Hope is Enough…REALLY!!!!
I woke up at 5am this morning after a rather rough day yesterday. As I was reflecting on what is really going on in this world and in my own life and those around me I thought I need some GOOD news. I want to read about, see, experience people going out of their way to do RIGHT and GOOD. I want to see people NOT think of themselves but instead ask how can I take personal responsibility and make someone else’s life better.
I was frustrated at how much “digging” around I had to do to find “Good”. I know it is out there and all around us just nobody seems to “Promote” it. (Including me) In the coming weeks I am going to change that and I am asking you to join me. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime please take a few minutes and read about what I am talking about.
Now, go out and make a difference for someone else today. I BELIEVE in YOU!!!
By Rick Reilly
ESPN The Magazine
They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through. Did you hear that? The other team’s fans? They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, “Go Tornadoes!” Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions. It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on-by name.”I never in my life thought I’d hear people cheering for us to hit their kids,” recalls Gainesville ’s QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. “I wouldn’t expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!”And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he’d just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach. But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five-handcuffs ready in their back pockets-and marched them to the team bus. That’s because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas . Every game it plays is on the road. This all started when Faith’s head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year. Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery-many of whose families had disowned them-wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets. So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fans-for one night only-cheered for the other team? He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. “Here’s the message I want you to send:” Hogan wrote. “You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth.”Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan’s office and asked, “Coach, why are we doing this?”And Hogan said, “Imagine if you didn’t have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you.”Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!”I thought maybe they were confused,” said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). “They started yelling ‘DEE-fense!’ when their team had the ball. I said, ‘What? Why they cheerin’ for us?’”It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. “We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games,” says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. “You can see it in their eyes. They’re lookin’ at us like we’re criminals. But these people, they were yellin’ for us! By our names!”Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game’s last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string corner back at defensive end. Still. After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that’s when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. “We had no idea what the kid was going to say,” remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: “Lord, I don’t know how this happened, so I don’t know how to say thank You, but I never would’ve known there was so many people in the world that cared about us.”And it was a good thing everybody’s heads were bowed because they might’ve seen Hogan wiping away tears. As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home-a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player. The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they’d never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.
Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it’s nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.
HOPE.
Aaron and Washington D.C.
The Road to Perdition (HELL)
Ok, I understand my blog is about uninsured and underinsured pregnant moms and their unborn babies but I continually keep getting questions about healthcare, our government, the presidential race and most disturbing question is “Who is best going to take care of us?” I am so tired of hearing this. It is time we stand up and take care of ourselves. I also think it is time that we erect a new statue right next to the Statue of Liberty and it needs to be the Statue of Personal Responsibility. (REALLY)
When I think of the office of the President of the United States; indeed, when I think of my country, I think of big things. I think of a nation born out of a quest for freedom. I think of struggles for liberty that include the deaths of 600,000 Americans in order to end slavery. I think of millions of people, considered refuse in their native lands, coming to this nation for a chance to succeed. I think of billions of dollars sent to other countries partly in a bid to protect them and us from socialism and the totalitarian tendencies inherent in that corrupting ideology. I think of the self-sacrifice of thousands of American lives spent all over the world to safeguard the single most precious inheritance we have – liberty.
That’s why I lament the state of our political discourse today. It makes us so – small. It seems we can’t balance our own checkbooks, take out a loan for a house, handle a credit card, keep our own tires inflated, or keep our kids from stuffing their faces into Type II diabetes without the government holding our hands. Listen to the candidates. All too often, that’s what’s implied.
It doesn’t matter what party we’re talking about, although the party of Obama does seem to be the worst transgressor. Still, Texas’s current Comptroller, Susan Combs, a Republican, when she was Agriculture Commissioner, made it her mission to fight childhood obesity. She still makes noise about it every now and then. I mean, come on, I don’t mind if politicians make a little social commentary on occasion. It helps us learn about them and their judgment. But really, is Susan Combs going to appear at our houses like Santa Claus and tell our kids to get their butts out of the chair, stop playing video games, and get outside?
