Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Day 1 In Socialist America. A Report From Behind The Front Lines.

I awoke before dawn and opened my wallet. I hesitated for a second. I wanted to hold onto the past for just a second or two longer.

The past where 17 year olds could be dropped from their health insurance plan the minute they contract HIV, and thereby be uninsurable for the rest of their lives. The freedom to be left to die by the health insurance company to which I had been paying premiums would be one I would never have again.   

I took out my Blue Cross card and wept. Wept for the lost profits. Wept for those with pre-existing conditions and their lost liberty. Wept for myself and my soon to be lost ability to pay for the emergency care of the uninsured through my higher insurance premiums. The uninsured  would have their own premiums now, and I wept because I would no longer would be subsidizing them through my Blue Cross plan, which made me less free somehow. 

Even though I am not currently uninsured, or low income, or burdened with any health condition other than essential hypertension managed with medication, I wept for my country, for I knew now that my life would never be the same for some reason. 

The sun rose as normal.

I looked to the east and onto this new era, and I wept some more. Like a little pansy. Or Glenn Beck. And even though the Constitution says within its first 30 words that it was written by we the people in part to promote our general welfare, and never once uses the word "corporation," I wept at this blatantly unconstitutional act.

The thought of perhaps serving on a death panel cheered me up a little. It would be fun to be on a death panel. Until I remembered that that was a fucking teabagger lie.

I called Blue Cross. They backed up their assurance that my call was important to them by not answering it. Just like yesterday. The crackly classical music that filled my earpiece over the next 10 minutes was the flint that ignited my spark of hope. The socialists had not yet conquered Blue Cross. 

The insurance companies were not yet defeated. Liberty lived. 



17 comments:

The Redheaded Pharmacist said...

I think very few people truly realize the implications of what was just done by our government. It goes way beyond whether or not individuals have health insurance or not. It's about entitlement and about government control. I'm afraid to death though that we will all see the resulting fallout in the coming years when this program is implemented and its effects are seen. I just wonder what the results will be but my guess is that we will have become a Super European State with all of its inherent problems.
I hope I am dead wrong. I hope the taxes that are hidden in this reform effort will not destroy any hopes of a recovery. I hope the government will actually start to pay doctors and hospitals a decent reimbursement rate and actually pay in a timely manner. I hope that facilities will not have to close and that clinics will not be over-run with too many patients and too few staff members to serve them. I hope that rationing of care doesn't happen. And I sure hope that costs don't spiral out of control forcing the government to significantly raise taxes again.
But I'm not optimistic and I fear that we will be stuck in this dreadedly poor economy for years now. I fear that the "norm" for America will now be unemployement between 8-12% indefinately going forward. I fear that even with all the new revenue coming in from new taxes that Medicare will go bankrupt in short order. And forget Social Security of any kind, it is a mirage in the sand in the desert for most Americans now.
Like I said before, I hope I am dead wrong. Dear God let me be wrong this time! Because if I am even close to being right then there will be hell to pay.

Heather said...

There's a website out there called "Know your meme," and it helps people keep the silly internet fads straight. Apparently we need a website called "know your propaganda," because so many of my conservative friends have dusted off the "death panel" lie. I also know a girl who is ranting and raving on facebook about how she now gets to pay for all the slacker unemployed losers health insurance. She works at McDonalds. I asked her when McDonalds started paying their cashiers $200,000 a year. I also pointed out to her that, as a 21 year old not in college, she could go back on her parents insurance. That shut her up real quick.

The vast majority of the people out there bitching about this will only benefit from it, yet they have no clue. Makes. Me. Crazy.

Rob Gray said...

I am so glad a pharmacist friend directed me to this wonderful piece!

pacalaga said...

I love you with an unholy passion, for this post alone.

Elliott said...

We are likely to turn into the nightmare that is France, or worse, Sweden.

Anonymous said...

