Disparities in Healthcare

Our communities are suffering from such strong disparities in health care, it makes me cringe. Americans are either under insured or not insured at all. People are afraid to seek medical care for symptoms of disease for fear of the costs involved. Nursing homes are grossly understaffed, and the patient population suffers. We have a strong population of people who, even though insured, do not have a primary care physician. Even among those who do, there seems to be preferential treatment, for people who have "stronger" medical coverage. Speaking of coverage, why is dental care so expensive and difficult to cover? Why are the insurance companies covering so little, requiring more out-of-pocket fees of the patient? We are medically treated as if we have a caste system. If you do not have a large income with numerous, unlimited coverage, you can bet your ass you will receive negligible treatment. If you are hospitalized, and you don't receive frequent visits, you will be ignored. I know this to be true, because I witness it daily. I have spent numerous moments with patients who seem to simply need companionship, comforting, and reassurance. It appears that the primary care-giver of that patient rarely has a moment, to say a kind word, put the patient at ease.

Nursing home patients, are frequently admitted to our Emergency Rooms and Intensive Care Units with fever, infection, dehydration, pain management issues, injuries, and advanced disease. We could call it neglect, but let's be more honest. There is poor training and poor staffing. During the times inspections are scheduled, nursing home administrators conveniently staff properly, to "look as if" the patient/care-giver ratio meets standard requirements. The moment that "inspection" is done, it's back to the usual understaffing situation that's more acceptable for their budgets. Patients are not properly bathed, medication dosages are missed, feeding times fall way behind if not missed altogether. We receive these patients, get them stable, only to send them back to prepare for the next time. Incidently, each time there is an admission, there is bigger revenue. So it would appear, that discharging and re-admitting these patients, helps to make money for these facilities. It makes you wonder.

On the flip side, health care workers are over worked and severly underpaid. We get injured, we get sick, we suffer from fatigue. Our health coverage is crappy, yet we're supposed to work with a smile. We are forced, in this economy, to hold more than one position. There was a time, when working a second job was done to plan for something fun, now it's become a vital need for basic survival.

Something has got to be done! We need to speak up for a change to happen. For too long, people have just sat back and accepted this mistreatment. I listen to these people lobbying for these political positions, and they bicker and battle like a bunch of childish idiots. They insult the citizens of this country blatantly, and unabashedly...and we continue to allow them to.