My body and your religious beliefs

June 30, 2014

A few years ago the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that corporations are people. Yeah, no kidding. Today, it ruled that those “people” can deny birth control coverage to their employees. Yeah, again, no kidding.

If you’re not familiar with these, you can read about corporations being ruled “people” here, and you can read about today’s horrible decision on birth control coverage here. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Welcome back. In case you didn’t read all of it, the basic idea is that health insurance in the U.S. is usually provided by companies for their employees. Yeah, that’s messed up, but it’s a discussion for another day. The federal government mandated that this health insurance coverage has to include preventative care, including things like cancer screenings and birth control. Birth control is incredibly controversial here in the U.S. (Maybe I’ll talk about my opinions of misogynistic policy-makers, pundits, and loudmouths another day.) A couple of family-owned companies sued, saying that birth control pills, IUDs, etc. could be assisting abortion (even though medical science says otherwise) and that therefore they are against the owners’ religious beliefs. They therefore believe they should not have to provide coverage that includes birth control pills, IUDs, etc. They argue that since it’s about their freedom of religion, they shouldn’t have to pay the penalties, either. And the court bought it. Or, at least, 5 male justices bought it.

The decision was written so that it was clearly meant to be narrow; it should apply only to these particular businesses and only to birth control. But we all know that the door is now open to any other business that wants to sue. And if the court rules that birth control is an “acceptable” religious objection but that pork-based pills or transfusions or whatever else isn’t an “acceptable” religious objection, then they’ll be showing preference for one religion over another. They can’t have that. So where would the line be drawn for healthcare coverage denials?

I have been railing against this ruling on Facebook all day. I am pissed off like you wouldn’t believe. In order to keep my cortisol levels from skyrocketing, I won’t get into this here today. I just want you all to be aware of this ruling. And to say that I believe this, above all else, to be true about the state of healthcare today for those who are not wealthy enough to afford care without insurance coverage:

Who should make decisions about my healthcare:

  • Me
  • My doctors/healthcare providers

Who actually makes decisions about my healthcare:

  • Me
  • My doctors/healthcare providers
  • My health insurance company
  • My disability insurance company (by denying a claim, they take away my health insurance)
  • My government
  • My employer
  • Pharmacies (for example, Walgreens now insists on calling doctors to personally verify prescriptions for opioids)

See the problem?

What do you think about this ruling? How does it make you feel? And who else makes decisions about our healthcare? Who did I forget? Please share in the comments!

17 Comments | Educating, Expectations, Frustration, Healthcare, Limitations, Medication, Politics, Rants | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

A few questions for certain politicians

May 21, 2014

It’s tough when the national budget doesn’t balance. I get that. But what what are citizens supposed to do when they have no hope of balancing their personal budgets because they are too sick or disabled to work?

We pay into Social Security so that it will be there when we need it. Then we become disabled and need it, and too many of us are denied it. I’m not even going to talk about the fact that the payment is too small to even pay a modest rent in many parts of this country. I’m just talking about how hard it is to get this so-called “safety net” when we need it. And yet certain politicians still suggest that we need to cut back on the program. So here’s my question for them:

Without social security, or with reduced payments, how are we supposed to pay for basic things like rent, food, and health care?*

I’ve heard one common answer many times: your church will take care of you. Um, no. What if you’re not Christian? What if you’re not religious? What if you just moved to a new community and don’t have a church community yet? What if there’s no church or other religious establishment nearby?

Now, let’s suppose none of those issues apply in your care. Let’s say your church and its members want to help, but they don’t have enough money. Are they expected to pay all of your bills for the rest of your life (or until you turn 65 and standard Social Security supposedly starts?) Could they really afford to pay the housing, food, and medical bills for all of its members in need of that financial help? So here’s another question for those politicians:

Are the only people “worthy” of living in this country those who are able to work, those who marry people who can work, those who inherit large amounts of money, and those who win the lottery?

