My Thoughts on Healthcare

 Somehow, we reached a time in the United States where healthcare is now politicized. It is no longer about helping people, but making a profit. I understand it is a business, and businesses need profit to survive--BUT why can't hospitals and providers provide cost estimates prior to treatment? It is always provided after, and with little to no transparency. My ACL surgery was about $36,000 (maybe more, thank you insurance), and one screw was $2000, and I did not learn the price until months after. If I was not on my parent's insurance, I would not have elected to have the surgery in the first place. This is because I would not have known how much it would have cost me, and how much debt I would have to absorb. It is not like I have $36K in my mattress at home--or the bank. 

Not only do I have a problem with the invoice coming months later, I have a problem with access to healthcare. For example, my grandma and grandpa (who are the sweetest, most kind, and innocent people on Earth--there is no debate I will fight to the death for them) live in Arkansas. Not Little Rock, or Jonesborro, but Pocahantas. You probably have never heard of this place, and that is fine. It is 45 minutes off of the MO boarder. Where I am going with is that my grandpa, who is currently fighting shingles in his EYE has to drive 2.5 hours to Memphis, TN to get treatment and see a specialist. Not only is quality healthcare far, but I would also like to point out my grandma had pacemaker surgery a few years ago at some wild hospital down there. They knicked her lung and almost killed her, and also failed to properly manage her medications while she was there. Thank god for phone calls and my mom who was basically treating her from MI. Their access to quality healthcare is SO poor. To further elaborate on their lack of care, my mother made grandma come to Michigan to see a spinal surgeon in Detroit out of concern for the success of her procedure. Those are my healthcare rants of the day--not even touching on women's rights. That is a blog for another day.

xoxo, 

Carlie

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