Well, here's something I haven't bitched about in a while!
Our dad was a doctor. A cardiologist to be precise. For years, he was the only game in town within a 50-mile radius, so if you had ticker problems, he was your guy.
When I was about 15, I'd heard about England's National Health Service (NHS). Being a nerd with a need to know, I read up on as much as I could find in the local library about it. Healthcare for EVERYONE. Sounded like a good idea to me. So, I asked dear old dad about it. He then fed me what I soon learned was insurance company propaganda.
You have to wait months and months to see a doctor!
The care is subpar!
America has the BEST healthcare ever, better than the rest of the world combined!
American healthcare costs are fair!
Admittedly, I thought this all sounded like bullshit when I heard it, so I looked for more and more information. Keep in mind, this was the early 1980s, the internet was not a thing yet, and looking for this information meant reading books, magazines, and multiple newspapers. The more I read, the more I was calling bullshit on the claims about our already costly healthcare.
Fast-forward 40-some years. I've had more than my share of health problems. I've been nearly bankrupted twice due to them. My heart attack (2007) completely wiped out my savings and retirement. My strokes in 2021 did the same. And those were WITH insurance. I can only imagine the agony of not having health insurance (which as we all know, ain't cheap!).
My insurance has been a Godsend in the past year or so, dealing with blood cancer. But the stupidity of American healthcare is, yet again, raising its ugly head.
You have to wait months and months to see a doctor!
That has been one of the US Healthcare Industry's big scaring points. Since 2020, my doc has been trying to get me to schedule a colonoscopy. The insurance industry really likes having this pushed because they make money from it. But, in 2020, the earliest I could schedule one was almost a year off! I figured it might be due to the pandemic. Yeah, I try to think positively. I'm also smart enough to know that if there was a serious DO IT NOW need, something would probably show up in my frequent blood tests (one of the joys of being a diabetic with a host of other health issues - I get bloodwork every few months). These frequent tests caught what turned out to be blood cancer. So off I was sent to a hematologist/oncologist. Due to the nature of the illness, I was scheduled within a couple of weeks. Not bad, right?
Doc also pushed again for the colonoscopy. Again, the earliest (I'm told) that it can be scheduled is sometime NEXT YEAR!!!!!! WTF?!
But wait...there's more!
My doc of many years is retiring. Good for him, he's earned it! But damn I'll miss him. So, I've started seeing a new, YOUNG, doc at the practice. He's a good kid but woefully inexperienced. I have no qualms with helping him acquire experience. With my "complex medical history" (his words), he's bound to get a lot of experience!
It seems I have some skin tumors. So far, no biopsy. Are they benign? Malignant? Simply annoying? A sign of bad shit brewing? I may never know. I've made multiple attempts over the past couple of weeks to see a specialist about it. I'm pretty sure you've already guessed.
NO AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS UNTIL SOMETIME NEXT YEAR!
I can tell you, from looking up doctors, that there are at least 100 so-called specialists for this particular issue in the Pittsburgh area. The guy my new doc recommended; I can't get an appointment until March 2025. I reached out to the new boychild doctor, via email, explaining the problem. I got a reply from his RN...a nurse! (at least someone bothered to reply) She suggested I see a plastic surgeon. WTF?! I don't know of any surgeon who will take on a patient and start hacking away without a valid reason. This isn't a cosmetic issue. It's somewhat painful, and bleeds occasionally, but not something I'd worry about if weren't for my own and my family cancer history.
Sorry America. Our healthcare is becoming subpar. And way too expensive. With unnecessarily long waits to see a doctor. It's time for universal healthcare. Sure, keep private insurance and private hospitals for those who enjoy spending money for it. But healthcare should be a right. There is NO REASON a person should have to wait 6+ months to see a doctor for any reason.
