What is health? Is it a state of not feeling or experiencing any malaise? Or is it more than that? Either way, does the term “health care” actually describe what occurs most of the time we use the term? I would argue that our health is not what is being cared for. With the ACA vote sitting in purgatory, this seems like a great time to rant a little about “health care.”
“Health Care” in air quotes
First, I must say that I am thankful for services and providers who are available to help when there is a true injury. Modern medicine, when practiced with perspective, is a marvel and a gift.
However, out current “health care” system doesn’t seem to have much to do with health. It is typically more about managing disease symptom by symptom. And at times, although I’m certain the providers and employees do actually care most of the time, this does not always come across. Most heinously, a lionshare of people and processes within the supply chain of this “health care” do not actually add any value to our health or our care. The bloated multi-layered system built on greed and ultra-specialization has even the greatest think tanks in our nation scratching their heads. Our most recent instance occurred over the past month.
I opened the mailbox last week to find a mystery check from OrthoIndy for $200. Hmmph. Unusual. Having little idea about where this money came from, so I started to hunt it down. I had a vague recollection of paying some kind of fee to OI the day after my son had his arm set and casted. When I asked about it (of course you open your check book when the kid with the broken arm is groaning in the cubicle) and the lady pretty much laughed in my face. Oh dear. Well, after some sleuthing, it turns out that the $200 upfront fee is charged to every patient . . . just in case his insurance doesn’t pay.
I considered the fact that once every 6 minutes someone walked through the doors of OI. And every single one of them had money tied up in a giant hairball called, “covering our rears.” And this deposit exists because of the system we call “health care.” For the record, this broken arm incident took place in January of 2016. January of 2016. That’s 18 MONTHS for a pretty routine and simple procedure.
Real Health Care: What I Want
On the flipside, I love my midwife. I don’t just love her as a person, but because of the way we interact when it comes to my health care (no air quotes!) and how her service is exchanged directly for my money.
My lovely midwife sees me when I’m in the middle of the first trimester of pregnancy. I pay her a REASONABLE AMOUNT for prenatal, delivery, and postnatal visits, and my medical co-op reimburses me. So the deal is that she bills me for half of the sum due by mid pregnancy, and the rest by 36 weeks. That’s it. She actually cares for my health, and I actually pay her a reasonable amount.
Another instance: I love this company AnyLabTestNow. They do not accept insurance of any kind. Of. Any. Kind. And you know what? I paid $18 for a CBC (complete blood count). The SAME blood draw and count I got 2 years ago for $250 from another provider. Loud and clear, I hope you are hearing this loud and clear.
Owning Your Health is about Personal Sovereignty
I hope you get the sense that I value the stewardship of my own body. If you spent the day with me or we went grocery shopping together, I hope you would come away seeing that value. I refuse to hand over my health and my family’s health to ultra specialized experts who don’t actually understand the holistic effects of what they prescribe.
Please, if you are interested in or have children who are interested in actual health care, I want to encourage you to think deeply about what we can do together to repair our broken system. These are two examples that I greatly appreciate. They have these characteristics in common:
- I pay a reasonable amount to the actual person performing the service.
- At most, there are 2 layers — an administrative person and a health care professional. No more.
- I am in charge of my own health. They empower me with their expertise, equipment, and experience.
I hope to see more and more actual providers getting off the broken American conveyor driven by fear and greed. Do you have a provider or example of a better way to do health care?