Both of the presidential candidates make sure to empathize with the plights of Americans struggling to pay their bills in the midst of uncertain economic times. During the Democrats’ convention we got to enjoy the spectacle of Joe Biden figuratively sitting down with us at our kitchen tables poring over our finances. Barack Obama spent time instructing us all how we need to learn foreign languages and properly inflate our tires to save gas.
Obama promises to rescue us from the need to save for retirement or health emergencies. Just about everybody is promising to rescue us from dumb and unaffordable home purchases. And, Lord knows we can’t make our own decisions about what to listen to on talk radio. They promise to make us play fair in that arena too, with the reimposition of the so-called “fairness doctrine” in broadcasting.
This is my question, now that we’re into small things. When will the government step in and make sure toilet paper doesn’t rip? Don’t they know that there are unscrupulous toilet paper producers making cheap, shoddy paper that fails to be both absorbent and tough? Others make cheap stuff that can’t get you clean. And, not all toilet paper is rated for septic systems! Some even has perfume that causes allergic reactions in people.
Now that my government is into small things, besides making sure that each of my children has enough to eat along with 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals, perhaps a federal agency could make sure their underwear is clean. I need a haircut. My cars need oil changes.
All this stuff about a war on terrorists, preventing a lunatic regime from getting nuclear weapons, and helping others to gain their freedom. That’s so not now. People are suffering right here, after all.
This is the kind of thinking that frightens me. It’s the kind of thinking that makes it difficult to afford bridges and roads. It’s the kind of thinking that makes it hard to secure our borders. It’s the kind of thinking that makes us all dependent. It’s the kind of thinking that makes us all slaves.
Benefits of Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins work better when taken along with a healthy diet. They are only meant to be a supplement, and not a substitute for a proper diet. Never rely on prenatal vitamins for all your nutritional needs. Talk to your doctor about what foods you should be eating.
Be sure to keep an eye on your calcium. An expectant mother generally requires 1,200mg – 1,500mg of calcium on a daily basis. Most prenatal vitamins do not contain this amount, so you may need a calcium supplement in addition. (Many will only contain 250-500mg.) Calcium is certainly important in the development of your new baby.
No two prenatal vitamins are the same; and many may not provide any benefits at all. Recent studies show that a pregnant woman’s body does not necessarily absorb all of the nutrients provided by the vitamins, especially folate. Folate is extremely important in the baby’s prenatal development. The vitamin helps prevent birth defects like spina-bifida.
While prescribed vitamins are ideal, most of the same vitamins are available over the counter in stores. You may be able to save substantial money with a store bought brand. The most important things to consider are the ingredients in the vitamins, and whether they absorb quickly or not.
There is an easy test you can use to determine if the vitamins will be absorbed into your system. Put one of the prenatal vitamins into a cup of water. Wait ten minutes. If the vitamin is dissolved, or is very soft, it will be absorbed into your system. If the vitamin remains hard, it will probably pass through your system without depositing many of the nutrients it carries. This is important, so be sure to do this with any new vitamin. (I am NOT a doctor or rocket scientist, this is just plain LOGIC)
Finding the right prenatal vitamin may take a little trial and error, but the benefits are great. Just continue to keep in mind that you still need to maintain a healthy diet. The benefits of prenatal vitamins are enormous and highly recommended, but good nutrition is still better than any supplement. Remember, no vitamin is going to be exactly the same, but here is what most sources that I have found suggest (these will vary slightly):
4,000 and 5,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A
800 and 1,000 mcg (1 mg) of folic acid
400 IU of vitamin D
200 to 300 mg of calcium
70 mg of vitamin C
1.5 mg of thiamine
1.6 mg of riboflavin
2.6 mg of pyridoxine
17 mg of niacin amide
2.2 mcg of vitamin B-12
10 mg of vitamin E
15 mg of zinc
30 mg of iron
Fighting for the uninsured and underinsured pregnant mom and their unborn babies,
Advocate Aaron
Fighting Back Against Medical Overcharges
(Here are some tips that a Patient Advocate such as myself uses to help you save money)
It is a fact that the medical system is a mess and if you are uninsured or underinsured and do NOT know your rights or if you do NOT know what to look for chances are VERY high that you will become a VICTIM of the medical establishment. I know, I know, nobody including myself wants to believe that. (But, facts are a stubborn thing) It is now estimated that 90% of all hospital bills contain errors. (Not a misprint, 90%!!!!) So what are you supposed to do to protect yourself? (Follow my tips and tricks below and you could save thousands of dollars) The bad news is the medical establishment knows that you are unlikely to do any of this, which is why Patients Advocates have become VERY popular. I know, because I am one.
