Sick Around America

This week I had the opportunity to watch a video for the second time around, PBS Frontline's "Sick Around America". The more times I watch this particular episode, the more frightened I am about the current state of our health care system. The stories that you hear from patients and families really make you think about what needs to change in our current system.

In my opinion, the health insurance companies in our country today, are incredibly unethical. Personally, I feel that they are more concerned about profits than they are about people who really need them to survive.  Karen Pollitz describes the current health insurance system: "like having an airbag in your car that's made out of tissue paper: I'm so glad that it's there, but if I ever get in a crash, it's not going to protect me." 

These days, without a good job, it's insanely hard to get good health insurance. Without health insurance, healthcare is very expensive and many times impossible to receive. How is this ethical? 

I'd like to share a personal story about my fiancé. His name is Daniel, and since he graduated high school, he hasn't had any health insurance. In 2009, he fell down the stairs in our apartment and broke his neck. Because he didn't have insurance, he decided to just deal with it through the day. He did not know at the time that his neck was broken, just that he was really sore and had a terrible headache. After working all day, I finally called my friend to take him to the hospital. When he arrived, they were very concerned and put a neck brace on him immediately. After several tests they determined that he had a grade 3 concussion and a broken neck. He was very lucky to have survived. The hospital bills were insane, though, and we couldn't pay. A few months later, he started having seizures, major mood changes, and terrible headaches. After a few more hospital visits, he found out he had developed epilepsy as a result of multiple head injuries. Now, he has a chronic condition. He worked from 2009 until this year with a company who didn't offer any health insurance. Since his injury, he has built up thousands, maybe even millions, of dollars in medical bills. There's no way he can pay for these. And because of his chronic condition, no individual insurance companies will help him. Now, he is looking for a new job with a reputable company so he can receive a good health insurance package. But, because of the state of the economy, and the high costs of healthcare, there are far fewer companies offering full-time employment with health insurance. I work for Disney, and they've even stopped hiring full-time employees for many positions. The only reason I get full-time hours there is because I am an intern, and they don't have to offer me health insurance. 

Our health insurance system is failing us, and we need a change immediately.