After spending 2 years living on the rugged coast of Northeastern Scotland, a job now takes us to Fairbanks Alaska. Originally from Oregon, I am a writer, a mother, an aspiring frontier woman, a nostalgia junkie, and a book addict. I call myself a trailer wife, which refers to the state of a person (most often a woman) who is caught up in the professional trajectory of their spouse. This blog will chronicle my journey between two places I never, ever, imagined I'd call home.
In Alaska, a state trumped only in its libertarian spirit by "live free or die," New Hampshire, government sponsored healthcare is a very hot topic. It's in the papers, it's on the radio, and yes, it's on TV. I saw an ad today with a breast cancer survivor imploring the world to strike down any policy that would allow poor, defenseless women to DIE. That's right, the British, the French, and other backward, fumbling governments don't care enough about their people to treat their terminal illnesses. In fact, a death panel will likely decide your fate before you even make it to a specialist, an appointment you'll have waited two years to get. That's what socialized medicine will get you.
It's enough to make me want to buy a handheld loudspeaker.
Do these people not read? How many ways do you have to say that a public option is an OPTION - you can keep your crummy old policy just the way it is if you want to. And - are we all listening here? - there is NO SUCH THING as a death panel. I'm sick of hand-wavy conservatives touting America's "2nd to none" status with regard to medical technology and the health of its citizens. It is just not true. The American health-care system is not best in terms of coverage, access, patient safety, efficiency or cost-effectiveness. It does not produce the best outcomes of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, or diabetes; for the elderly, the middle-aged, or the young; in terms of life expectancy, rates of chronic diseases or obesity. No, we are not first. We are not even 5th or 12th or 25th. We are behind France, Britain, Switzerland, Japan, Canada and 32 other countries. On the World Heath Organizations list, we are 37th.
THIRTY-SEVENTH.
I'm not just running my mouth here. I lived with a nationalized health care system for almost two years in Scotland. I'd heard the horror stories, and was a little anxious when, two months after we arrived, I discovered I was pregnant. And there is nothing that can bring on the tornado of worry-driven hysteria than growing another person in your body.
But my experience couldn't have been better. Not only was the care I received professional and prompt, I never had to wait more than 12 hours to get into see someone who could instantly ease my fears. Pre and post natal care was thorough yet non-invasive. And while I never saw a doctor (leading up to and including labor), I found that I much preferred the capable midwives who took care of us. My midwife, Rosemary, came to our house (OUR HOUSE) every day for ten days following Gusser's arrival, just to make sure we were both healthy and coping. And for a month after that, a certified health visitor came once a week to ensure all was well.
Outside of my experience with childbirth, going to the neighborhood doctor was easy peasy. Anytime something came up (and as a new mother, I was constantly convinced Gus was on a fast track to the ICU) all I had to do was call the clinic and schedule a time, usually that day or the next, to bring him in. Sam also saw the doctor several times about a recurring foot problem, for which he was prescribed free acupuncture and physical therapy.
Yes, Britain's National Health System has problems. So does Blue Cross Blue Shield. But in the long run, not having to worry about financial ruin resulting from an appendectomy far outweighs the few weeks of waiting you might have to endure to treat your tendonitis (or other non-life-threatening/non-disabling ailment).
How is medical care NOT a universal human right? Under what circumstances is it civilized to let families be left destitute by a broken arm? Can someone please explain this to me?
3 comments:
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but poor people are lazy. That's why they're so poor! They also choose not to get health care so they can buy booze, weed, and cigarettes. Furthermore, I have loved not having health care for the last 2 years. Suffering through disease and injury makes me feel like a true American!
Be careful, Jon... you who spends a lot of time in Sweet Home, Oregon, where this opinion is undoubtedly less ironic than it is on my pansy-ass-liberal blog. But I appreciate it all the same. XX
T H E N H S R O C K S. It's not often you read such honest words on the subject. And I miss Rosemary.
M x
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