There are several strategies to lower your out-of-pocket costs:
First and foremost, if you have any sort of insurance make sure you are aware of exactly what your insurance does cover and any deductibles that must be met before coverage takes affect.(Obvious, but I needed to state it)
Prescriptions:
If you are not insured or not eligible for government assistance be sure to check with Partnership for Prescription Assistance, they provide free or low cost prescriptions. www.PPARx.org or 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669). (Yes, it requires some paperwork on your part but you really can get FREE Prescriptions. I also recommend you ask your physician or local pharmacist for any coupons or refunds offered by pharmaceutical companies, you would be surprised at what is available just for asking. Also ask them about any local assistance programs that they are aware of in the area.)
It is very important that you COMMUNICATE openly and honestly with your doctor and let them know that you simply cannot afford expensive prescriptions. Most of the times he/she will have sample packs available, or will be able to prescribe generic or over-the-counter alternatives. If you are on any maintenance prescriptions inquire whether the dosage can be altered to make it more cost effective, or if it can be doubled and split to cut costs. Pill splitters are inexpensive, and you can purchase empty capsules at most apothecaries or formulary pharmacies. They may even split the capsules for you.
Doctor Bills:
Most insurance carriers pay physicians one-half to two-thirds of the billed amount, so if you are uninsured speak with your doctor personally and request a discounted rate. They will most often work with you. (If they won’t QUIT being loyal to a doctor that is NOT willing to offer you the same or better rates that he allows the greedy, self-serving “SYSTEM.”) Instead find a compassionate doctor who cares about YOU. If they request a follow-up visit see if it is possible that any fee may be waived, or at least discounted. And, if it is necessary, a follow up visit with a nurse so you won’t interrupt the doctor’s schedule and pay more. Notify your doctor that you will be paying out-of-pocket, and that you need to keep the costs down. Most respectable doctors will be happy to accommodate your request.
If any tests are suggested, make sure that you ask if they are necessary and what they will do. If you do have to have them request the paperwork so you can have it done at a lab. Or, you can request the physician waive the additional lab fees because you’re already being charged for a visit. And if you have to come in just to have blood work done you will be charged for a visit, a phlebotomist fee, and lab fees. If you go to a lab, you are charged a flat lab fee. (This is typical of MOST but NOT all situations)
If the tests are expensive (and you have insurance) be sure to check with your insurance to verify that they will be covered, or if a second opinion is necessary before payment will be made.
Hospital Bills:
This is one place most people are likely to be overcharged. There are several things you can do to prevent this. You just need to be diligent and observant and always enlist help to catch anything you may miss.
The first thing you want to do is request an itemized bill when you are checking in. They are required by law to provide this. Be sure to specify that you want an itemized list brought to your bed each evening. If they neglect to do this or deny your request, demand to speak with a Patient Advocate. They are there for you, and their job is to protect your rights. (Hospitals don’t like it, but think about it, who wants someone looking over their shoulder?) If you’re being truthful it should be NO BIG DEAL…RIGHT?
Secondly, ask if you will be charged for your final days visit. Hospitals charge a full day’s visit no matter what time you are admitted, and in return, they are not supposed to charge for the final day. But, unless you check your bill you will not know until either you are billed, or the insurance company declines to pay, and then you have to fight with them. Be sure to ask for a specific check out time also. Before the final day arrives let the doctor know that you want to be discharged by the check-out time. If he will not be on call inform him/her that either you want to be discharged the day before when he/she is on call, or, you want to see another doctor. If you still are not accommodated, let your Patient Advocate know that you will refuse to be billed because it is the doctor’s fault that you could not be discharged by the specified time.
