Sick of Being Sick

So here I sit having an asthma attack with no inhaler and no way to get one. Many may think "why not just call the doctor and get a refill". If you are thinking that then you are one of the ones that has no clue what is REALLY happening with our health care system.

So let me lay this out for you. I have medical through the state because I have been a student and cannot find a job in Spokane that provides enough hours to grant me the opportunity to get my own medical. So yes I am on state medical. Not by choice but by circumstance. I have also had the same doctor for the last 7 years.

Well actually it was only 6 years because last Fall I was informed by Dr. Mark Hart (his receptionist really) of the Hart Family Medical Center that he had dis-enrolled from state medical. In short he dumped all of his patients that had state medical because he didn't think he was making enough money off of each of us.

Because of this I have been managing mt asthma with a Primatene inhaler (it burns life fire but it works) and Pepto for my acid reflux. Again many of you are asking, "Why doesn't he just get a new doctor?" and again those people have no clue about the reality of US health care. I have tried for the last 6 months to find doctor that accepts state medical but because Chris Gregoire has allowed doctors to opt out of medical plans of their choosing there is no one that accepts my medical insurance.

So here I sit with insurance but no doctor so I am left with one place to go to seek minor medical treatment. THIS is why so many people are using emergency rooms as their primary care and why it takes people with REAL emergencies 3 hours to get a bleeding head wound stitched up.

All of this is caused by one thing. GREED. Insurance companies want to make more money so they cut what they are willing to pay doctors. Pharmaceutical companies want to increase profits so it costs $60 to refill an inhaler that only costs $0.05 to refill in Cuba (watch "Sicko") and over the counter drugs cost 10 times what hey should. Then you have the doctors that need to make tat payment on their new BMW so if they aren't making a big enough profit on you as a patient then you get dropped.

We have a "for profit" health care system that is actually killing us and we all seem to think it is a good thing. What in the 9 hells is wrong with us that we vote against our own best interests? We need Universal Health Care NOW!!!!!!!!!!!