Medical Reality in Amerika, circa 2009

Most of us are keeping not-very hopeful tabs on the health care debates as our bought and paid-for non-representatives in Congress do their masters’ bidding to prevent at all costs (and those are ample) any possibility that Americans will have expanded access to reasonably priced health care. Why? The answer to that is even simpler than the answer to why we tolerate just another Wall Street inspired ponzi scheme of futures trading on human suffering in this country. There are too many of us in our ever so modern “pared-down” non-producing society. Just as our production capacity and jobs have been outsourced, our homes and other assets “liquidated” in the process of paying off Wall Street for fucking the nation, We the People must be liquidated as well.

IOW, half or more of us must die in order to reduce the profit drag on the top 5% of wealth holders in our society.

We’re all going to die one of these days, but in order to pare the flow-through population to something akin to just enough pool cleaners, maids, cooks, nannies, dishwashers, waiters and mechanics to keep the rich in servants, at least half of us must die sooner rather than later. Along with our children and any possible children we might have had at some point. This saves the rich a lot on public education, public welfare, food stamps, unemployment, worker’s comp, health care to the old and indigent, retirement income, etc., etc., etc.

The fastest way to accomplish what needs to be done is to prevent the permanent poor, the working poor, the downsized, the sick, the might get sick, the middle class that still have homes, and everyone else not in the top 5% of wealth holders from getting necessary health care. They’ve made some significant advances in the plan over the past couple of decades, to the point now where the only affordable insurance for those earning less than a quarter million dollars a year is “junk insurance.” The kind that costs hundreds more every year, doesn’t cover you if you actually need it, and comes with thousands of dollars’ worth of deductibles you’d have to pay out of pocket before some pencil-pusher decides not to cover you at all.

Kos healthcare activist nyceve’s diary – Millions of middle class Americans with insurance cannot access medical care details the issues as only she can. Definitely worth a read. It was in the comments, however, that I found a couple of the most outrageous bullshit claims being made by the population thinners (who undoubtedly work for insurance companies pushing pencils and practicing medicine without a license). Here are the top two “reasons” for why we can’t be allowed health care…

1. The uninsured don’t pay their ER bills, endangering hospitals. Insurance has nothing to do with that.

I don’t know about where you live, but where I live there is a single ‘general’ hospital to serve an entire region (8 counties). There are private facilities here and there, and a few urgent care centers in strip malls. None with trauma care, or even ERs that would require them to treat whoever shows up. It’s a depressed region, thousands of jobs were lost BEFORE the current recession kicked in, about a third of those who qualify for Medicaid receive it because there’s a funding cap and years’ long waiting list.

So a good portion of our local taxes, state taxes and federal funding comes in to that hospital – which is ‘officially’ a Catholic charity operation – to cover its expenses in treating the many indigents and uninsured. Plus, they do collect some, have a whole legal team that does nothing but sue people, garnish wages, seize assets, and even put people in jail for not paying at least ten bucks a month. This is of course costing them much more than they collect, because a) you can’t get money from the penniless, and b) lawyers are paid even better than doctors. Go figure.

At any rate, the costs for the uninsured/indigent are covered, at a reasonable level. The actual problem is that the INSURED aren’t paying. Their insurers routinely refuse to cover anything. For what they must pay, they routinely drag it out until threatened by the law. And even when made to pay they only pay pennies on the dollar, then stick the patient with the rest, requiring the same collection system for the insured as the uninsured (only it takes longer and costs everybody more). Health insurance is killing health care delivery. That’s the plain truth.

2. Medical malpractice claims and doctors’ insurance cost way too much.

As someone who has actually sued for medical malpractice (check out 866AttyLaw.com) this Lie is one of the bigger ones our wannabe executioners tell on a daily basis. Here’s the facts:

• ~1% of patients suffer serious harm via negligent malpractice by their doctors or in the hospital due to medical errors.

• 1/4 of those patients die due to malpractice or error. That adds up to ~300,000 injuries and 75,000 deaths a yea, which is why if you notice anything suspicious while you are in a hospital or someone you know has been a victim of medical negligence, getting them to check out this Website would be within their best interest, especially if more can be done regarding this case. You could potentially be saving a life.

• Fewer than 10% of patients (or their survivors) harmed ever even talk to an attorney about a malpractice claim, fewer than a quarter of those file suit. When really these people need to hire lawyers like Oklahoma City medical malpractice lawyers to help them get any compensation they deserve due to this medical malpractice. About 10% of those who file suit get to court. Once in court a whopping 50% receive compensation for actual damages. These are the worst of the worst of blatant cases. Like cutting off the wrong leg or transfusing the wrong blood type, or telling a patient there’s nothing wrong with them, and they die on the way home.