I greatly resent having to prove that I’m too sick to work. But what I resent even more is going through this process while healthy people on tv suggest that the government needs to cut back on these payments. I’m sure that seems like a perfectly reasonable approach for all of these well-paid people who assume they will be able to work for as long as they want and so others should too. But that’s the tricky thing about disabling conditions: most of them are not predictable years in advance. Just because someone is working now, doesn’t mean they will be able to work 10 years, or even 10 months, from now. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t. And if they can’t? Will they change their mind about the policy? What if it doesn’t happen to them? What if it happens to a friend? Will they pay their friend’s bills, or will they say that it’s not their responsibility? Will they tell their friend to find a church to help out? Or will they realize how insensitive and callous it sounds to suggest that their friend shouldn’t have access to the government system they paid into that’s designed specifically to support people in this particular situation? This begs the question:

Should everyone be treated equally? Or do you suggest different treatment for already-wealthy individuals?

It’s easy to suggest that disabled people are lazy and choosing not to work. It’s always easy to use a stereotype to justify your own prejudice. It’s also easy to say that all Jews are cheap, all bisexuals are promiscuous, all black teenagers are in gangs, and all women are overly emotional. It’s easy, but that doesn’t make it true. These stereotypes might be true for some people, but they are not true for all people. Just as some people on SSDI are lazy and choosing not to work, but that is not true for everyone.

And that’s why, most of all, I resent being stereotyped as a justification for rich politicians looking to score political points and get even richer. That’s why, most of all, I have to ask:

How can you live with yourself?

*Yes, there is Medicare and Medicaid and The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare,) but those are not available to everyone and they do not cover all costs. I wish they did, but they don’t. I have great health insurance, one of the best plans available. Last month, in addition to my premium, I spent $600 on over-the-counter medications, copays, parking at medical offices, visits with my naturopath (who has been more helpful than the doctors who are covered by insurance,) and other things. Other months have included items such as orthodics that are necessary to me but are not covered by insurance. Of course, this does not include the so-called extras, like gas to get to appointments or paying for help with things I can’t do like cleaning and shoveling show.

3 Comments | Educating, Frustration, Insensitive, Intrusions, Politics, Rants, Support | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Social Security Disability: a system that makes no sense

May 9, 2014

I’ve really missed writing! Unfortunately, I was busy dealing with a system that just makes no sense at all. That’s right folks, it’s the U.S. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) system!

I had my social security hearing since I last wrote to you. For those not familiar with the process, it works like this: you apply for social security and almost definitely get denied. You appeal, and likely get denied again. You appeal again, and are assigned a hearing before a judge. This process takes more than a year. If the judge rules for you, you get your payments (in my case, not even enough to cover my rent, never mind food, gas, electricity, or medical expenses) and eligibility for Medicare, which isn’t the greatest health insurance, but it’s better than nothing (which is what you might have otherwise, depending on your situation.) If the judge rules against you, you don’t get payments, you don’t get Medicare, and your only options are to either walk away or start the whole thing over again. Ridiculous, right?

Oh, and I forgot to mention: if you don’t show up for any but the most exceptional reasons, the judge automatically rules against you. So if you get hit by a car and end up in the hospital, they’ll let you reschedule (with proof that you were in the hospital.) If you’re just in too much pain to show up, too bad, you lose. I get that they don’t want a bunch of no-shows, but when you’re dealing with ill people, reliability can be a problem. If it weren’t some of us might be, you know, working at jobs. Sure, you can schedule a hearing by phone instead, but that has to be done in advance, and my lawyer and others say it’s better to show up if possible. So if you don’t schedule a phone hearing months in advance, you better show up in person at the right time on the right day. They just give you a time and day, you don’t get to choose it, of course.

Mornings are tough for me. I never schedule anything that involves leaving the house before 11am when I can help it. It’s just too hard to get there on time, and I often feel lousy later on, too. So of course I had to leave at 8:30. Figures. And don’t forget that “not showing up” includes “not showing up on time.” So if you show up late, the judge automatically rules against you. But hey, no pressure.

