As I looked at the first of many medical claims from this recent hospitalization, the fear of the numbers I will see is starting to come through. I am genuinely grateful for the insurance I have. Not as many are as fortunate as I am (and I do understand that).
I've heard many horror stories and have had some minor difficulties with insurance but I don't know what would happen without it. I told the doctor that pharmaceuticals are making the drugs that would be the most beneficial for mentally ill and made them unaffordable for them. If you've never spent anytime understanding pharmaceuticals, they are constantly coming out with new drugs for all kinds of things. It's a good thing BUT the drugs need to be affordable (especially for people who might not be fortunate enough to have good commercial insurance). And, they find ways to renew their patents so that generics cannot be made often for well over 20 years from the time the drug was originally manufactured.
The program that Sarah was in used to be six weeks long and they rarely saw someone return after they were discharged. The program included overnight passes and an opportunity for the team there to understand what problems there were on those overnight passes. They could try different meds and teach different coping mechanisms. With how insurance is now, often there is someone fighting to keep the patient in the hospital for long enough to stabilize them. There is one insurance in particular that was named in parent meetings that as soon as they see any sign of stabilization from a patient wants them out. If we had that insurance, Sarah wouldn't have been in long enough for them to see some of the issues that we have.
I understand that there must be limitations. Hospitalizations are extremely expensive but I think the pharmaceuticals, hospitals and insurance companies need to work together for the best interest of the people of this country rather than the stockholders and executives. I find it extremely frustrating when I see ad after ad on TV for pharmaceuticals. Ad spots cost millions of dollars. And, there's thousands more (if not millions) in creating the ads. What if they stopped those advertisements and used that money for research and development?
So the real fear . . . what happens when the mentally ill person can't hold a job without treatment and doesn't have social security and medicare or another state funded program? What happens if they are an adult and refuse treatment (they cannot be held against their will unless they are an immediate danger to themselves or others)? It's a pretty vicious cycle . . . no treatment, no job . . . no job, no treatment. Hospitalizations will stabilize and can't be refused but once they walk out the door . . . it's up to them to take care of themselves. Sadly, so many of the drugs have awful side effects and cause "dulling" that the patient doesn't like. So, once they "feel better," they stop taking them. Puts them back at square one again.
It's an ugly situation.
1 comment:
Ugly situation is right. And I can say, having witnessed it myself, that many of the mentally ill who refuse or can not afford help end up on the streets, in our jails, or dead. It breaks my heart.
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