Hellthcare Series @ PNN: The Crisis of the Crumbs

p They kept telling menbsp;to go to the hospital. There was a lot of blood.nbsp; The wound looked bad. I was on my way to the library when I caught my sandal on the stairs andnbsp;somehow ripped a 2-inch hole in the bottom of my big toe. I was scared.nbsp;nbsp;It hurt./p p I didnrsquo;t have time to get hurt that day. I didnrsquo;t have health insurance and I wasnrsquo;t convinced that a trip to the hospital was the best move. But a ladynbsp;I knew came over andnbsp;pressured me to consider thishellip;she talked about her children and how if I were her kid shersquo;d take me to the hospital./p p I had to make a decision--decisions require information. I sat down withnbsp;scissors,nbsp; bandages, soap and water. nbsp;I explored the wound. It was scary but I knew I couldnrsquo;t afford to go to the hospital if this wasnrsquo;t a serious injury. I concluded that, in spite of all the mess, the wound wasnrsquo;t more than a flesh wound, and I settled in to wait anxiously./p p class="MsoNormal" I made a good choice.nbsp; After a week or so of lying low, the new skin began to fill in and I hadnrsquo;t gone to the hospital. I was lucky./p p class="MsoNormal" This is not to suggest that I buy into the ldquo;debaterdquo; around Healthcare reform that has polarized the media in this country over the past few years. Nor does it suggest that people donrsquo;t need all the help they can get in this crazy world. When people are sick, they need tonbsp;be able to benbsp;seen by a doctor and have their health taken seriously.nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" The event with my toe was 2 years agonbsp;but the dilemma I faced that day is common. As POOR Magazine Poverty Scholar span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Muteado" data-scaytid="9"Muteado/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Silencio" data-scaytid="11"Silencio/span told me when I spoke to him about healthcare, his insurance is emldquo;donrsquo;t get too hurt that you need to go to the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hospital.”" data-scaytid="1"hospital.rdquo;/spanspannbsp; /span/emThatnbsp; resonatednbsp;with me./p p class="MsoNormal" Is it right that people are put in the position of being sick and injured but having to sit there and wrestle with whether or not it is serious enough to risk going to the hospital? Instead of a situation where people are confident that their health will be cared for, the post injury conversation is ldquo;does this look like it could heal on its own? If we hang a 2000$ price tag on it, does it look like it might?rdquo;/p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;Having to sit and ask these questions makes me feel like health care is something you have to buy. It is not guaranteed, it is not a span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="“right.”" data-scaytid="3"ldquo;right.rdquo;/spanspannbsp; /spanAs Poverty Scholar Bruce Allison pointed out in previous articles, if you donrsquo;t have health insurance it may be necessary to get arrested simply to get a festering wound treated. (May 9supth/sup, 2011 Education Budget Protest, span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Sakkramento" data-scaytid="13"Sakkramento/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="KKKalifornia" data-scaytid="15"KKKalifornia/span) If you go to the hospital and donrsquo;t answer the first question correctly (Do you have health Insurance?) yoursquo;re in for a long wait, and then the partial attention of over worked physicians, if they agree to see you at all./p p class="MsoNormal" Poverty Scholar span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Ruyata" data-scaytid="17"Ruyata/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Akio" data-scaytid="21"Akio/span span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="McGlothin" data-scaytid="23"McGlothin/span (Aka Ram) has experienced this, more than once. He told me about a spider bite which paralyzed the left side of his body.nbsp;nbsp;span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Ruyata" data-scaytid="19"Ruyata/span said, ldquo;I was asked to wait 30 minutes (translated: 3 hours minimum) and by the time I was finally seen, my actual problem was span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="ignored.”" data-scaytid="5"ignored.rdquo;/span The bite was considered ldquo;indefinablerdquo; by hospital staff, who gave him a prescription for anti-anxiety drugs which he would havenbsp;to pay for, butnbsp;would not address the initial reason that he gone to the hospital. ldquo;I felt like I didnrsquo;t matter,rdquo; he said, and itrsquo;s not surprising to see why. Itrsquo;s like going in to a restaurant and asking for water, and they bring you gasoline. (span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Howlin’" data-scaytid="25"Howlinrsquo;/span Wolf)/p p class="MsoNormal" spanT/spanhe health and integrity of the bodies of span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Amerikan" data-scaytid="27"Amerikan/span citizens, residents and human beings is not considered to be a priority by the care providers. Healthcare is not a right, or a requirement. It is a luxury, a commodity, something that you donrsquo;t get from simply being here and working and paying taxes. It is something that you have to buy./p p class="MsoNormal" This doesnrsquo;t mean that I, or the we of POOR magazine believe in this lie of span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hellthcare" data-scaytid="29"hellthcare/span, but when we are sick, we still need help, and care. The crumbs of the span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="hellthcare" data-scaytid="31"hellthcare/span industry are all most Poverty Scholars have access to in their most dire moments, and if even that is cut, or made harder to get, the sickness and the injuries will remain, with no available remedies./p p class="MsoNormal" The crisis around access to care is real, and the need is felt in the flesh and the minds of the people. Can a real conversation about this happen at this time? I would say the condition so far is span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="“critical.”" data-scaytid="7"ldquo;critical.rdquo;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" emspan class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="Octavio" data-scaytid="33"Octavio/span just graduated from the mentor-ship program @ span class="scayt-misspell" data-scayt_word="PeopleSkool" data-scaytid="35"PeopleSkool/span @ The Race, Poverty Media Justice Institute @ POOR Magazine./em/p