The Healthcare that Wasn't

As we enter an even more radical Trump era, do not stick your head in the sand! I tried that, to no avail. I'm getting more active with support for LGBTQ groups and with my own messaging on TikTok! We must stay vigilant for our children and their children. Dismantling institutions is not prudent when the world is so fragile.

How is the healthcare nightmare, highlighted by the UHC CEO's murder, going to improve? I've heard too often of clients and family and friends losing out on much needed care just at the wrong moment. I've heard of bankruptcies from an ambulance ride, and people staying in dead - and I mean dead - end jobs for decades just to be able to continue to get mammograms. I've heard of young women traumatized by not getting timely help from OB-GYNs. I've listened to countless women who got their complaints minimized, including my own Mother. This, the richest country in the world, is not getting anything right in healthcare. When I recently had a physical I forgot to ask the doctor for a referral to an ENT. It took me two weeks to get back in touch with her. If you cannot advocate for yourself, you are in deep trouble. I have heard of elderly not having enough money for adequate housing. This is a country for the rich, by the rich now. Middle class folks who worked their whole lives can suck it according to Trump's tax plan. You guessed it; you voted for it - the rich get richer.

I'd like to sit at the end of my days and tell people I didn't waste half my life worrying about bills and healthcare - UHC even "clawed-back" their payments to therapists this year! Bet you don't hear about that on the news. Can you imagine seeing 40 patients a week and your "boss" then asking for a refund?! Something is wrong in OZ and it ain't me.

I wish you all patience as you navigate the new normal. I wish you strength and above all organizational skills so you can fight back when the anesthesia you got for your wisdom teeth is billed "out of network" and you have to spend three weeks on the phone with insurance to manage the copay that is more than your paycheck. I wish you equanimity if you're waiting in the hospital hallway writhing in pain, like one of my clients was, and not seen until "medically necessary." I wish there was no delay, deny nor crazy ghost guns, nor killer kids with weapons of untold destruction. May your solstice provide reflection on your choices and comfort in the future. Shine on and stay healthy!

PEACE ON EARTH for ALL not just a FEW.