enters what I refer to as the Clavos Variable: the government sucks and is worse than anyone's and blah blah blah. That may be true and I won't argue that, but that doesn't automatically remove the issue from the table of fair discussion. Simply having an incompetent government shouldn't halt all discussions of change; it should prompt more of them!
Changing the system in UHC to make it more cost effective would mean filing down insurance companies considerably, cutting admin costs greatly, and adopting information technology by the crate to manage health care data and crunch the numbers. Operating a hybrid style of private and public care ensures everyone gets taken care of and still keeps that American spirit of competition alive and well. Everybody wins and it's much cheaper in the long run.
85 - Jeannie Danna
Ruvy, I agree with you that there are good and bad people in this world. I lost my breath on that one sentence you wrote with brutal detail and I hope his licence was pulled. I am sorry for Mrs. Ruvy...
86 - Jeannie Danna
Jordan,
Can you see the "war-heads" from your front door like Palin sees Russia?
What I mean is we have a huge Industreal War Complex here and they are all happily flexing their muscles right now because North Korea is testing a nuclear missile.
We do need to act in unison with the rest of the world to curb North Korea and we need China to be on board here!
Our domestic needs get shoved to the back burner when ever the military sneezes and there will not be one Conservative, Republican, or Conservadem crying about the money today!
87 - Ruvy
I am sorry for Mrs. Ruvy...
Jeannie,
My wife's name is Adina (ahDEEnah).
88 - Ruvy
Jordan,
I do not conceptually disagree with what you say. I believe in universal health care, and it is obvious that once set in place, it would be cheaper than the present bloated system. But in an economy as fragile as that of America's, the question needs to be asked: where do all those shaved off employees of the bloated insurance bureaucracies go? How do they keep a roof over their heads? If they have families to support, that is a serious question. Who pays to help them retrain?
It's not that I feel sorry for these people, per se, but in a virtually no-growth economy (which is what the USA appears to be these days), causing a person's unemployment means you need to support him somehow until someone else with the capital to take a risk on an idea can support his as an employee....
In a no-growth economy, serious dislocation purposely caused as a matter of government policy can cause a revolt - or a revolution - to break out.
89 - Jeannie Danna
Hi Adina :)
90 - STM
Jordan: "Canada's health care system is generally very similar to Australia's"
Wonder why that is??
Oh, that's right, we were both spawned by a liberal democracy and given a system of government that kept evolving :)
91 - Bliffle
Jordan is right:
84 - Jordan Richardson
May 25, 2009 at 10:22 am
It is hardly possible for America to spend any more money on health care than it already does. It nearly doubles the second most expensive health care system in the world (Canada's) with obscene amounts of money dedicated to managing the complications and processing all of the various types of insurance. There are literally thousands of insurance companies offering different types of "coverage."
Indeed, the burden to the US economy for our partial and capricious system is about 16% of GDP vs. 6-8% for other western countries. And when you consider that our GDP is higher per capita than other nations it emphasizes the distortion.
We spend a lot of money for the pleasure of seeing millions deprived of health care.
92 - Ruvy
Bliffle,
Jordan is right - conceptually. Universal helath care is a cost saver for most countries where it is in place, whatever its faults. And so are you. But the questions I raised here still have not been answered. Where do the laid off employees of the insurance companies go? What do they do for a living, now that they can no longer shuffle papers and process unnecessary forms? In a no-growth economy with little options and a capital shortage (a polite way to describe a country that is flat broke) laying people off is not a good idea. Ask the government that has been trying to keep the incompetent fools in Detroit employed....
93 - Susan Danna Myer
Great article about your mom, Jeannie! You truly have a gift for writing! I enjoyed learning about your mom's early years. That is a great black and white photo! Thanks for sharing her life with us!
94 - Jeannie Danna
Thank you Sue! I just discovered that you made a comment here under all this other "stuff" I really am learning to write better now and I know if I stick with it an remain teachable then someday I'll get paid....