I thought this Obamacare was a good thing!

Recently, a woman in Jacksonville died because she couldn’t get a liver transplant. She was on the waiting list, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was… she was on Medicaid, and the Medicaid HMO she belonged to thought the procedure was too expensive! (Officially the HMO denies why she was turned down, but the woman’s dead… so I guess the reason for the initial denial is moot!Ok, to be fair, this woman's insurer and insurance plan were NOT part of obamacare.)

The “John Q” reality of health insurance is… that health insurance is no guarantee of access to good health care!

The now deceased woman- once she learned of her need for a transplant, probably had a process to go through, much like the Denizel Washington character did in “John Q” especially once it was realized a transplant required more money than the company was willing to pay for. (I’m kinda stuck on that – there’s a reason.)

The highly touted health care reform bill was supposed to make health care more affordable for all, and it hasn’t. As a matter of fact, health care costs will rise! Doctors who now receive payments on Medicare/Medicaid patients are making noises about reducing the number of patients they will accept that have Medicare/Medicaid. Why? Under current legislation-, the government is reducing the amount of money they will pay to doctors that care for Medicare/Medicaid patients! To be fair, the doctors do have to pay for malpractice insurance, and the reason that is so expensive is the litigious nature of people… but then… in light such things as the Avandia lawsuits, the DePuy hip replacements, the pain patch suits, medicine has become risky business! And then, there are those doctors that are …questionable. They want a quick buck or two…don’t really care about their patients, just the dollars they bring… Florida has a big problem with pain pill mills, run by doctors that are only too happy to write prescriptions for popular narcotics like Vicodin, Xanax and others which are then filled and resold for astronomical prices elsewhere in these United States.

Even thou,gh you're minding your own business and trying to stay healthy- you may not get decent health care even with that little red, white, and blue striped card! But that creates a problem as the lower economic classes in our society will be getting baseline care…just enough to keep going-You’ll get enough care to keep you functioning, but not enough to get at what may be the root cause of your issue.

Don’t be fooled. Just because you’re poor doesn’t mean that you’re doing something self –destructive. There’s a stigma that many “on the dole” are dumb, lazy, and self destructive.

Watch an episode of Mystery Diagnosis and it’s quit4e obvious that the human body has a limited set of signals to indicate illness! The average trip to the doctor is about 20 to 25 minutes, not enough time to diagnose a serious problem! The outcome of every Mystery Diagnosis is the same- constant visits to the doctor’s office, after taking this pill, and that pill, and this injection, and that injection that handle and repeated visits as the less expensive or invasive treatments don’t work- the patient has to be an aggressive advocate of their own care, especially if the standard ‘by the book’ treatment doesn’t work!. Furthermore, to find out what may truly be ailing you… certain types of tests are needed. These tests, which may go into some depth- like certain types of blood work, can be rather expensive… but they eliminate some of the more common disorders that are treated.

But then, just because you have the money now… doesn’t mean you’ll have good service! Just ask Glenn Beck! He was treated poorly during one of his trips to the hospital! (I'm not saying he's a regular resident- but stuff happens!)

Anyhow … I recently read how many corporations and unions are ‘opting out’ of the Obamacare plan as health care costs rise - claiming inability to pay. So much for health care reform! If those that make the most money can’t afford the change they voted in… what options or choices does the average person have?

Think about that… in another year or two… unless O-care is repealed everyone will have to buy some kind of health insurance! And since health insurance is a mess anyhow- the first thoughts of a person in purchasing health insurance are: how expensive is it, what does it cover, and where can I go with it? Will my doctor/hospital accept my health insurance?

Furthermore, under O-care there were rumors of advocating euthanasia for seniors and veterans. Leno, Letterman and all the late night talking heads joked about “putting Grandma down”- but the question remains in my mind… is that provision still in O-care? Is the provision for coaching veterans into suicide still a part of the O-care plan? You’re probably asking why that provision was in the plan in the first place and the answer is simple…. It’s CHEAPER!

The V.A. not only provides for medical care, but provides for disability benefits as well. The process for applying for disability benefits a guarantees frustration- so much so, that there are several advocacy groups to help disabled veterans get what they deserve from the VA-YET- all over the offices of the VA are signs declaring the VA is dedicated to serving veterans!

Maybe I missed something there...what do you think?