My friend has leukemia. She’s laid off. She’s uninsured. She lives alone. She’s scared. But she has been a communications professional in the health care field for 30 years, and writing makes her feel better. Here are some excerpts from her CaringBridge Journal that say quite a bit about the current state of care in the US.
"I need to be serious today. One week ago I learned I have leukemia, was in a medical crisis, and went on a journey that led to the ER, hospital admission and the start of chemotherapy. The medical aspect appears treatable – financial & insurance coverage issues are what may kill me.
I’m far from alone in being in this situation – it could happen to anyone, even those who *think* they have good insurance coverage.
No matter your politics, please take time to listen to the President tonight when he addresses health care reform. Then go find other sources for more information and get involved.
I’ve been in the health care field – as a professional or as a volunteer – for 30 years. The issues and concerns are complex and can’t be adequately addressed in a simple way or by people shouting at each other.
I’ve had excellent medical care in the past week but have also experienced multiple instances of wasted resources and inefficiencies that are built into the system and drive up costs. As just one example, my personal physician has 10 years of my medical history in an electronic medical records system and was on standby all day to work with the hospital staff, but was never contacted, and I was asked to give my medical history verbally at least 12 times to different people. The only person who asked while in front of a computer screen and keyboard somehow managed to lose the information and a registered nurse ended up asking for the information all over again.
That’s a small example, there are large ones too. But that’s for another day. Today is the day to really focus on what’s ahead for the health care system and for us as a country. Thanks for listening, it helps me heal to talk to you."
She’s now being treated on an outpatient basis. Tuesday she set up her first appointments with the oncology practice and provided extensive information to multiple people over the phone. Wednesday she physically went to the office for the first time – a newly diagnosed cancer patient – and was AGAIN asked for the SAME information I had given on the phone and given a stack of papers to fill out.
The main concern, as it always is, was to get her to sign documents that would deal with the financial responsibility aspects and the names of people they could use to track her down if bills weren’t paid. There was not one ounce of compassion, nothing in the form of a “new patient information kit”, nothing warm or compassionate about it.
Fortunately, she understands the health care system and knows why all this is necessary. But it would have been an utter nightmare for someone who didn’t, and when you have leukemia and you are still driving yourself to all the appointments and exhausting yourself just moving around in the heat, I can imagine was a downer this was.
The good news: she has total faith in the oncologist himself, whom she loves. And she had met him in the hospital. But it is an example of how the American system can be terrific on one hand — full of expert providers, modern technology, and often cures — and horrible on the other hand: a financial and emotional nightmare.