Medicare comes through - again - a personal account.
My mom is 88 years old, as of July 17. A few days ago, she complained to my father about a sore arm. My father, also 88, doesn't take much lightly when it comes to his wife of 67 years, so he said, "Well, I think you should see the doctor." So, she made an appointment, and went in on Monday. She's not one to overstate things, but she told the doctor that her arm hurt while she was in the kitchen making lunch, but felt better after a bit of rest. Her doctor said that maybe she should have a stress test, so she went to the cardiologist on Wednesday.
Today, she had a stent put into one of her cardiac arteries, which showed up as 90% blocked after an angiogram. All in a day's visit to the hospital. She'll spend the night there, and come home tomorrow. I'm in Minnesota, and they're in California, so I had to rely on phone calls from my father and my sister, who still lives in my old home town, and who was once head nurse at the hospital where the procedure was done.
Mom's fine. She did great, and the doctor who inserted the stent said it went just fine. My sister said that Mom looks great and is feeling just fine.
Nobody asked whether they could pay for all of this. There was no need. My mother and father have been on Medicare for years now, and have supplemental insurance that will cover the 20% not covered by Medicare. Nobody asked about money. Everyone was concerned about giving my Mom the treatment she needed to return to her normal life of making lunch and supper for my dad, who is out working in the orange orchard on the tractor every day. He had a quintuple bypass over 13 years ago, again covered by Medicare and his supplemental policy. He doesn't move as quickly as he did, and has to stop to rest from time to time, but he's still taking care of his citrus farm - at least part of the work that's needed.
This is what medical care should be like for every person in this country. Nobody should ever have to wonder whether they can afford the treatment they need. They should be able to just go to their doctor and get the necessary treatment. We'll all cover it for them. We can all feel lucky that we don't need what they need, but also that we know that someday, when we do, it will be covered and that we'll be able to come home and resume our lives after an illness - at least in most cases.
This is the goal we should all be striving for. Our best chance right now is to elect President Obama and a Congress that will send him the bills needed to make this scenario possible not only for our retired parents and ourselves as we pass the age of 65, but for every last person in the USA, regardless of their age. Universal healthcare is the goal. Medicare for All is the solution.
If anyone is saying, "Well, Obama isn't doing enough," they're wrong. He's doing all he can to help ensure that each of us will get the care we need when we have health issues. All he needs is a Congress that will send him the legislation to make it happen. We must all get out the vote, and make sure that every Democratic voter in every state, and in every congressional district turns out and votes for the Democrat who is running. We won't win every race, but we can win enough.
GOTV 2012!
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