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Obama Healthcare Battles and Reports from the Frontlines. What do the Health Care Professionals say?

Posted Aug 21, 2009 by Al Mccray

Updated Aug 21, 2009 at 10:25 PM

What do the health care professionals have to say about the health care, Obamacare and the health care industry. In the next few articles, you will meet some of them.

When the ObamaCare forces and their allies have quietly retreated and move on to other agendas ...
When the protestors have trashed their anti ObamaCare signs ...
When the town halls have returned to civic meetings, bridge and bingo games ...
and when the media staff, camera and lights are wrapping up their cables ...

... the health care professionals will still be actively engaged with treating the insureds and well as the uninsureds. Their only agenda is to promote good health, treat you and make your life a lot healthier. You see this is their chosen life profession with politics and all of the camera, lights and microphones in their faces.

Carol Sutter Handley, ARNP, MSN, C

Family Nurse Practitioner

During the 18 years I have been a Nurse Practitioner, I have seen more and more people who are uninsured or refusing medical care because the insurance they do have has such high deductibles they still cannot afford to pay for treatment.  In addition, the deductible that must be met takes months to pay down because the insurance company only applies against it what it considers to be a “reasonable and customary amount” to pay for a service.  So, for example, if a person pays $300 for a medical service, the insurance company may only consider $100 as a reasonable payment.  Thus only $100 is applied to the deductible, even though the person paid $300 out of pocket.  Once the deductible is met, if it ever is, the insurance company still might only pay what they believe the service is worth, and one is still left with the balance of the bill.  I have a bill at home right now for which my insurance company denied full payment.  Calling an insurance company to dispute a refusal of payment is enough to push anyone over the edge. 

I don’t understand why anyone would not be willing to pay increased taxes to pay for health care.  I hear people complain all the time about having to pay insurance companies exorbitant amounts for coverage.  In the next breathe they complain about how insurance companies often don’t cover the services they get.  According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, health insurance costs increased 30 percent from 2001-2005, while income only increased 3 percent during that same time period. 

The typical insurance plan for a family currently costs $12,000 a year or more.  A tax increase to pay for health care CERTAINLY wouldn’t exceed that!

When I thought about how many health issues people in my age group were starting to develop, I decided to try to get some health insurance.  A large well-known insurance company quoted me a reasonably priced plan.  But before they would write the policy for me, they had to get a medical history and records from my previous physician.  The policy was ultimately denied to me for 2 stated reasons.  One involved a serious illness I had when I was THREE YEARS OLD!!  OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO!!  The second was for a complaint my doctor evaluated and found to be benign. I was furious the company denied the coverage, but ultimately there was nothing I could do about it.  I was then told I qualified for a different policy that was about 3 or 4 times the original quoted price.  So I chose to not be insured for about a year and a half, until I could find a suitable position that would also pay for my health insurance.  Unfortunately the job I took was with a small company, and the owner took awhile getting me the coverage I had been promised.  After a year or so I was finally given a policy, and the deductible was $7500!!  Due to my age and medical and family history, there were things I needed take care of and I had been anxiously waiting for that coverage.  But because of the high deductible, I did the bare minimum and just prayed that nothing serious would happen to me.  Unfortunately, some of the things I chose to ignore while not covered DID get worse.  This, of course, caused greatly increased medical costs, loss of work and personal stress.  Yet I try to remain grateful I had some kind of medical coverage, because I have seen many uninsured people who have lost everything due to high medical costs. 

Sadly, people who are uninsured often wait until they are very sick and end up in the emergency room.  Often a medical provider orders tests and medications the person cannot afford.  I have seen many people refuse tests because they can’t afford them.  They might get none or some of the prescriptions filled.  Sometimes they take the medications less frequently then prescribed because they don’t have the money for refills or follow-up appointments with the medical practitioner.  The medications run out and the whole cycle starts again.  I have seen this happen over and over again.  This was very common in the community clinic where I once worked.  Currently I work in a convenient care clinic.  I often see a customer come in to consult with the pharmacist for treatment of a condition which merits a medical evaluation.  The person usually ends up buying one or more over-the-counter products rather than visit my clinic because they don’t have insurance and are hoping the products they buy will at least relieve the symptoms.  The cost of care at my clinic are very low compared to most options for acute care, but if someone is unemployed or having financial difficulties, even that small amount is too much for them.  Sometimes they decide to spend the money to be seen, but then they do not get the medication I prescribe because of the cost.

After everything I have seen and experienced as a medical provider and as a patient, I have no problem with a national insurance plan modeled on the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan.  This plan is paid for by a ½ cent sales tax.  I don’t think the majority of people have even noticed paying that.  During the more then 9 years working at the community clinic providing care for recipients of the plan, I observed people receiving excellent care—better than I ever received with any private insurance I have had. I have to wonder if something similar could be done nationwide.  I would be SO thrilled to know I would never again see or hear about someone not seeking medical care because they don’t have money to pay for it.