A thought crept into my very random mind today, and I was taken back to a hospital room covered in plastic. Perfect for a Friday night, right? I spent two lovely days in that hospital room by myself, and, for whatever reason, I was thinking about it today. I think the upcoming election brought it on, because it is actually related --at least, in my mind.
Like I said, random, but I'll get to the point eventually.
In 2012, I was treated for Hürthle Cell Carcinoma. I've written about it before --there's no need to rehash all of that. Part of the treatment included radiation. Actually, it included a lot of radiation; it's pretty standard treatment. They review everything with you ahead of time, including the risk of developing other cancers, so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not you choose radiation as part of the treatment. It is a choice. I made the choice to undergo radiation.
I was fortunate in that I have health insurance through my employer. The radiation was covered minus the deductible and out-of-pocket expenses. In researching the radiation (hereafter referred to as the reassuringly-named I-131), however, I learned of something that would not be covered: a hospital stay following the administration of my dose.
In my research, I had come across the recommendations of the American Thyroid Association based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection There were all sorts of references to mCi(mBq) --which I'm still not clear on, but are a unit of measurement -- and precautions that needed to be taken to limit exposure to other people. Here are a few of the precautions expected to be taken within the first day of I-131 treatment:
- Stay three feet away from adults
- Stay six feet away from children
- Avoid extended time in public places
- Sleep alone
- Avoid public transportation
- If you must be in a car (you know --to get home), sit alone in the back on the opposite side of the driver
- Don't stay in a hotel
- It's preferable if you have a bedroom and bathroom you don't have to share with others
- It's also preferable if you have a big house
- If you have children, have them stay with family
- Don't take care of children
- Don't prepare food for others
- Wash everything separately from everyone else's laundry
- If you have items that you come in contact with that contain bodily fluids, put them in a special trash bag that you either take back to the hospital or wait for 80 days to dispose of with your regular trash
- If you vomit on the side of the road on the way home, call for Hazmat to clean it up
- If you must fly in the foreseeable future, take a note explaining you are not a dirty bomb
No joke.
What was amusing was that the insurance company didn't want to cover a hospital stay despite the fact that I live in 800 square feet of living space with a child who was (at that time) five, and we had no family in the area.
To stay in the hospital with precautions, since I couldn't go home and I wasn't supposed to go to a hotel, was going to cost around $10,000, as I found out when I asked the hospital. Yes, you read that correctly. Could I stay in a cheaper room or under less expensive conditions? Nope. Wasn't considered safe.
Needless to say, armed with information, I asked the insurance company to reconsider not paying for the hospital stay.
Our health care system, for better or worse, is profit-based. It is in a company's interest to only pay for what is necessary when trying to make a profit. I made sure to point out that they also covered my son when I asked them to reconsider not paying for a hospital stay. Children are more susceptible to radiation, and my son does share some of my genes, so a family history of cancer makes him more of a risk. Did they really want to pay for whatever he might develop as a result of me going home too soon?
Oh yeah, and by the way, my living conditions don't meet the recommendations of the medical professionals. In short, I felt the need to appeal to the bottom line at a time when I was already dealing with more than I'd wish on anyone.
So what do they do in other countries? Was having to ask for a hospital stay under similar circumstances the norm? I tried to find out.
In my research at the time, I came across references to people having hospital stays as a matter of the course of treatment with I-131 --specifically in the UK and Europe. In those countries, medical care is part of the benefits of citizenship. It makes sense under those conditions for public health considerations to be of more concern than the bottom line. What a concept.
If you couldn't tell before now, I happen to agree with this way of doing things. Call me a hippy, call me whatever you like, but I don't particularly like the idea of unnecessarily exposing people to things that could make them ill because it's cheaper. I think people's health matters more than money.
I should say in fairness that the insurance company eventually agreed with me. It was a great relief to have to deal only with the whole cancer thing and not the whole economic ruin thing. I thank them for that. But it should never have been an issue, in my opinion. They were operating under a set of rules that say, in some cases, you deny coverage until you can't.
So our election. See? My random mind did, in fact, have a timely point. Health care --while not everyone's key concern in this election cycle --is an important consideration in deciding whom to vote for. For me, anyway. Any candidate who brings us closer to appropriate medical care and after care has their priorities correct. Any candidate who thinks making a profit off of illness and denying assistance to people when they are at their most desperate in order to appease shareholders is wrong. Not everyone agrees with this point of view, and that's okay. We can discuss it further. Maybe there's something in the whole discussion that I haven't considered. I only know how it affected me personally.
In the meantime, I have a ballot to cast. Please be sure to vote your conscience, too.
And best of health to you all.
[Update 3/22/2017: It's a different world we're living in now, but what is right is the same: taking care of each other.
It is wrong to profit from the desperation of other people. It is wrong to leave children without access to healthcare. It is wrong to assume that a person with a disability can't be the person who has next great idea. It is wrong to decide that a poor person is not worth as much as a rich one.
But what is right is the same. And what is right is not represented by the American Health Care Act (ACHA) being put up for a vote tomorrow. I hope it does not pass. We will see.}
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