Who’s the Decider?
There are many good reasons why it is so hard to get this reform package done. All the pieces are out there on the table. The trouble is, the pieces that are out there on the table are the corporate ones i.e. the medical ‘establishment’ – the AMA; the Insurance companies; and lets not forget big Pharma – perhaps the mightiest one of all, and each with a hand in the pocket of most of the senators and representatives whom we have elected (to represent us and our interests). And yet, who actually DOES sit at the table representing me, and you and yours? I’m not sure that what I think is getting much face time at all.
Admittedly, I’ve pinned my hopes on President Obama because of the man he is, his experience level, his apparent depth and intelligence and pragmatism. It is clear to me that he cares deeply about “family” – people. I have liked the way he thinks since the first time I heard him at the previous democratic convention. He is my man, but he is one man. What this project demands is the clout of the masses making their voices heard. That could get some legitimate action. Even so, I believe the people HAVE made it clear that we need reform because too many of us are without medical care at all. The overwhelming preference from our multitudes is the desire for the public option, probably because they have seen how effective it has been in serving the needs of our seniors. It works. There are rules and guidelines, but not rationing as the scare-mongers are describing.
What do I really want?
I’ll tell you what I want, but there isn’t the proverbial snowball’s chance in hell at this moment; we shall all have to compromise.
I want the AMA stripped of any and all power to decide what is appropriate and expedient for our species. They haven’t a clue. Besides, I think everyone knows they are little more than the ole boy’s club gone wild. Why have I always thought of them as a ‘government agency’ to protect the people? Just propaganda I suppose and I fell for it. They do not watch out for anyone but themselves and every effort is to protect their own set of priorities which is to be understood, their power and profit. Their claim to fame is CONTROL not science or ethics or anything whatsoever to do with the Hippocratic oath. They know absolutely nothing about “first, do no harm.”
I want the choice to see the kind of physician I want – “integrative medicine” or so-called, alternative medicine. It is their custom to see the individual as a whole, not just little pieces and parts which specialty demands. An integrative doctor seeks cause areas and sets about to correct imbalances mostly via natural methods not toxic to the body. Prescription meds and surgery are not first choice automatic reflexes. Did I mention that ordinary insurance will not cover these choices but MediCare will.
I want our society to go back to the decency in advertising that we once stood for. No smutty stuff, no advertising by pharmaceuticals of any description for prescription drugs. We haven’t just accidentally become a pill-popping society, it was planned by Big Pharma with the 24/7 advertising bombardment. Most people today do not know that this practice was once illegal – not done!
I want our country to resign from the World Health Organization, “WHO” – - or at the very least, denounce any further involvement with the “Codex Alimentarius” (created over half century ago to develop food standards and guidelines which in essence was to protect the people. (Heavenly Father, please protect us from those who just want to protect us). As they reached into ‘fair-trade practices’ around the world, one by one, the people of those countries gradually found they were loosing their CHOICES to buy accustomed products. Its pretty solid in Europe and all over the world in fact, including here. It is for these reasons and our compliance with them “to protect the people”, that we too are losing our ability to buy much of what we deem to be products we find useful and correct. Instead, we must now go to a doctor and acquire a prescription for a chemical which has replaced the “natural” product we wanted. The subject is too huge for me to go into here. It is a violation of our rights and freedoms – I am therefore, against it – in the extreme!
A Simple Suggestion
Finally, there is something I would like to propose which I feel would go a long way to helping our beleagured federal budget cope with the ability to handle this herculean Medical-Care reform – from a monetary point-of-view. It is not like the issues outlined above – those are for all of us on a daily basis – the living. Since the greatest amount of money seems to be spent on the geriatric crowd in their final days – - I say, just stop it! When a person has lived a good and full life and then falls not on a bad patch, but systems are failing, breaking down and it doesn’t appear that a viable, comfortable life is possible, let us go. Let those systems pull to their own natural conclusion. That’s what it is trying to do. Take all heroic effort tools out of the equation – for all of us. Don’t place the burden on each and every person to take care of all those properly signed “end-of’-days’ edicts. Most people do not want heroic efforts when their time comes. It would be a good thing, if in our lucid, fully engaged days, we all took care of these issues, we could sign the papers, file them with our doctors and so on. But most people don’t, I dare say. So make it a part of the new practice and make sure that everyone is aware of it.
My mother, aged 85 had always signed her “papers” with her physicians. Yet when her time came and I was called at 4 in the morning asking permission to take her to hospital, I said yes – and flew into action, dressing and heading out. Upon entering ER, she was monitored by many medical staff all around her, tubes coming from every opening, her eyes caught mine and she knew me and was scared. I DEMANDED all tubes removed over the protest of the staff. The doctor in charge tried to dissuade me, removing me from the area, but I held firm over his veiled threats that it would be tantamount to killing her. But I knew my mother’s wishes. Her system was in fact shutting down – the doctor said so. They sent us to a room upstairs where I was to sit alone with Mother for the next 5 – 6 hours. I held her hand and loved her, and spoke the name of the Lord over her for hours. Her labored attempts at breathing finally became easier and she tried to tell me how much she loved me. I knew. She knew. There was love and she was not alone. Her passing could not have been more peaceful. Sorry, I got carried away – I was trying to show that having signed the papers is not enough, if there is any family around – or someone who cares enough to take appropriate action, one’s wishes are often not heard. So perhaps, it should or could be part of ‘routine care’.
In our country, we are still unable to deal with death and dying issues easily. This is most unfortunate for it doesn’t have to be that way. It is simply another facet of life, a transition, if you will.
Anyway, just a suggestion, I think a relevant one. Anybody else have something to add?
