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"I'm sorry I don't have health insurance". "No apologizes necessary, we should apologize to you".

Posted by lucretiamott on December 14, 2007 - 4:20pm

   With the holidays in full swing, a lot of the young patients I see in San Francisco, are depressed, stressed-out and down-right sick.  Between working crappy going no where jobs that pay little,  sky-high rents, going to school full-time and trying to pay down loans and no chance of health insurance from either work, parents or school, this generation should be called "the stressed out gen". 

   Most of these patients wait until it gets so bad, either the pain or the self-treatment from multiple trips to the OTC counter at Walgreens doesn't work anymore. 

   They usually delay their medical care until it gets so bad there really isn't a choice but the public sector. 



   A 24 year old patient came in last week verbalizing her shame at not having health insurance and decided to wait on a bladder infection.  She tried everything she could.  Cranberry juice, cranberry pills and loads of pain pills mostly, "uro-stat" which does nothing but turn your urine a bright red, giving you temporary relief.

   By the time I saw this bright, young woman, her back was killing her and there was urine in her blood with big red clots.  It was a little scary for her and she broke into tears on the exam table to apologize for not being "good enough" to qualify for insurance.  Her school didn't cover what she had and between the back pain, fever and bloody urine and mid-terms she was at her wits end.

   I got a little concerned too.  NP's being human too I wanted to make sure this wasn't anything more the a "KIDNEY" infection like hemoraghic cystitis which is complete kidney melt-down.  Her urine was pretty bloody but when she burst into tears, all the nursing experience from the last 15 years made me confident that it would be fine. 

   I apologized to her for living in a culture, and a weird one it is, that seems bent on making people feel "just not good enough" to have access to health care because someone makes up these ridiculous rules governing our health care system. 

  I think our chat had more of a healing effect on her than the two weeks worth of antibiotics, a urine culture and a follow-up exam scheduled in two days.  THe shot of ceftriaxone helped to but it was the conversation that relly mattered.

   The following day, this patient called to say she wasn't urinating blood anymore and wanted to return to work.  She also wanted to make a donation to our clinic.  I told her we didn't take donations because we are public health.  But to support the efforts of those nurses like the ones at CNA/NNOC who are working toward a Medicare for all System.  She also let me know that she is a nursing student and wouldn't forget the visit.

  With younger patients like these, I have hope for the future and a just health care system.

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Health care challenges...

Submitted by DeAnn McEwen RN on December 15, 2007 - 1:16pm.

I believe your hope is justified! And, you've planted the seeds of the revolution along with the professional and compassionate care you provided.

"Health care challenges fire up U.S. students" is a fascinating story by Joanne Kenen (Reuters) that's posted on Environmental News Network @ http://www.enn.com/health/article/26874

Her report states that students are attending health policy classes in record numbers, drawn by the current political debate and their awareness of the tragic disparities in health care access and "quality" gaps.

Kenen describes how the idealism of the students, together with the fact that many have witnessed life-altering events among family and friends, motivates them to study the problem. They want to be part of the solution.

Enter the young; this is a great example of agitation education, providing direction, and taking action.

Thank you for your advocacy in prescribing a dose of politics that matter: support of health care for all!

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Healthcare Crisis in Politics

Submitted by William Hill (not verified) on December 20, 2007 - 3:36am.

CEO and founder of RxPop.com says, “U.S. citizens are offered a health care system that is not only disgustfully inadequate and inefficient, but a complete and total moral ignominy. If the U.S. cannot adopt a more economical and stabilized health care system, citizens should be able to turn to Canada for help. Denying them this right could cost them their lives and that is unacceptable!”

Over 46.6 million Americans are uninsured, with 15.9 percent of Americans lacking health coverage.

Census data show that 46.6 million Americans were uninsured in 2005, an increase of 1.3 million from the number of uninsured in 2004 (45.3 million). The percentage who are uninsured rose from 15.6 percent in 2004 to 15.9 percent in 2005. The number of children who are uninsured rose from 7.9 million in 2004 to 8.3 million in 2005.

My fellow Americans, wake up! It’s time for drastic change in U.S. Health Care Policy.

Watch Videos at - http://www.rxpop.com/politics.asp

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What planet are we on?

Submitted by Tuxcat (not verified) on January 11, 2008 - 11:02am.

On your planet, I guess the federal government never, ever wastes people's money. And no one ever has a problem getting government services because of intimidating paperwork and obstructive bureaucrats.

And, of course, the government loves you and would never, ever think rationing or denying health care to old people or fat people or people who don't live their lives the way the government wants them to. Because that has never, ever happened in countries that have government-run health care. And in those same enlightened countries, nobody ever dies on waiting lists for chemotherapy or transplants.

What we have now is not sufficient, of course. I spent a dozen years without health coverage because of a very common illness that nonetheless rendered me uninsurable under any private plan. I depended on a county health care system, so I know what government health care is like. Patients who go to one public emergency room here stand and wait in line outside, in any weather. Or they can go to the public hospital down the way, widely known as "Killer (name of hospital)."

My health was wrecked during those years, and my life will be a great deal shorter because of it. And though I have fairly good employer-provided insurance now, I still have to battle constantly to get the medications I need in the quantities I need.

It sucks. But government-run health care is the single most certain way to make it worse. It will be run by exactly the same people who bring you the IRS and the Post Office. What you have in mind is just as much of a "mandate," with no way to opt out of participating in it or paying for it, as the ghastly California plan you so rightly oppose. What you're imagining it would be like is pure foolish fantasy. Come back to earth; we need nurses here.

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no health insurance

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 22, 2008 - 12:46pm.

Denying US citizens Health Care or Preventative Care should be a crime and someone should go to jail for it.

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O boy, the situation is

Submitted by gordman (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 7:23am.

O boy, the situation is pretty serious as I ca see, I am so glad you had the time to listen to that young woman, she is really grateful to you right now, who wouldn't be? The health system is crushed, we all know that, nevertheless there are many people in desperate need for insurance, who can provide support for them?
Pharmacy drugs

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