Socialized Medicine

Well, it sounds very good when we hear that the people that are not insured today because of pre-existing conditions can get insurance. The insurance system is not working right and needs fixing, lets fix it, not replace it!

I am going to share with you what I learned in 2009. My mom got really sick in Brazil and I am the only child, so I hopped on a plane and was there for the month of August to help her out. It was a wake up call to me when I saw what happened at the doctor's office.

My mom had asthma, pneumonia, heart condition among other things of less urgency. All went south when she got a flu shot, she got sick as she left the office for home and went downhill from there. Anyway, she needed help and she needed now. Thankfully she is doing well enough financially and was able to pay for her medical care. In the doctor's office there was a long line for the socialized medicine and no line at all for those paying for their care. She walked up to the counter, waited a very short time and went in to see the doctor. She was prescribed an inhaler to help her with breathing, the inhaler's cost was astronomical, something to the tune of $100.00 dollars a month, yes, you read it right, dollars (R1.63 = $1). Here is the kicker, her breathing reading was at 50 (she was wheezing like crazy and couldn't breathe), at 54, the socialized medicine insurance would kick in and pay for the medicine (not for her, because she opted out), but if you were not at 54, tough luck. Thankfully my mom was able to buy the inhaler and breathe. But how about those that are as sick as she was (she was very sick), but didn't have the money to pay for the inhaler? I asked. The answer was; "they don't get the inhaler."

The other thing I noticed it, when she went in immediately to have her tests done, I watched the line of patients. If they forgot a paper, come back in 2 months. If they didn't fast for the test because they didn't know they needed to, come back in 6 months.
You see, there are things that we are not watching for. Preventive care is great, but when you need help, you need help!
After that trip my eyes were open. Check ups are great, however, because of the check ups for everyone, all of us are going to pay dearly in things that we have no idea.
What happens when grandpa is 75, has a heart condition and needs surgery? Will someone in the insurance office decide if he is eligible for it? Wouldn't you like grandpa to decide what he is going to do?I don't know about you folks, but going to Brazil and seeing first hand what people were going through because of socialized medicine sure woke me up.
As people we have power. We need to exercise it and make sure government does what it is meant to do. It cannot dictate everything for the people. We have a choice, lets exercise it!