• Almost all states now have damage caps on malpractice, there is no such thing as “pain and suffering” or punitive damages. In the most blatant of cases, all that may be claimed are actual damages. In the case I filed, it took an entire week at trial to establish that death counts as damage, because the dead man flunked a grade in elementary school (so obviously couldn’t have been harmed by dying, the guilty parties claimed). Really.

• Medical regulatory agencies seldom discipline doctors for negligent malpractice, no matter how egregious. Just over 5% of doctors account for more than 54% of malpractice payouts. 7.6% of doctors with two successful claims against them have been disciplined. Only 13% of doctors with five payouts have been disciplined.

• Malpractice insurance amounts to 3.2% of the average physician’s gross revenue. Claims have declined every year since 1988. However, if you need to make a medical malpractice claim then it might be a good idea to get a lawyer involved (e.g. someone like this Rock Hill medical malpractice attorney).

Economic Reality

Let’s look at a real budget out in the real world. The costs of medical insurance go up every year by a much larger amount than anyone’s wages are increased. Thus take-home pay goes steadily down as premiums, cost and co-pays increase. That’s if you’re lucky enough to work for a company that offers health insurance at all, a rarity in my region. Luckily, my hubby now works for a company that does, though it took a year before he was eligible to enroll. He and I are both covered for a “mere” $200 a month, with a measley $2500 apiece in deductibles to meet before we’re covered at all. Neither of us has ever spent that much for health care for ourselves in a single year, and we’re pushing 60.

Together we make a grand total of just about $30,000 a year. Which in Southern Appalachia is solidly middle class. Taxes and health insurance deducted brings the total down so that divvied up over 12 months we average $2200 per. Rounded expenses look like this: $900 a month goes to a 15-year mortgage we’re 10 years done with, $600 for food, work lunches and gasoline, $300 for electricity and 2 cell phones plus a land line, $300 for one car payment (a 10-year old pickup) and vehicle insurance. That leaves us about $100 a month in “disposable” income, or right around $25 a week. Which is usually more than eaten up by this or that or the other shortfall in other areas. We don’t have cable TV, we don’t go to movies or out to eat or any of that sort of thing.

As you can see right here in black and white, “solidly middle class” in a region where the cost of living is lower than other places means there simply isn’t any ‘extra’ money for anything at all. We have spring water, heat our 28′ square cabin with wood, AC means a trip to the swimming hole. We have no credit cards. All our furniture and appliances came second or third hand for free or very little. It’s not like we live an extravagant lifestyle.

Going to the doctor or dentist simply isn’t possible for us due to high deductible and co-pay. If it must be done, it means something necessary is shorted. Fortunately we are fairly healthy, are not fond of doctors and take no prescription drugs. I’ve known people who overused the system, as if their self-worth was measured entirely by how often they saw a doctor and how many drugs they took whether they needed ’em or not. But they died of it relatively quickly, so constant medical attention looks to be deadlier than none at all. I don’t think the always-ill are as big a drain as many would like us to believe.

I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to go to a public clinic for that sort of thing and have it paid for with the ample taxes we contribute across the board – a much larger chunk of our income than rich people ever pay. If it’s enough to pay off Wall Street bankers, it’s enough for me and mine to get health care when we need it.

Now I read that Diane Feinstein says she’ll vote against Obama’s health care plan because her itty feewings got hurt by not being the Most Important Person in the debate. Tough titty, you prune! I’m paying for YOUR public health care, so go get a socialist antidepressant, STFPH, vote for what your constituents want and need. And for God’s sake, can we please make it illegal for insurers to spend money we’ve paid them for premiums on buying crooked politicians who will let them deny us health care??!!!

And when we don’t get anything – as I’m sure we won’t – please, PLEASE let’s kick these bums out! By the time Obama tries for a second term we need the entire Democratic congresscritter life expectancy to be precisely 2 years (less if they’re really bad, and no, they can’t take their public health care with them). Senators need just one term, too. And Obama must be a one-term President. I’m pretty sure Hillary would trade us health care for the White House. And if not, we find someone who will.

Short of a revolution this country is way too lazy and chicken-shit to wage, there’s no other way to take the country back. Simply castrate the lot of ’em. Eventually we’ll get some politicians beholden to us, not to the Beltway fops or the corporate crooks.

Throw the Bums O-U-T!!!!! In ten years we can have our country back.