Over and Over

My Mom had another heart attack, so let me rant a moment about the failures of health care in this country....

Here's the scenario: my Mom went on disability and therefore lost her medical coverage. She went onto the cobra plan from her work's insurance, and then they dropped her (she's too much of a "risk"). She then applied for Medicaid, who told her that the wait time was long and that she would have to "prove" she was truly disabled and truly in need. As she's been waiting for Medicaid to kick in and assist her, she ran out of 2 key medicines she needs to stay alive: a blood thinner and cholesterol-lowering one. Well, she can't afford to $300 to purchase the meds out-of-pocket, and she doesn't ask us (me and my 2 aunts--her sisters) for help because, since Medicaid is investigating her "need," any signs that she can, in fact, afford the meds (even if someone else is paying for them as a temporary solution) and is a sign that she has no need. So, my aunt and I go along, unaware that she's out of meds. Then, Saturday night, her blood pressure shoots up and no one's around, so she drives her sick self to the hospital, where she was admitted and stayed until this afternoon. While she was in the hospital, she has a heart attack, which, if you're gonna have one, that's certainly the place to do so.

So, now fucking Medicaid HAS their fucking "proof" that she's truly not well and disabled. She has a hospital advocate now, who made sure she has enough meds to last her for the next 90 days. Hopefully, this will be enough to keep her well and alive.

Fuckers.