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My husband and I are lucky, in that we are covered by the health care provided by the company I retired from. We still have to pay deductibles, but it's affordable. There is a couple we've known for years...my husband and the man in the couple I refer to, have been friends since the late 50s. I met them in 1986, when my husband and I married.
They have both worked for all of their adult lives, but like many other people, have not been able to save much, because their salaries went for basic expenses, like house payments, insurance payments, utilities, etc. This past December, the husband was diagnosed as having a brain tumor. The medical expenses they incurred in December were high, since they had to meet the insurance deductible for 2006. In January, when he finally had surgery, they also had to satisfy the deductible for 2007.
The tumor turned out to be malignant. She has struggled to keep her job, while getting people to stay with him during the day, and take him to radiation therapy. She has had to miss so many days, though, that she is worried sick about losing her job. They can keep his health insurance, but because he's now disabled, they will have to pay the 700.00 monthly premium. She is not paid for the days she takes off, and is worried about losing their home.
Her sister came here from England to help out, but has to return by 4-8. He is one of 9 children, and all of his brothers and sisters have offered zilch in the way of helping him and his wife. Oh, wait...they wanted to get a priest to hear his confession. That, and the offer of praying with him. He has started to get fits of violence, and it's harder and harder for his wife and sister-in-law to deal with the situation.
There is nowhere they can turn to get help in his transportation for his radiation therapy, and they can't afford to have somebody stay with him during the day. My husband and I, his step-son and daughter-in-law, and another friend of the family have tried to help, but it's not enough.
What, then, does this country say to a couple who have worked, never gotten into trouble, never gotten money from the government for any reason, and have done everything else we're supposed to do, what do they do now?
We went to visit them about two weeks ago. We live about 45 minutes away, so it would be hard for us to help with taking him to his radiology appointment. When the wife was checking on him, I gave a check for a couple of hundred to the sister-in-law, made out to my friend. I knew she wouldn't take it from me. She called me later, and we have been the ONLY ones who thought to contribute a tiny fraction of what they need to survive.
Because of what our friends are going through, I'm most worried about the lack of affordable health care in this country. A family, even one who has insurance, can be wiped out within a matter of weeks. It's disgraceful, and enrages me. We speak of having values? Words mean nothing, There is something very wrong with a government which passes laws not for the befit of the citizens, but for corporate interests. This is why we don't have universal health care in this country.
Oh, and there's this...the wife works for a small company, so not only is she not paid for the days she has to take off due to her husband's illness, she doesn't qualify for FMLA, therefore placing her job in danger. My main anger is at his family, who is quick to ask him to drop to his knees in prayer, but who keep a death grip on their wallets or purses when it comes to financial aid.
I have many other concerns, but right now, with dear friends going through not only the hell of losing a loved one, since the doctors give him only a few more months to live anyway, but the financial devastation his wife will suffer due to his illness. This shouldn't happen in a civilized country. This case is about health care, and money both. Remind me, how much have we spent destroying the innocent Iraqis?
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