Doctors Within Borders

I work in the healthcare industry as a nurse. I have been appalled by the number of people who do not get care in this country. Sure you have medicaid for those not eligible for medicare but the problem is if you own anything they want to put a ien on your house. People under 65 with chronic illness many, many times cannot afford lifesaving drugs - and go without. Just being in the pharmacy the other day and watching several older women looking at OTC drugs(aspirin, etc.)they were chosing the brand names because the advertising on TV had made them believe it was the best. People on fixed incomes sometimes cannot afford the Part B of medicare - that's doctor's visits and other things. Many doctor's offices will not tell them about the fact that they could get a application signed by their doctor to get free or almost free prescriptions from the big pharmaceutical companies. Hell, I have watched WWII veterans refuse to go to the VA for medicines or treatment because they did not want to be seen as poor or asking for anything. No system in place to provide assistance with medical care in this country is easy obtained or without insinuation that you are bilking the system. I used to tell older patients that they had paid taxes for years and were entitled to anything they could get from this lousy government.. I have watched people actually die because they could not afford the proper medical treatment. Is this right? Hell, no.

This makes me so glad that I live in England. We have a National Health Service that is free. Last year I was rushed into hospital with a brain tumour which was successfully removed. I was well looked after and I had to pay NOTHING. I do not understand how the US cannot provide free health care for its citizens.

I have worked for over 30 years, since I was 15 and paid into FICA and Federal. I have at times had insurance which was offered by my employer. I have lived in 8 states, some offered Medicaid for uninsured adults, most did not. I now live in a small comminity 55 miles outside of Wichita Falls, TX. Texas my employer does not offer insurance and I only make $1.75 above minimum wage. Texas does not offer Medicaid or anything else to assist adults with medical care costs. I am a 48 year old female diagnosed with: osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, and severe bone desease (osteoporosis). I addition, I have had 3 strokes. I suffer pain daily in my back and joints. Some days it is hard to get out of bed to go to work, but I must. I have a 16 y.o. son that still lives at home and we depend on my income alone to exist.
To be eligible to collect Disability a person has to be unemployed for 1 year. I wish someone would explain to me why this country is suppose to be one of the leading nations in the world, but Can not or Will not take care of their own....but then the few in our Nation might have to take a few financial cuts. Well if most of the working Americans in this country can pay $4.oo a gallon for gas, $5.00 a gallon for Milk, and $3.00 for a loaf of bread, then the so-called government officials should be able to take a cut in their pocketbooks and help out those less fortunate in THIS country for a change....

Get real. Our government can put 250,000,000 in the streets of Iraq, and keep no records, but can't keep a child for 24 hour in fostercare after they graduate from highschool. It happens every graduation day in America. Sicko told the whole story on health, but did not come close to telling what life is like in everyday America.
Example: My son turned the drug dealer that sold his wife of 14 years , drugs. He turned in her and all her drug buddies hoping she could get help. He loved her so much. The next day he was told he was a dead man if the drug dealer got arrested. He was also told the Social Services would be out to pick up the children. So, our family moved him and his four children out with the clothes on their backs.
When he moved in with us we though Social services would help him get his own place. We went through most of our savings, and I, being disable, and my husband the step-father/grandfather supported them for a year. My son had a great work record , but could not find work in this area because it is a border town and greencard workers are hired . In this way the large companies don't have to pay benefits for part time workers. It saves them money, but I haven't seen it passed on to the people. Anyway. we ended up having to put our children out on the street. The social Services didn't care even though we sent them a letter.
Our son received no food-stamps , no medical, and no cash aid until he stayed in a motel with two full size beds for two months.
This story goes on. We have lived a nightmare, because of our so-call free trade.Our doctor offices are always full of people that can't understand the English language. They receive free medical, but our citizens can't. Something is wrong.

Medicaid is overwhelmed and underfunded. And the middle class baby boomers who are restructuring their assets to qualify for long term care are going to kill the program completely.