So for a week I was nervous. I washed my hands more than usual. I tried to avoid being near anyone who seemed the least bit sick. What if I got sick? It’s been a year and a half since I first applied, so starting the application process over again isn’t a good option. Plus, if I didn’t show up for the hearing, my long term disability company (which requires me to apply for SSDI) could cancel my coverage. Yup, missing this hearing would make me screwed!

That wasn’t an option, so on top of the concern about the hearing itself, I had the added stress of worrying that something could happen to make me miss the hearing. And of course the hearing itself would be about me trying to “prove” that I’m really as sick as my doctors and I say I am. It was a shitty week.

But here I am, on the other side of it. I won’t know for a month or two what the judge’s ruling will be, but at least I made it through the hearing. I was nauseated beforehand, I was in extra pain that morning, and I don’t feel great about how it went, but at least it’s over. And now I wait….

5 Comments | Expectations, Fatigue, Frustration, Healthcare, Politics, Rants, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Some things I wish were covered by health insurance

January 28, 2014

I look at the many, many medical thing I pay for that aren’t covered by insurance, and I wonder why they aren’t covered. I would think that most of these would be cost-effective for the insurance company. I won’t go into the financial aspects now, but I just want to mention a few of the things that I think should be covered. Please add your own in the comments!

  • Supplements. If prescription medications are covered with a copay, why aren’t supplements? My doctors all want me to take multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and others. They tell me to. Yet the supplements aren’t covered.
  • Massage therapy. Ok, I found out yesterday that it’s covered, but only if I get a prescription for physical therapy, find a physical therapist who does massage therapy, and get it billed as a physical therapy session. And it counts as part of my physical therapy sessions for the year, which aren’t unlimited, so that means I’ll get fewer other physical therapy sessions. But I think it’s necessary. It’s expensive, so I only do it 1-2 times per year, even though my doctors and physical therapists say I should do it 1-2 times per month. A few days ago, my neck hurt so much that I could barely turn my head. After today’s massage therapy, I feel so much better. I can turn my head again!
  • Acupuncture. This has been one of only two things that has ever helped my chronic pain, and yet it’s not covered! I can go to a pain clinic under insurance, even though it won’t help, but they won’t pay for acupuncture treatments.
  • Marijuana. In fairness, medical marijuana is new in my state, but I still doubt insurance will cover it any time soon. They pay for all sorts of painkillers that have lousy side effects and that don’t do much to help me, but they don’t pay for marijuana, which is the only thing besides acupuncture that helps the pain. I don’t use it often, but when I need it, I want to have it handy, without worrying about the ability to pay for it.
  • Orthodics. My insurance covers a visit to the podiatrist and it covers physical therapy. But for some odd reason it does not cover my orthodics, even though they are completely necessary to prevent all sorts of problems. I am completely lost as to why they aren’t covered.
  • More mental health visits. I get so few, it doesn’t even seem worth going. I’d run out just as the doctor was starting to know me, and I wouldn’t be able to pay out of pocket, so why bother? So I’m missing out on useful treatments because of inadequate coverage.
  • Naturopaths. I can’t really blame the insurance company here, but I still wish naturopaths were covered, like they are in other states and in other countries. Unfortunately, the state of Massachusetts won’t license naturopaths, despite all of the good they can do, so insurance doesn’t cover them. That means that I have to pay out of pocket, even though my naturopath has been more helpful than the 10 previous doctors I had seen, combined.
  • Various tests. There are many very valid tests that aren’t covered by insurance. Some are used in medical research. For certain things, they are more accurate than the covered blood tests. The insurance company will cover the inaccurate blood test, but not the saliva test or urine test that’s more accurate. Lovely.

Those are a few of the things I wish my health insurance covered. I know I’m lucky. I have one of the best health insurance plans in the state, and access to pretty decent care. Still, after rent well over half of my spending is for medical care, and that’s even with health insurance. So yeah, I wish this other stuff was covered. What about you? What do you wish was covered by your health insurance?

1 Comment | Expectations, Frustration, Healthcare, Limitations, Medication, Pain, Politics, Rants, Support, Symptoms | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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