Thinking about medical care in the United States, the first issue is the insertion of insurance into the mix.
The second is the entire capitalist model from private hospitals to solutions that rely on the goodness of giant pharmaceutical companies.
They are remarkably good at some things. Fixing heart disease. Setting bones. Curing infections. And more.
But fail consistently with the chronic ills of modern life. Cancer is not one disease but one hundred. They have made headway in some of them. But the cure for the cancers will elude them until they allow for the elephant in the room— an environment toxic in the extreme and getting worse.
And that is just one example.
I have no access to medical care. It is a bit complicated, but I have simply fallen through the cracks. I may be able to get Medicare at some point this year.
But doing so will not solve my problem. I have a chronic condition called Mast Cell Activation Disorder. (MCAS). It is poorly understood by American doctors, hard to diagnose, and incurable.
Most people like me just get blown off by the medical establishment we have. I have given up on them.
I can’t take most pharmaceuticals. I react badly and with force. I do take the generic form of Claritin as a double dose. The rest are supplements and herbs that I have learned are beneficial.
But even if I didn’t have MCAS I still would not put 90% of what they are pushing into my body. Just read the “side” effects. They make the print so small you need a magnifying glass. It is not worth risking liver damage to cure toe fungus. These are not “side” effects. There is no such thing. Only desirable effects and undesirable. And we should be given the opportunity for an honest cost/ benefit analysis.
Even when the pharmaceutical is necessary, even life saving, there are issues. The capitalist model has no problem denying life saving drugs to those that need them.
Take insulin for example. Thanks to a big push from President Biden it looks like seniors, at least, are assured access. The $35 cap should apply to every, but even getting it for seniors was a slog. How many people have died for lack of insulin?
Another dirty trick was spitting dental and eye care away from the rest of the body when it comes to insurance. I am loosing teeth and I know many others are too.
But even with insurance dental care would be out of reach. I am just glad nothing hurts and I can still chew.
We need a new kind of medicine, one that starts with the least harmful approach. One that offers quality care to all from womb to tomb.
But we will never get that as long as the capitalism has medical care in its grasp.
Thanks for writing about this issue, Annabel. I agree 100%. We desperately need a single-payer system like most of the rest of the industrialized world.
100% Annabel. A Good friend of mine DIED from this syndrome, TODAY! So sorry to hear about your condition. Shared to FB along with DUH! Demand Universal Healthcare! NOW! All the best, M.