I fell and engaged my left rib cage with the metal of baseboard heating. It's not a major deal, but I want to talk about the joys of Medicare and friends and just plain good luck. If you want to talk about it, I hereby release you from HIPPA.
Anxious to get back to the steak on the stove, I returned to the phone where my friend waited. Instead of continuing to walk forward, I did a pivot of a hundred and eighty and found myself on my back, close enough to tell her what the big noise was about. She called emergency here at the Towers and they put me on my feet. Except for pain on the rib, I functioned.
After my friend rushed over, we sat a little to see what I could and could not accomplish if left alone. As it turned out, I could do all the usual things as before but with a sharp pain. However, what if the ribs were impacting the lung? We decided to call the ambulance, which cost me nothing since I subscribe to their rural service and they cover Medicare's cost. Being no stranger to the ER, I knew I would suffer no cost there, either, because I carry a supplemental Medicare policy. (With another vehicle I might have risked a friend's transport, but the thought of a sporty Mitsubishi elicited pangs.)
Long and short--a contusion and a pain prescription, which I didn't fill since my own NSAID handled things. Now six days later, I sit here, still with an Achy Breaky back but functioning.
As Governor Sebelius approaches confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services, I think what this simple procedure could set a non-insured patient back. It's not the first time I've been in a hospital since I turned 65. In the ensuing 22 years, I spent one night in a hospital for a pacemaker. Also, there were some other outpatient procedures which were life enhancing, and maybe life prolonging. But the end result is that I can maintain an apartment (it takes hiring household help and paying for some transportation). Going to the Wellness Center for arthritis water aerobics keeps me walking without devices, and my breathing is adequate--even after I took the big scare.
The other side of what could have happened to me is that if I had suffered more than a little contusion, I could have been eligible for a therapy stay until I was able to return home. I live in a building with more than 100 apartments. I see such a scenario play out for other residents. Outpatient procedures, requisite checkups and extended service (home health care, for example) keep the elderly from landing in the clutches of nursing homes, where one fast becomes dependent on Medicaid, regardless if she starts with funds.
I worked hard and paid proportionately high income taxes while I was employed. I try to give back to society in these more fragile times. Medical care is something I feel entitled to and try never to abuse. Thinking about the numbers of it all, I cannot see why a single payer system of coverage (cradle to grave, employed or no, and regardless of medical history) is not a paying proposition. Gaming the system--by corporations, politicians, parents, and citizens--is no way to stay healthy, productive, and serene.
Let's do it! It's time to stop quibbling.
