Battling the American medical system

Hey, void.

So this past weekend offered even more enlightenment on how fucked the American medical system is. After getting kicked out of an ER waiting room (there were only enough seats for patients and companions who don't listen to security guards...), I paced and twiddled my thumbs in a parking lot for hours hoping the ER would provide relief and clarity on a scary situation someone I love was going through. At the end of the day, however, we were sent off with a "go find and see x,y,z specialist at their earliest opening," which was (of course) several weeks away, meaning my person will need to endure their recurring medical emergency for several weeks longer.

Unfortunately, the thousand-dollar medical bill for this frustrating visit will still come regardless of how "fixed" my person wasn't upon discharge. The fact that we spend half the average monthly rent on our country's required health insurance—per person, per month—absolutely destroys me. Nothing covers anything. Even if you do have the massive funds to spring for that gold, low-deductible plan, you'll still have co-pays somewhere. Your coverage will still be limited to a handful of doctors within network—leaving you completely fucked if an emergency lands you with one who is not.

Like who's actually in control of Americans' medical care? Because clearly it's not the doctors. I mean, not sending someone to the proper specialist or holding back on that vital CT scan or MRI or dropping a patient entirely simply because their insurance won't cover the care makes it pretty obvious who's really in charge.

I feel bad for physicians. I feel bad for nurses or administrative staff or security guards working overtime for little pay at asscrack hours with cranky people who are sick and losing colossal loads of money because of it. I feel bad for anyone whose job is to deal with the people the medical system failed. That has to be a thankless, soul-sucking job if ever there was one and I do not blame any of them for the mess that is an ER on literally any given day.

I don't know how to fix the American medical system, but it is beyond broken. It shouldn't be this expensive just to own a body. The expenses are even more debilitating if you happen to land in a body that didn't come with the right wiring, or one that suddenly short circuits at the worst possible time, sometimes continuously. Does anyone get to avoid this? That horrible, blood-draining moment where you realize something has gone so wrong somewhere in your cells that you can't fix it on your own, and that paying to try to fix it might put you out of a home...

I haven't seen a dentist in years because I know that I can't afford to have cavities filled if they find any. I can't imagine how much worse that anxiety is about something bigger. A terrible cough that won't go away. A lump where there shouldn't be one. What if the doctors do find the worst and you can't afford the procedure to keep you alive? That's not a reckoning I would wish upon anyone.

Medical anxiety in America guides too much decision-making. Currently, I'm contemplating which cities I apply for jobs in based on how their hospitals rank. Not just how effective the healthcare is, but how accessible it is, how affordable... And if I can afford it, does the hospital actually have the resources to help me in an emergency? What are their maternity mortality rates? How informed and up-to-date are their cancer and disease treatments? Do they respect women's rights to their own bodies?

America loves to project itself as the greatest country in the world, but its medical care literally scares its own citizens away. Don't get me wrong, this country is great in certain ways (depending on how privileged you are and what state you live in), but it's cooked up a huge mess when it comes to medical care and no one knows how to clean it up. I couldn't even tell you where to start. What I do know is that I'm tired of watching people I love get screwed by a medical system that doesn't work on behalf of human health and longevity. I'm tired of it screwing me over, too.

That's enough of a rant for now, I think. Until next time, body inhabitor. Stay safe out there.