Published in the Westchester Guardian, September 2013
Senator Pete Domenici (R.NM) stood up and begged, “Will we let insurance companies operate on the ridiculous presumption that people with schizophrenia are not sick?” The Senator was seeking equal health care treatment for his daughter suffering from a mental illness. The Republican controlled committee of the House refused to listen, or maybe they listened but refused to act and vote in committee – for mental health and illness to have parity with physical illness not thinking that biology, bio-chemistry and genetics were related to both diseases. The vote was along party lines and failed to pass in committee. That was nearly 12 years ago. Looks like nothing has changed.
I was one of those patients how had limited therapy until I finally crashed and hospitalized (five times) and went on Social Security Disability, Medicare and Medicaid. My medical treatment was limited to a certain number of visits per month. Maybe with more appointments, I would have been more proactive and not reactive with life’s twists and turns. Maybe I would have not been misdiagnosed, given the wrong meds and more meds on top that. Would my life have been better? Maybe I would have recuperated a lot sooner with a lot less cost being absorbed by the government. In other words, early treatment and preventive treatment, being more productive, giving back a lot sooner and less taking. A lot of uncertainty and a lot ifs for a lot of people with chronic illness. There was no parity. There is no parity. But there is a lot of pain.
With more therapy, I could have been a better worker, a better supporter, husband and parent. Insurance companies still seem to control our destiny, telling patients with mental illness how often they could see a doctor. Worrying so much about the bottom line caused our nation to lose so many capable individuals to treatable chronic illnesses. Greed, concern for the bottom line by insurance companies combined with a narrow vision, still haunts us today. And one disease can wipe out the entire lifetime earnings of a family.
This is just one small instance displaying the failure of our healthcare system. With the complex Heath Care Affordability Act being threatened to extinction, again by the Conservatives, I dare those in favor of its removal to go to a healthcare facility, see the world in actuality, see the pain, see the struggles and tell us why you are going against Judea/Christian values of our society. Tell us why we should not get the care needed for a healthy life. I understand the concern over the cost of implementing this Act, but the cost of inaction is a lot greater as I have shown and why should cost consideration should come before human consideration. What will are children think of us as we let chronic illness and expenditures continue? Will they say thanks for saving us money and balancing the budget or would they say “Why did you let our parents suffer so much for the value of a buck, of the material. Weren’t their lives important? We know how to sacrifice”
If you are afraid of the transfer of wealth, the social economic consequences, tell us why you have not put forward an alternate plan. Tell us why you have failed to enact any major health care improvement even prior to this presidency. Tells us why you are not submitting viable bills to challenge and change just a few aspects of the bill, especially the pro-abortion aspects of which I strongly disagree. And tell us why you would rather destroy and dismantle and not build toward a common goal. Maybe all those who vote should learn about, memorize the Paradoxical Commandments especially those by composed by St. Mother Theresa. Remember, the cost of our moral obligation and values by our inaction will extend beyond this generation and extend to our final judgment.
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Glenn Slaby Blog