The third thing you need to do is double check your itemized list and verify every item on it. If something isn’t clear ask a nurse for a specific description. Make sure you’re not billed for two doctor visits when you only saw a physician once. Verify that any non-essential item isn’t actually included in your room and board. Check operating room times against your charge for the anesthesiologist. Operating rooms are charged by the minute so if the charges are padded even a little it can be a substantial amount. And be sure to verify what exactly is included in operating room costs.
Finally, make sure that you have someone whom you can trust help keep track of all of the costs. Or, if you prefer have them take care of it for you. However, if any problems do arise that you feel are not adequately resolved there are people who will work on your behalf to resolve any issues. Generally speaking, these Patient Advocates will provide their services for a percentage of any savings they facilitate (NO savings, NO fees) or they will work for a flat rate. (Easy to budget for)
So, the question I get a lot. Advocate Aaron why do I need to pay a Patient Advocate? Can’t I just do it myself? The answer is simple. YES, you can do it yourself. If you get a DWI, you can also represent yourself. It is NOT recommended but you can. I only listed a few tips and tricks, the list is LONG.
I do think it is DUMB, UNFAIR, and RIDICULIOUS that you have to hire a Patient Advocate. The system should not be this messed up. The fact is the system is BAD and you DO need the help of a Patient Advocate.
Fighting for the uninsured and underinsured pregnant mom and their unborn babies,
Racism Causing Premature Births
The documentary UNNATURAL CAUSES: In Inequality Making Us Sick? poses an interesting question: is racism in the United States causing African American women to give birth to premature babies? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdFzwPEfRhs
Regardless of social status, economic situation or education, the documentary reports that the premature birth rate for African American babies is nearly double that of white babies. A study conducted by leading researchers found no correlation to genetics; leaving racism as a potential reason for delivering early.
Researchers believe that the lifetime stresses and anxieties associated with unequal treatment are at the root of the problem. Premature birth often comes with life-threatening, sometimes fatal, complications – especially for women who can’t gain access to proper prenatal care. For African Americans, the risk is even greater.
The war against unfair treatment for pregnant women is multi-front. On one front, we’re battling the medical community, which denies treatment and inflates medical bills; on another, we’re fighting insurance companies who refuse to cover maternity-related procedures; and we’re fighting racism, too, a malicious socioeconomic disease that the U.S. has not been able to shake despite strides for equality.
Each baby born is a miracle in and of itself; the miracle of life and the only thing that can perpetuate humanity. Giving birth, and thus life, is even more amazing when you realize that so many forces are aligned against it. The fact that the majority of pregnancies end with a normal delivery and healthy babies is astonishing; but at the same time the fact that so many women and newborns suffer because they can’t get proper prenatal care and have to face other stresses during pregnancy is appalling.
It is illegal to discriminate against a pregnant mother because of her race. Maternity Health and Maternity Advantage have resources to help ensure pregnant women are not being victimized by society; and more women who are in financial and other socioeconomic need should contact these organizations to prevent unfair treatment and to get the best care possible for themselves and their babies.
When war has been waged against you, you have to fight back. That’s what we’re doing, and we won’t stop until we secure the rights of mothers to give birth to healthy babies – and still have the means to support them once they return home.
Want to help in the cause? You can donate to Maternity Health, a nonprofit organization that fights for the rights of mothers, here: http://www.maternityhealth.org/help.htm.
This is News?
The recent $50 million settlement by Oxford Insurance and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, to halt accusations by the New York attorney general’s office that the health insurance providers overcharged millions of Americans hundreds of millions of dollars got a lot of media coverage (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28628880/). But it isn’t news – this is what we’ve been talking about for years!
Undoubtedly, New York isn’t the only state in which this occurred, nor is Oxford/UnitedHealth the only company that should be investigated. The research firm that provided the reimbursement rate figures, Ingenix (also owned by UnitedHealth), serves several other insurers. The article says that other companies will be investigated – but how many? How many other research firms fix the numbers? How many other insurance companies are overcharging?
