Government Run Health Care is Not the Way to Go

I use to think the whole idea of government run health care was an excellent idea. To finally have the government take care of its people is exactly what the government is for. To us Americans, free healthcare has always been a dream; a wish that we knew would never be possible. The insurance companies are making far too much money on us overweight, under paid, cancer-filled society to give us anything for free. But now it seems with the possibly of a new president in a few weeks, that there might be a chance to get health care for free or pretty damn close. Before you make your choice on this let me share with you, what it was like from a person who lived in a country that has government run health care.

I watched the system operate for a few years before being forced to actually use the free health care offered to all. What upset me is, people with the slightest cough would run to the doctor, but women, who are meant to see their OBGYN would only see them when they had pain, or were pregnant. We American women know the value of being checked out. Going to the OBGYN is like going to the dentist, if you put something in your "holes," you need to get them checked out!

I became very sick one fall, I was in great pain and I couldn't figure out why. The pain came in waves, much like a kidney stone, only this was no kidney stone it wasn't that painful. It was only that painful when the pain hit, which was about every 20 to 30 minutes. My husband seeing me at the time of the pain, could no longer take it, and drove me to the hospital. It took me a very short time to be seen, much like their doctors offices. After finally being evaluated, and having to explain how I was allergic to aspirin but could take Advil and Aleve (which they had never heard of) I was finally met by another doctor. This doctor explained to me that I needed an urgent ultrasound, and pain medication. I understood and accepted this, as I had been through this pain before. Nevertheless, what I didn't understand is instead of giving me the "urgent ultrasound" right then in there, he sent me home telling me I would be notified when I could get this. Confused and scratching my head like a monkey, I began to make myself sicker with worry. They told me it could be any number of things such as an atopic pregnancy. I already knew if it was that, that they would want to abort it, and I don't believe in such things.

Because I had been told it was urgent, I was under the impression, I needed medical attention. Because I was in panic mode, upset, and forced to the hospital against my better judgment, I wouldn't remember the last time I had the pain, and couldn't figure out what it was. A few days of being home on the pain medication, waiting for the call telling me to come in, I received a letter in the post. The letter went on to tell me that I would receive my urgent ultrasound in 6 weeks. Um.. 6 weeks for an urgent ultrasound?! I was told, it was common practice of their country to have a person wait that long for an urgent ultrasound. The country in question, is Great Britain, which is the size of Texas. So why I'd have to wait that long is beyond me.

Six weeks for an urgent ultra sound, I could have died if it had been an atopic pregnancy. Thankfully, it wasn't.

So, when you pick your president, be sure to think about how long you want to wait for your "urgent" health care needs.