Americas Healthcare: A Rude Awakening

aspiritualdiary
Apr 14, 2014
4 min read

I would not have thought that going to the emergency room would have been such a confusing, and horrible experience. I had healthcare 50 of my 51 years. Having Tricare most of my life I had excellent healthcare. When an individual with Tricare would go into an emergency room or their healthcare facility, tests would be run, MRI’s, CT scans if needed, blood and urine tests. The doctors would actually want to get to the bottom of what the problems was with their patients.

After I married again I lost my Tricare but had another healthcare insurance through my work and then later a private insurance. Great care-taking were still there with the hospitals, doctors, and nurses. Now I am 51 in the middle of a bad divorce, husband has cancelled all healthcare insurance knowing of my severe health problems. While under Tricare insurance I had 5-7 in my neck fused, so now my neck has been extremely painful once again, along with my arms, face, and back. I went into the emergency room because my healthcare provider told me I needed an MRI again and that I should go to the ER. I went into the ER in extreme pain and while I was there saying I was treated like a piece of sh#! is saying it lightly. When they found out I had no health insurance I was treated like a non person.

I’m not a bum who does not work (even-though, there are people that cannot work because of genuine disabilities). I am a substitute teacher at this time and am in the middle of a bad divorce like I have mentioned above. I not only have health problems but my almost ex has stopped paying all credit cards that were taken out in my name for his business and clothes for his daughter. Knowing I could not pay these my credit score went from 769 to 168 in ten months.

I am in the middle of this, I don’t make enough monetarily to buy health insurance, and I make too much to get government aid. Another words, the government is telling me it is alright for me to be in severe pain, or even to die. I have five children, four of which are grown either in college or working. I am also a grandmother to two beautiful children. My eldest daughter and her husband are also pregnant with twins. I would like to be around for my children and grandchildren. I would like to be able to help my daughter with her two babies when they are born. I would like to continue working as a substitute teacher and eventually a teacher. I am attempting to get my alternative teachers degree. How am I supposed to do this in severe pain?

A little about my back ground now. I was married for 22 years to a man that went into the Air Force after we were married, we divorce after he retired. I put myself into my husband’s life, following him around for 22 years, supporting our country for freedoms we need to be able to keep. Now I am treated like a NOTHING and now am finding out from the New York Times that, “The number of uninsured people, 48 million, was not statistically different from the estimate of 48.6 million in 2011.” Can you imagine?! This is just NOT right. Isn’t this saying that if you are ALMOST poor or poor and do not have a disability you are allowed to die? This is America people! Why are we allowing this sort of treatment among our own people? The sad thing is I did not see this until it affected me! How selfish am I? I do not think that I am but this has showed me to really look at the other individuals that are in need. I just do not understand why our president and congress have incredible health insurance but the people who voted these people in do not have health insurance. Obama where is our health insurance? I went on the Obama website, applied but I cannot afford health insurance and it still says it is pending! In 1989 I was diagnosed with degenerative disk disease, of course at that age hmmm about 27 or 28 I thought that I was unbreakable so just went on with my life until 2008 when I had my neck fused. My surgeon said that I would need C4 fused in about 4 or 5 years. I did not think that I would be turned away from an ER with a handful of pain pills to put a Band-Aid over my problem. So unbelievable this is and heart breaking that I may not be able to swim or play with my grandkids. I know life happens but this can be prevented if only I had health insurance!

President Obama, Why won’t you not give our country what they deserve. Good health is not a privilege it is a RIGHT. Mr. President help my family by giving us free health insurance, please. Help those Americans that deserve to live a good, healthy life here in OUR America. Mr. President there are billions of AMERICANS falling through this huge canyon you have made. Help us.