Sicko

If you haven't yet seen Michael Moore's new documentary, I highly recommend it. I think it's his best, most unbiased report thus far and forever changed my idea of the American health care industry. Unlike his others, in this film he allows the stories to speak for themselves and he always has evidence to back himself up. It will no doubt show you sides of our "illustrious" and "top-notch" medical field like you've never seen before. There is a reason the American health care system is ranked 37 in the world and those "crazy" socialized countries (or at least, those who have socialized medicine) are in the top 10.

I had benefits orientation yesterday. From 2-3:30 I sat with 12 other new employees and we were schooled on how to choose the right plans, medical and retirement. I was only half listening, partly because the majority of the time was spent answering people's questions like "what's a premium" and "so, are you sure the university contributes to your retirement", but also because I already have insurance. My only decision needs to be made regarding retirement and whether or not Robin and I will be doubly covered, or which of our plans will be primary and which will be secondary. My intention was to take all the material home and decide for myself, so this whole orientation thing was much more of a brief rundown.

One man kept asking the most hair-splitting, nitty gritty questions imaginable. I couldn't quite place his accent, but it sounded French. It was obvious he came from a hybrid of cultures and was new to the block. He was confused as to how we know what 30% of the total cost of a special procedure is when we don't know what the total cost is. He didn't understand billing. He didn't understand emergency procedures. When we were covering the eye appointment section, it clearly states "$20 co-pay" but he didn't get that unlike billing, you had to pay a co-pay up front. This guy was really getting on my nerves. I was pissed because the questions he was asking were not for orientation. It was obvious that he needed far more help than could be provided while this lady was trying to orient 12 people. I kept it to myself, but the woman eventually had to say, "Okay, these are great questions, but we really have to move on. Talk to me afterwards."

I looked over at the man, who was accompanied by his wife. I stewed over the fact that we would barely scratch the surface of the "retirement" section, the one that interested me the most. Then I realized what a complete asshole I was being, but it really hit me when I heard him whisper to his wife, "If only we were back in France."

He wasn't "getting" it because he never had to deal with crap like co-pays, billing and the hierarchy of which medical procedures cost more than others. He never had to worry about whether or not he could afford it if he were injured and couldn't work for awhile. He didn't have to contemplate just how much he needed to pay out of pocket for extra insurance in the case that he or a loved one needed a really expensive procedure. He didn't comprehend why you wouldn't have to pay for the eye exam but the glasses would only be covered a certain amount. In short, he didn't understand why medical care cost anything.

I was enraged. Not only was I being a jerk for letting myself get so upset at this man, but I was even more upset and how he was absolutely right. Just why the hell is there a co-pay when the doctor's visit is only $100? Why am I paying for medical coverage only 70% of which is actually covered (some restrictions apply)? Why can't I get medical leave for more than 2 months should I get something like, say, cancer or lukemia? What's going on with us?

Greed. The reason people in our nation aren't cared for, from the richest to the poorest, is greed. A health care company's bottom line is mandated by whether or not someone receives care. If they don't get care but they pay into the system, they're a positive investment. If they someday need care, all those months of payment mean little when the poor company is forced to do what they said they would. And even then, Michael Moore does a phenomenal job of showing how quickly companies will deny claims, stop payment, or just pretend like their client is a huge risk (see: woman who because she once had a yeast infection and saw her doctor for medicine was dropped by her insurance). The more people can be denied medical care, the richer the company becomes. The more money an executive at that company saves by doing such evil, the more they are promoted and the higher their bonuses become. I sat staring at my paperwork, verging on simply throwing it in the air and walking out of the room.

The more I think about it, the more I worry about my future as a medical patient in our health care industry. I worry if I'll be able to afford expensive procedures should I need them. I worry about keeping healthy so I don't get fired from my job. I worry that if something happens to Robin, I'll have to keep plugging away at work, because if I don't I'll find myself unemployed. I don't know how or why we let ourselves be convinced that socialized medicine was an evil plague, illogical and a system of chaos. Let me tell you this: if you are able to watch "Sicko" and still feel yourself bolstered in the American health care system, you weren't paying attention.