Friday, September 2, 2011

Red Alert?

Flying used to be  simple. I don't know what color corresponds to the threat alert but the State Department has issued a warning and I hope  that everyone is safe and that there is peace and prosperity for us all.

I have a story that would fit well into Michael Moore's "Sicko". I had been very sick but i was fighting it because i was unsure whether there would be a gap in my insurance and I was currently uninsured. I have been uninsured a lot since my parent retired from the military and as a military dependent, i would not have hesitated to receive medical care--it is not that it is "free" but it is a benefit to military members and their families.

I scheduled an appointment with my regular doctor and since no one could take me, I walked in excruciating pain and 89 degrees. I waited and had my temperature taken. I had a fever: 101 degrees. The pain in my back and side was increasing but I waited patiently. The doctor entered and she began looking over my chart. I explained that I suffered for three days because I was unsure if I had insurance with the same insurer listed. As soon as the doctor heard this, she left the room and asked the front desk to run my insurance. She was not interested in my condition, she was only interested in receiving payment for my visit. First, she told me she could not see me if I was uninsured and then, she said I would have to pay cash. I was disgusted by her indifference to my condition, so I left and the pain increased due to the stress, long walk and the extreme temperature. I called my mom crying in physical and emotional pain.

I had to end up calling an ambulance. A vital organ of mine is infected and my temperature was close to 103. i almost permanently damaged my health because a doctor would not care for me. The ER and everyone who treated me took excellent care of me. they took their Hippocratic Oath seriously.

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