My Opinion on Health Care Reform in New Hampshire
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The debate continues in my state of New Hampshire and many others on health care. Through my own experiences I wrote my opinion of what is happening with the government and the little guy.
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The debate about health care reform with the government continues with some being for and some being against. I have been listening to the news and trying to decide which side I am on. Who is right and who is wrong. This is only my opinion and with my own past experiences I write this article.
Some people seem to think that if the government is in charge of our health care it will be a devastation and maybe they are right, but then on the other hand if the government is in charge maybe everyone will have at least some sort of health care.
I find myself looking back to when I had the privilege of caring for my mother. For eight years she was sick before her death in June 2004. She only had medicare and no private health care and to be honest she did not get many benefits. Her prescriptions were not covered but her doctors visits and hospital stays were but only up to a certain amount of money after you surpassed the limit it came out of her pocket.
She needed a hospital bed but could not get one until she was categorized as terminal and became a member of hospice. I found myself struggling for help in many aspects of her care. Once terminal was marked across her Doctor chart then we had access to other benefits and she got the most needed hospital bed and wheel chair and home nurse a couple times a week.
Although laws in the State of New Hampshire were in place and on the books trying to get funding from such laws was just not possible.
I remember calling the state capital over 200 times in one day trying to get answers to my questions. See there is a law that states if you care for a parent, spouse or child that is ill then you can get funding for not being able to work and staying home to care for them. I worked full time and had a good friend stay with her in my absence but I wanted to be with her all the time so I tried my hardest to find the right avenue to put this all in place.
To no avail, it seemed no one knew the answers to the question I was asking and I played tag with probably every member who worked in the capital on that day. All of them told me, yes the law is there but no one has ever tried to implement it. When the day ended I was frustrated to think that not one person could answer my questions or help me and I felt like I had been passed around like an old rag. It just seemed to me that no one really cared and that my mother who had spent her entire life working very hard was now not important to the world itself.
After this incident I decided to write my senator and also the President of the United States who at the time was George Bush. I guess they were all too busy to hear the little guys cries for help because the only thing I ever received back in regards to my letters was a letter from the US Capital stating that the President just was too busy to answer every letter received but thank you for sending one in.
As I write these words down on paper right now, at this moment I find myself still outraged by this. Typing each word as I watch my fingers shaking from the pain still felt from all of this. Yes, my mother got her last wish answered by being able to die in her home and in her own bed but with no help from the government.
I also found myself thinking that this is probably the reason many families cannot take proper care of their loved ones because they have to work. What happens to their loved ones? Nursing homes and private hospitals. All of which taking every dime they have to pay for their care and not getting the best of care either. The end result, more money and not the quality of life I would want for my pet kitten.
I was one of the lucky ones because I had backing from my family and friends and could continue to work and keep my mother in her own home where she belonged. I am a firm believer that the elderly, our mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles deserve the right and dignity to stay in their homes at the end of their life. They raised us and now when they need us the most they should be able to have that, not be made to go to a place that may not be the best place and may not give them proper care.
The government in my opinion does not seem to care much about the elderly. Why? I will never understand, but with writing this article I now have the opportunity to have my voice finally heard on this subject.
After much thought about what happened back then maybe the people now in this reform are right. Maybe if the government takes over our health care not only our elderly but all of us will be at risk for not being cared for properly.
Yes I am only one voice but I have also learned over the years that just one voice does matter and with the organization of all the voices who have the same opinions we can make a difference.
So you are asking when my opinion on the new health care reform is? Well still fighting the battle in my mind and soul I am unsure. I do believe both sides make great statements, but I for one do not always trust the politicians.
14 Comments
Politicians say words that promise less and it’s such a shame that the word ‘terminal’ was the only deciding factor that your mum could get a bed. It must have been such a traumatic time for you and you must have been shocked at it.
But there’s one thing health care 50 years ago and health care now and health care 50 years from now will always have its own flaws no matter what. All we as individuals can do is to put our trust in the government and hope they reduce the number of flaws.
A very interesting and thought provoking article.
Health care is now becoming a debatable issue. Who’s behind this everything we don’t know. But, the flaws really matter much. It’s for us to weigh its value. Have my liked it.
A very simple issue that gone out of hand. now is the time that silent majority must be heard.
interesting article
It is interesting to hear what health care is like in other countries. I can’t imagine the problems you have to go through in your country to get it. A good article.
Christine
Great article! Sadly, the health care institutions are a mess. When Obama enacts his health care plan, it will only help those with pre-existing condition, although it may seem good at first.
don’t be fooled by anti-UK propoganda – for all emergencies, cancer, heart problems etc we have the finest, quickest and free service in the world.
Lindalulu, I have never had the experience you have. My brother in law has a nurse come to his home to check on him on medicare and my daughter in laws grandmother is in a nursing home due to medicare where she gets good care. I have medicare and a supplement which takes care of me. On the other hand, my son and his family have no insurance. His employer doesn’t carry it for employees. insurance is beyond the means of my sons family, so they have no health care. speaking from my experience, I am all for equal government coverage for everybody. I don’t know what we will get but I hope everyone will benifit.
I think if you do not have as its goal the health benefits of the Scandinavian countries, there is no progress.
Interesting article but it have gone out of hand.
The government does not care about the elderly because their perception is that the elderly produce nothing and are a drain on the economy. The only reasons they are helped at all is because there are votes in it. Never trust a politician – the fact that they wanted to get into politics means they are morally suspect.
Yea, that’s right! Keep voicing your opinions. But keep always positive.
I am sorry to hear the pain you’ve endured with your mother’s illness. It’s very hard for me to see neglected elderly in nursing homes, and I, like you, wanted them to have family nearby!
My husband and I have only Government Health Care, and consider ourselves the luckiest people in the world. He was a 20+ yr man in the Air Force, so not only do we have Medi-Care as our primary health care, we have the government’s Tri-Care 4 Life as secondary insurance. There is nothing for which we are not covered, and we have strained the good graces of the system on more than one occasion due to injuries to other parts of our bodies because of required treatments for other diseases. Everything was covered.
There may be a lot of things the government can’t (and shouldn’t) do, but Universal Health Care is something they are capable of, morally obligated to do, and already have the systems in place.