Insurance wouldn’t cover it, so I forked over $206 for a Shingles vaccine at my annual physical this week because I had the money. Having the money substantially decreases the probability that I would fall victim to that painful, scaring, and scary looking disease called Shingles that can cause permanent nerve damage. But what about the man or woman who doesn’t have $206 lying around? Should prudent healthcare continue to be a privilege rather than a right?In the midst of the repeal and replace debate all week, my husband and I discussed the topic and I reflected on what I think would be the best healthcare system for Americans. And when the Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) and also failed to replace it with their draconian healthcare plan that grew worse and worse with every negotiation with the Freedom caucus, I rejoiced. But only a little because the current system leaves us where we are. And it’s still not where I think we should be.
On the bright side, I didn’t have to pay the $20 co-pay for my doctor’s visit because some preventive care is covered by Obamacare (or the ACA). And I didn’t have to fork over another $20 to get my labs done (also preventative). But the vaccine, also preventive, isn’t covered. I love President Obama and I’m grateful that the essential healthcare items on the current insurance coverage list were not repealed. The ACA was a step up from what we had, but until we take the potential for profit-making out of the healthcare equation, we’ll continue to have the situation my doctor explained to me.
Yes, she explained it to me because I have a cool rapport with her since we are both UCLA alum and I’ve visited her home country, China. She expressed her dismay at the insurance industry that created this narrow and arbitrary four year window during which they will pay for the Shingles vaccine, despite the evidence that an outbreak of Shingles can happen at any age after having Chickenpox. And if you don’t get that vaccine before age 65, Medicare won’t cover it. I know of four people who got Shingles, three of whom got it before age 40 and one in her 50s. By the way, that vaccine it didn’t hurt and it didn’t leave my arm as sore as my annual flu shot.
I’ve always been a huge fan of medical television shows like, Marcus Wellby MD, General Hospital, St. Elsewhere, ER, and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. I still watch Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Hope. I’ve noticed that the doctors and nurses in these shows never talk about the patient’s insurance or the cost associated with one treatment versus another. They never turn any patient away or deny anyone the best treatment based on the ability to pay. Ideally, we will all have access to the best possible treatment despite the cost like on the television shows. But right now, in this country, that is not the reality.
Today, those with the ability to pay, either out of pocket or through insurance, get the best treatment. I recall the days when people lost their homes and ended up filing for bankruptcy fighting cancer or some other illness. Pre-ACA, my own daughter couldn’t purchase private insurance because her acne in those teenage years was considered a pre-existing condition. She ended up paying more than $10,000 out of pocket to treat minor condition. Thankfully, for many, the worst of those days are behind us, but not by much with high premiums and ridiculously high deductions. It’s time to get smart.
I’m for a single payer system. Get rid of the insurance companies and the accompanying profit motive. We might all have to pay a little more in taxes, but we won’t have to pay insurance premiums either. People won’t be stuck at a job for the insurance benefits. Employers can pay employees a bit more instead of paying those high insurance premiums. And the days of crazy high deductibles would be over. Few people can ever save enough for a catastrophic illness and no one can fully predict her medical future. I do think there should be an extra healthcare tax on the purchase of guns, cigarettes, alcohol, junk food, and soda pop to offset the damage they do to the human body. By the same token, we should give a healthcare tax break to individuals who don’t smoke and to individuals who participate in workout activities. There should be more Planned Parenthood facilities, parenting classes, and healthy living classes.
In a single payer system, the government would pay healthcare providers directly using tax payer dollars. Personally, I’d prefer that my tax dollars go toward healthcare over more bombs and bigger armies. In the system I would build, market forces would be active among the medical providers. I’m for boosting the competition for patients among patient care providers as an incentive to improve healthcare outcomes. Single payer might even be a job creator as more people with access to healthcare will create a greater demand for health care providers. The demand for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, researchers, and healthcare educators and medical office administrators would increase. It could be a boon for higher education as well, since they train these professionals. In the end, we could lower the cost of healthcare by providing better preventative care, healthy living incentives through tax policies, and thereby reduce the need for actual medical treatment.
Access to heath care is both a personal and a public good. Our economy benefits from a healthy workforce. We all happier when we are healthy and are surrounded by healthier mothers, fathers, babies, kids, friends, colleagues, classmates, and neighbors. A small window is now open for us to push our representatives for a single-payer healthcare system.
Thank you. Just, thank you.