And what happens to the millions of Americans who are overcharged? Women with newborns, those struggling with diabetes or fighting cancer – how do they also contend with bills totaling tens of thousands of dollars? How many people have died because they could no longer afford treatment after being overcharged?
The health insurance conglomerate denies the allegations, of course, but was willing to pay $50 million to make them go away. That’s a lot of money to pay if you’re innocent.
Some good will come out of the settlement, though. The $50 million is to be used for a nonprofit organization that will determine patient reimbursement rates, and the story did grab the attention of the media (about time!).
Still, it doesn’t seem as though justice was served. If you swindle people out of money, you should not be allowed to use that money to buy your way out of trouble. And now, the company is left with a gaping $50 million void in the budget – whose dollars do you think are going to fill that void?
A Spark of Light in New Jersey
New Jersey’s uninsured pregnant women – and their unborn children – have an ally in the statehouse. Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver is sponsoring a bill that would allow for continued prenatal care for young and minority women if a clinic closes. In effect, the bill would give “the commissioner authority to determine whether to dedicate funds from the Health Care Stabilization Fund to support obstetrics at a financially distressed health care center” (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj-xgr-legislativepr0111jan11,0,6201915.story).
While this might not be the state’s long-term solution, if passed it will at least lend hope that legislators are paying attention to the crises faced by many uninsured pregnant women – and are willing to take strides to end it. In New Jersey, African American and teenage women are especially vulnerable to economic conditions that lead to a lack of maternal insurance, and therefore a lack of prenatal care.
Nobody wants to be without health insurance, and many people simply cannot gain access to it due to economic conditions beyond their control. Even worse, the medical community often turns away those who need their help the most, and insurance companies refuse to write policies for those with a “pre-existing” condition such as pregnancy. And, even more heinous, are those insurance companies who refuse to cover pregnancies conceived within six months of policy initiation.
In New Jersey, at least one person who is in a position to affect change is listening. Let’s hope that the rest of the state’s assembly is listening, too. Let’s hope this bill passes, and we can continue moving our cause forward, baby step by baby step.
Economy Trumps Mother Nature
Read this story (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090111/LOCAL18/901110401).
What can we say about a society that defies the course of nature in order to pay the bills?
“I can’t afford to get pregnant.” It’s said so many times, it’s almost a cliché. Eve couldn’t “afford” to get pregnant, either. But she did, and we are here.
Money should not dictate the perpetuation of the species, should not delay the creation of life or stifle the gratification of being pregnant, having a newborn, being a child, starting a family, etc.
But that is what has become of our society. I am not against capitalism; I am against oppression – and when greedy enterprises threaten the very existence of humanity and take away the only pure and true thing that has been necessary for all of us – pregnancy and birth – then it is time to take action. There can no longer be concern for those who deny pregnant women and their unborn children proper maternal care. They have lost the right to have a say in how, and when, our society moves forward.
It is time for Congress to stand up for natural laws, those unalienable, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution – a right to life.
A right to life is not possible without a right to birth, which is not possible without a right to become pregnant. And with a mother’s right to become pregnant, a child has a right to life. It’s a beautiful cycle; but economic forces – those completely man-made, little more than concepts of measurement that have no real value whatsoever in the natural world – would destroy the sanctity of life and the right to a good life by stealing proper prenatal care from our nation’s children.
Couples are afraid to have children in this environment, and for what reason? Money. Many other reasons can be cited, but money is at the root of all of them. Money buys health care. Money buys formula and diapers. Money buys food.
Without money, our society has no life.
Ironic, isn’t it, how those who would espouse the teachings of the Bible in public actually believe it is better to profit as a company than to prosper as humans?
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Labels: advocate aaron, healthcare, maternity, uninsured
Government-subsidized Health Care In A Year?
Could the U.S. government be voting on government-subsidized health care a year from now? They will be if Pete Stark has his way. The health care reformist and sometimes-cantankerous California representative was quoted in a recent Wall Street Journal article as predicting that it would take a year to clear a public health care plan through Congress (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123008136111331971.html).