Unfortunately, there are horror stories about people pulling their own teeth rather than waiting for service under nationalized programs like the British have. Nationalized health insurance isn't the solution. Mandatory and affordable health insurance is the answer.

Many of the comments that I have read seem to focus on attacking previous posters. This does nothing but stir up feelings of animosity. My husband and I have 3 children under the age of 12. I am in college working towards my nursing degree. My husband drives a log truck. He brings home $230.00 a week. Our children receive state medicaid. My husband and I do not because according to the medicaid guidelines, we make $25 a month too much. We have checked into private pay insurance, but for just the two of us, non smokers, in good health, it would be nearly $400 a month. With the cost of gas, groceries, utilities, and everything else skyrocketing, that is simply an insurmountable amount of money. We have been fortunate, in the 10 yrs we have been uninsured, each of us have only had to go to the ER for medical treatment 3 times. However, the cost of those visits was triple what it would have cost in the Dr's office. Neither of us have seen a dentist in over 10 yrs, and we both brush and floss 3 times a day.....however, each of us still have a couple of painful cavities in need of repair. Thankfully, our 3 children (with health issues) are covered by medicaid which covers their medications, their dr. visits, and their dental costs. We are hard workers who do everything we can to stretch each penny to it's breaking point, but we still cannot afford medical insurance. I dare anyone out there to say it is our fault, or anyone else's for that matter, if health insurance coverage is not affordable. I'm sorry, but feeding our family, keeping a roof over our heads, and clothes on our backs is more important, and more cost effective. Our government is never going to change simply because the men and women in office are never going to change their stance, and we as a nation continue to elect like-minded officers to run our country. Our citizens get the shaft by the same people giving our doctors and hospitals the shaft: the insurance corporations. Let us each contact our local government representatives and tell them it's time for a change. Remind them that this is an election year, and that your vote goes with whomever has this country's best interests healthwise in mind. If we want a change, then each one of us must use our voice to get our wants heard.

I am fighting back sobs because I am reminded of Michael Moore's movie Sicko. The richest country in the world cannot help the desperate and poorest of its citizens. For shame. For pathetic shame.

This is sad that the United States of America has such a problem helping its citizens, who are taxed to fund wars and hand outs to big oil and agrigiz. Whats even more sad is that nobody stands up to and questions or demands more action from the government.

How very sad for these folks, I kow I was one of them at one time, I went to the dentist when I finally got insurance with 17 cavities my mouth hurt all the time it was a fact of life. I am just getting by like most Americans even with a college education but if by some great miracle I come into a great amount of money I have made a promise to God I will help people less fortunate than me. I try to even now I sponsor a child have for years if everyone did something it would make some difference. How some rich folks can spend $100,000 on a gown or 1 million on a wedding is a total shame when that money can do so much for others.

What on earth is wrong with you people! Don't you care about your fellow man? So, some of you just pulled your boot-straps up and did ok! GOOD FOR YOU! Now what about all of the millions that are not doing ok? Do you give a dam? By the sound of it the answer to that is HELL NO! I was brought up in a Social Democracy where we were educated in free enterprise and freedom for all but we were also taught to respect and care for our neighbours! Our old people don't have to worry about not getting a pension, our young people don't have to worry about not being able to pay for their education and parents don't have to worry that one of their kids may become extremely ill and they can't get health care!
The people of my country wouldn't stand for anything else - what is wrong with the US picture?

I started to read the comments on this story, and I literally had to stop not far into that endeavor> Why? Because the almost complete lack of compassion shown by the individuals who have already left their comments is making me nauseous.

Folks, a lit compassion goes a long, long way. You might want to give it a try sometimes.

No one believes that a nationalized health care could ever compare to the quality of private health care. The question is, for the 50 plus million Americans with no health care, poor health care, or none at all?. Also consider that some projections are estimating the number of uninsured to reach 100 million in 10 years. Chances are that you or your loved ones will soon be grateful for poor health care.