Warning, this is NOT a warm and fuzzy post.
When I was told that I had MS, a picture came to mind immediately of my third grade teacher, and a few others who had the disease as I grew up. I pictured wheel chairs, blindness, kidney failure, brain damage...They progressively got worse over time because there wouldn’t be any treatment to slow the progression of the disease until the mid to late 80s.
Health care is by no means affordable to me. I don’t make enough money for that, and I was lucky enough to be one of the people who lost a house in the economic crash. So I join the Millenials in the fact that I’m not doing better than my parents were at my age. What did I do? I did what they want you to do. Pulled myself up by the bootstraps, created my own job and started a business. My business is quite successful. I love it. I might love it more if more people could afford to get their hair done a little more often. I would love it more if I made more than just what I needed to cover bills and not have to feel sick when we need new tires for the car or I want to do soccer for my kid. That’s just economics. It would be nice if more people could afford more than the essentials. And every year we’re drowning in medical bills in spite of having health insurance. And I know I’m not the only one.
Life isn’t easy. It would be easier if I could have a regular schedule that allows me to work when I’m at my best and rest when I’m at my worst. But the day-to-day struggle of some of my clientele does often mean a feast or famine booking pattern. It was looking better for a bit, business had picked up. People were doing better. I was doing better. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. It isn’t easy, but things were starting to seem a little brighter for all of us.
2016 was a truck load of suckage all around and add my diagnosis to that, and I really couldn’t wait to ring in the new year. I’m LUCKY that I only have MS. It could have been worse. But MS is a funny disease, because my life could change tomorrow. What I have today could be gone. (Yes I know it’s a possibility for everyone, but knowing the face of the enemy that lurks behind the corner makes me uneasy at times.)
It's an entirely different thing when you're watching Congress sabotage a health care system that is directly responsible for your quality of life in the face of an incurable, progressive, potentially crippling disease. Treatment in the form of a 3X per week injection is a $5000/month prescription. And treatment means slowing the progress of the disease.
Add the fact that I needed one CT Scan, 6 MRIs, 3 trips to the ER, a Spinal Tap, 3 appointments with a spine specialist, a cortisone injection in my neck, 2 rounds of Physical Therapy, two other neurological tests, and about 6 separate visits with my Neurologist, and about 6 other prescriptions per month. Thank God my chiropractor simply takes my insurance at face value and has, out of her own kindness, not required the portion my insurance doesn’t cover per visit. That was last year. And insurance doesn’t pay for all of it. I hit the out of pocket maximum, but the clinic visits still require a co-pay of $40 for a specialist. Can I say that I have absolutely no idea how people who get rich off of the misery of others (i.e. a for profit health care industry) live with themselves?
As my MS is now, I have problems speech, memory, swallowing, movement, balance, vision, hearing, fine motor function, and touch-sensory input. I’m in pain every single day of my life. Yet, it’s manageable. I’m still happy to be where I am in so many ways. My speech pathologist asked me what my goal was. I told her it was to live as well as I can for as long as I can. And it can actually be that way for me so long as I can continue with treatment as I need it, as long as I’m allowed to take care of myself. At minimum, as long as I’m able to have a $5000/month injection that I never see a bill for. As long as there’s no lifetime maximum. As long as I cannot be denied insurance coverage…
But how can I draw any other conclusion than the fact that The Republicans don’t give a damn about any of the above reasons when the Senate voted 51 to 48 for the following:
1. To end coverage for preexisting conditions, veterans benefits, and aid to rural hospitals.
2. To remove discrimination protection for women in healthcare.
3. Against the provision allowing children to remain on their parent's insurance till the age of 26.
4. To cut off funding for the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
5. Against ACA contraceptive coverage and maternity care provision.
6. To direct committees to send budget legislation to defund and repeal the Affordable Care Act.
For those who get health insurance through work, no pre-existing conditions. Lifetime caps for coverage are back for everyone.
Real and disastrous actions are being taken that will affect more than just the 20-30 million people who will lose their health care coverage and the 3 million people who will lose their jobs.
Despite their assertions of this being an action to "repeal and replace," no viable alternative plan has been proposed.
The House votes Friday and yet, no replacement exists. And for the first time in 6 months, having MS scares the hell out of me. And if your position regarding the ACA is about abortion and birth control and your religion…well, good for you. For me its about living with MS and what that will mean. And I have a difficult time thinking that people who claim to love me might have supported one of those legislators that is actively trying to sabotage my quality of life.