This is great news for those of us who know the horrors of facing pregnancy without insurance. But there are plenty of people ready to rain on Stark’s parade if they have their way, including Democrats from his own party, pharmaceutical lobbyists and the health insurance industry.
Two things that set Stark apart from the rest: 1) he does not think Congress should negotiate terms with insurance companies; and 2) he does not think a public health care plan should pay whatever price pharmaceutical companies determine for prescriptions. He wants costs to be fair and affordable, something I’ve been championing as Advocate Aaron for years as well.
Like the rest of us, Stark faces several challenges in his plight to form a public health system, and is often criticized for being blunt and vocal in his positions. Stones are thrown his way because he unyieldingly stands for what he believes in — I thought that’s what we elected these people for!
Some of the arguments Stark and his supporters have to counter include the pharmaceutical industry’s stance that restrictions on drug prices will limit the availability of drugs to people who need them as well as innovation that fuels new medical discoveries. Insurance companies claim premiums will rise as younger people take out the publicly-funded health care policy.
These industries simply want to maintain and proliferate profitability. That’s fine for some corporate entities, but not those in which lives are at stake. The availability of products, in these cases, literally means the difference between life and death.
Medicare and Medicaid already pay whatever the drug companies charge, and in doing so drain public funds that could be used elsewhere – or to provide live-saving drugs to more people. And because these programs constitute two of the largest ‘clients’ drug companies have – they’re billion-dollar clients – it might be the drug companies who cannot afford to exist without publicly-funded health care, and not the other way around.
Publicly-funded insurance would, as Stark points out, have lower overhead costs than current private health care plans, which would mean lower premiums. Naturally, private health care companies don’t want us to believe this, simply because they want to make a buck.
These insurance companies have had their chance – if they would have taken the initiative to develop a health care plan that the millions of uninsured could afford, the volume of takers alone should have covered the costs – if even for a small profit. Intelligent business dictates that a little PR goes a long way, and preventive business measures (just like preventive health care practices) pay big dividends.
If the insurance companies have no consideration for the health of those who cannot afford insurance, then why should the U.S. citizenship give a damn about their business health? I get a bit cantankerous myself at times.
If Stark’s prediction is to come true, there are only two options: 1) the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies get on board and work within the demands of the American people, or 2) the American people take it upon themselves to provide health care and the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies die. There is no room for debate. That time has passed.
A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings…
A recent study by the University of Alabama in Birmingham proved how delicate timing is in fetal development. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, linked early Caesarian sections to an increased risk of newborn complications, including respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, infection and extended hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/Insureyourhealth/P74840.asp).
The amazing thing is that the risk of intensive care hospitalization was found to be 50% greater when C-sections are performed just a few days early.
All of these complications can result in tragic outcomes for families, and all of them drive up medical costs. So, why is it that C-sections are often scheduled earlier than the 40-week full-term period? Is it, as many believe, to perform the procedure before the natural course of labor begins? Or is it because hospitals make more money when complications arise?
Despite my firm stance against egregious hospital overcharges – they do try to take advantage of pregnant women, especially those who are uninsured or have no insurance – I’m loathe to postulate that the medical industry would put the health of our women and children at risk in the interest of making a buck. But the question begs to be asked.
When you consider that many medical professionals will not provide prenatal care to uninsured pregnant women without 100% upfront payment, and that the lack of prenatal care is proven to increase the risk of newborn complications and mortality, one has to wonder what underlying motivations exist. These women are not given treatment because they do not have the money, despite the fact that these doctors have taken an oath to uphold the sanctity of life without other consideration. But without profit, they do not feel obligated to uphold this oath.
Denying health coverage is a reactive approach; if one does not have money in-hand, one does not provide life-giving services. Facilitating conditions that result in complications is a proactive approach; if the pursuit of profit pushes medical scheduling forward, we’re all at risk regardless of whether we have insurance coverage or not.
A butterfly flaps its wings in China, a tornado forms in Alabama. A C-section is scheduled a week early, a newborn spends five days in NICU. A woman cannot gain access to prenatal care, her baby dies.