What the implications of this new legislation means to me is that no longer does some big business get to tell me that as a long-time hardworking taxpaying pharmacist, with no typical vices (propensity to alcohol or laziness or nicotine, etc.) as sole breadwinner in my family, that I have to keep working for a particularly hateful company boss because it's the only way my family can afford my health insurance based on long-resolved, yet 'pre-existing' condition. It hopefully means that as a hospital pharmacist, I don't have to run around town trying to find a drug for a pre-term mama who's now in an emergent critical situation without pre-natal care because it wasn't accessible or affordable. It might mean costs of drugs or procedures might reflect actual cost plus dispensing or administration fees, instead of a jacked-up cost and artificial and meaningless fee when an indigent patient is admitted to the hospital. It might mean that a 27-year old college graduate looking for a job can afford to pay for health insurance and use it for preventative medicine such as dental care or a check-up.

Cody said...

"I just wonder what the results will be but my guess is that we will have become a Super European State with all of its inherent problems."

And what problems would those be, exactly? Sources would be wonderful, too.

kath8562 said...

"And even though the Constitution says within its first 30 words that it was written by we the people in part to promote our general welfare, and never once uses the word "corporation""
Got news for you, the Supreme Court judged corporations to be the equivalent of individuals a long time ago. Like the 1800's time ago. Found this out from a lovely series of books- The politically incorrect series - this one on the constitution http://tinyurl.com/ycx535y

Anonymous said...

i literally cracked up from the joke about blue cross not answering your phone.
-6th year pharmacy intern

Anonymous said...

Oh Master of All Things Pharmacy,

I wept that
I probably would never feel that glorious right of declaring bankruptcy because of uncovered medicals bills due to no insurance.

The absolute freedom to watch your home go up for auction on a short sale because of one catastrophic illness generated uncovered medical bills to the tune of $700k.

The absolute sadness that no parent will ever spend months on end screaming/tearing out hair and threatening murder at the insurance weasels to cover Neocate or Elecare for their tube fed only 4 year old.

How all these losses don't make you want to eat a gun is beyond me.

RIP America.

LD50 Rat

Jonquil said...

Marry me. Twice.

Anonymous said...

Someone please correct me if I am wrong. There is no public option. This bill is a huge winfall for the evil insurance corporations. Sure their are more rules and the playing field is a little more even but we are going to be buying insurance from the same evil, discusting BC/BS or Humana or whoever.

The PharmD Student said...

Hey I'd like you to read this ( http://thepharmdstudent.blogspot.com/2010/03/last-monday.html )... I suggest listening to "Snuff" by Slipknot (#2 on my playlist) while you read.

I have to admit, I did steal an idea from you. I wanted to talk about these "freedoms" we had lost, but I didn't know how to articulate how I felt about them. You gave me the idea to weep for them. Thank you for that.

I will be publishing this in my school newspaper, and I will make $18 for it. If you want a few dollars thrown your way for the admitted plagiarism I will gladly send them your way.

DrugMonkey, Master of Pharmacy said...

PharmD,

I won't take your money. $18? Sounds like you may need a new agent comrade...

Too bad you didn't take the part about crying like a Glenn Beck pansy.....:)

The PharmD Student said...

Oh trust me, I really wanted to, but I figured that would cross the line to blatant plagiarism. I didn't want to do that, ya know.

And hey, what can I do about the $18? It's a school newspaper. I do believe you wrote for years before getting paid at all for your talent, so I'll thank you very much for not ridiculing the meager wages for mine. :)

Unknown said...

I declined your offer of marriage for health care once, but now I can have my own health care and marry you just for you!

Laura said...

Ugh, those fucking democrats and all their "caring about people" bullshit. I am just mad that everyone will have healthcare-- like what's the point?? for godsakes, everyone knows poor people don't go to the doctor, like how would they have time, does McDonalds give sick days?

In Australia, the only international news shown 24/7 is Fox News Channel, no wonder the international community thinks Americans are idiots when they see Glenn Beck and other morons carrying on like such jackasses about something which will help so many people-- and what, cost the top earners a little more in taxes??

In Australia taxes are 46%, work/ life balance is encouraged, and people don't live to pay for health insurance.

Those dumbass people who think they're republicans (but make minimum wage) and "disagree" with the healthcare reform-- well, all we can do is feel bad for them and how ignorant they are.

Oh, Happy freaking Easter.