I posted on a friend's FB health care post/newsfeed. It was interesting. I try to stay sorta middle of the road more or less. Unfortunately that's where I have been trying to hang my hat lately. I hate taking sides, or getting too political, but really, this crap has to end. It will unlikely end in a bad way for most of us, at least for a little while.
As most of you know, by either knowing me personally or reading my blog. I am an RN by trade.
I primarily work in the ICU, tho I have had my mix with trauma in the unit and outside prior, and I had a round of home health nursing for a bit due to burnout, but now I'm back in the "unit."
I'm a nurse as I've said. I'm involved with patient care conferences and supporting families of said patients on a daily basis at work. Work is tuf sometimes, at times more than tuf. I've seen young trauma victims brain dead, motor vehicle accident victims young and old, some recover, some don't. At this time, I have had more of an older population, other than some younger whom either have H1N1 or have OD'd. I put my heart and soul into these patients and their families. Yes, there is so-called boundaries, but at times it doesn't really matter in the mix of things. Human nature, empathy, etc. take over my being.
I see the need for health care reform in a big way with work. Personally, I am insured by a private co.
(HMO) if you must know, but private none the less. Tho, if things continue willy nilly I won't have this private insurance and neither will you thru your work, spouse/mate, or out of pocket, etc. Healthcare insurance will only be a privilege of the rich and famous if we keep going along the same road.
As for Medicare/Medi-Cal here in Ca. and Medicare in other states....hold onto your hats peeps, cuz things are a changing. For one thing due to the peeps that are kept alive in the hospital, that have no hope for quality of life, Medicare will soon go bankrupt IMO. I see the writing on the wall. What do I mean by kept alive? Ok, like said individual is elderly 80+ with maybe a gigantic hemmoraghic stroke, which has left them pretty much brain dead and a vegetable or a CA patient that has no increased quality of life and nothing medicine can do, but to keep them breathing on a vent
and BP medications to sustain their physical being. As a nurse this goes against my grain big time. Most of the docs I work with don't condon this either. Recently when we took a case to the Ethics Committee...it was tanked. Like WTH is an ethics committee good for if they can't make decisions based on a patient's welfare over the family's wants?
Unfortunately, long story-short these patients, primarily the older peeps that are DOV= dead on the vent, are draining our insurance monies completely dry, period! Things need to change. People (most) aren't going to be pleasant about said changes, but they need to occur. Yeah, we need change. Something has to give or we as American Citizens will suffer plain and simple. I'm really not sure what the change will be, but we need to set limits (eithically) with our health care and a patient's need for continued health care, when end of life care is considered futile. Can we consider Hospice?, which is xcellent IMO. We need to institute well being care, and give credit for individuals that are fit or in shape somewhat compared to those that let themselves go. Ya just blast me now already, but think about it, and where our monies go. We spend mega tons annually as private citizens for peeps that do not take care of themselves. Think about it.
Anyhow, long story short as a medical practitioner. Changes are most definitely needed. The Rx companies, take their profit (sorry Bri), and the health insurance (private) industries fuck basically all the peeps that need them, even if they are healthy at the time, but whoa! Wait a minute....screw you if you get some sort of disease state or terminal illnesss. Like WTF already!
TIME FOR CHANGE!!!
Yup, you beat me to this post. ;-) Again, well said...
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