Samsmom: Life, Joy, Loss and Loving your Mitochondria

Speaking from my Heart…..

Published by

Hschichie

on

It is an odd night….

And the country is divided….

And I am unsure if I should post this….

A couple days ago, I stumbled across another mom blogger Erin who is a member of the LDS church, who posted her support of gay couples and gay marriage.

It was a very brave post.

In honor of her bravery, I will post this. AND I will ask you, if you don’t agree, just (as Erin said) click away.

I am relieved tonight….congress passed health care reform. I am not happy because so many people are unhappy. But I am relieved.

We have a lot of work to do and this bill is not perfect. But as a person who spends a lot of time negotiating with insurance and hospitals, something has to change.

Two months ago I stood in line at the Children’s pharmacy. I was behind a woman who was trying to get a prescription for her daughter. It was a prescription for her daughter’s heart.

Her husband had just lost his job. They had no coverage for this prescription.

“But it’s for her heart.” The woman pleaded with the pharmacist. “I have to have it.”

They went back and forth. I was about to pull out my credit card to pay for this prescription….how much could it be? , I thought.

$600 for a ten day bottle.

Sadly, I put my credit card back.

The woman went up to talk to the doctors to see what could be done. She left without the heart medication.

My heart broke.

You may have laughed at my last post about waiting 18 months for a bed. But the truth is….we’re still waiting.

1.85 million Americans will go bankrupt this year due to medical bills.

In the end, we are all people just trying to live a good life and insure our children will also live a good life. I hope we all remember this in the days to come.

P.S…..laughing at the last post was a good thing 🙂

8 responses to “Speaking from my Heart…..”

  1. ferfischer Avatar
    ferfischer

    Good for you Heather. Our family would easily be one of those families bankrupt without the help of the government for Cici – and the fact she is on Medicaid (the rest of us aren't) SAVES us. It sure is different from this side. It's a perspective I didn't have before, and now I do. And nothing is simple.

    Like

    Reply
  2. Deana Avatar
    Deana

    We were that family once. I remember the first time I had to administer Diastat (rectal valium) to my seizing baby. Only for him to have his first poop in days as soon as I gave it to him. The mixture of thoughts…I'm glad he pooped…he's still seizing…and there went $250. This was before Max had a Medicaid waiver. This bill is not perfect…but it is a start. It's got the country talking, we're not sitting still anymore. And I'm hoping that is at least starting us in the right direction.

    Like

    Reply
  3. HeatherS Avatar
    HeatherS

    We had sticker shock with the Diastat too! We were in the ER because of seizures and about to be discharged. My stepdad offered to get the diastat prescription filled but forgot our insurance card…4 vials of diastat…$1,000.I told Bart he could never, ever quit his job…insurance became more important than dark chocolate…

    Like

    Reply
  4. Deana Avatar
    Deana

    Oh yes…I remember telling them it would be cheaper for me to call and ambulance, and have them administer it than to pay out of pocket for us to give it to him at home. Just unreal! No matter the cost…I'm just glad we're not having to give it to him except for maybe once a year anymore! KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!

    Like

    Reply
  5. Heidi Avatar
    Heidi

    Well said dear friend! It is very sad when families need to figure out if they should pay for medicine or food or medicine or house payment. We need change – and I am so dissapointed in our government with all of the fighting – please – stop fighting and figure this thing out. Nothing will ever be perfect for everyone – but, as you said – so many people are having to make heart break decisions concerning health care.

    Like

    Reply
  6. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    Agreed…although the bill isn't perfect, it aknowledges that we must change and hopefully it facilitates that process in a positive manner. Speaking to the bed post – ONLY A MEDICAL FACILITY can do business in that manner and remain in business…yes, I know this is a whole different can of worms in itself. What I'm trying to say is – I hear you, sister – the system is broken in ways that only folks whom DEPEND on it can fully understand.

    Like

    Reply
  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Oh Heather. You have such a poignant and strong voice. I so look forward to hearing it…..Alissa

    Like

    Reply
  8. Cathy Smyth Avatar
    Cathy Smyth

    Bravo Heather! Indeed, it is a start. There are so many days that I wish I was independently wealthy and only worked because I love it. I don't know if things will be fixed in our lifetime–but it's a start.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Heidi Cancel reply

Hello,

I’m Heather

Welcome to Samsmom and over 15 years of stories about love, loss, grief and the process of moving forward. It’s not always pretty here, but it’s honest. I’m a writer, a fund raiser, rare disease advocate, Mom of two Littles who are no longer here, Wife of Hubs, Aunt to the Phews, daughter, friend and unapologetically me.

Let’s connect

Join the fun!

Stay updated with our latest tutorials and ideas by joining our newsletter.

Recent posts