There’s no perfect plan – there I said it. At least some people though are trying to find a plan. I’m sick to death of politics and even more tired of one sentence Facebook comments that start debates where people say things they would never say face to face or don’t understand.

Congress and Facebook have a lot in common.  There is a lot of time spent on things that should not occupy that much of our attention and not enough time spent on issues that need our utmost commitment, awareness, and dedication. We have all but forgotten to work together.

One politician took to his blog this week rallying the Republicans to bring Obama down with his healthcare plan: “Go for the kill,” he said.  Enough already. Why not invest your energy into a bipartisan plan instead of spewing venomous words that further cut into an already deeply divided nation? Why don’t we write letters to our representatives asking them to put down their paper and electronic swords and start working together – aren’t we on the same team? Maybe then our nation could stand firm on something again that is meaningful because right now all of the pundit and bobblehead chatter are cracking the foundation.   

I received a bill in the mail yesterday from an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor for $145.  I was there for 12 minutes. I am one of the “lucky ones” with insurance, but even with PPO, I have to go to certain doctors who are in-network or I am billed for things like this. It was an ear infection, plain and simple. Water was lodged in my ear and as it turns out, when left there too long, fungus can grow (I know TMI, but there you have it). Only a specialist can fix this. So on my insurance company's website I looked up who I could visit and went.

Little did I know the doctor I saw was in the process of suing my insurance company because he wasn’t contracted with them anymore and hadn’t been taken off of the list.  On June 18th, he was still on the list, so I handed the receptionist my insurance card and she took it.  As of yesterday, he’s not on the list anymore, thus I got a bill… for $145. I was told by the billing department of the doctor’s office that I could sue the insurance company.  The insurance company told me I had to take it up with the doctor – my earache was turning into a giant headache.

In my mind this cat and mouse game shouldn’t be this hard – period.  Yes, I get that doctors need to get paid, but $145 to clean out an ear and give me some ear plugs – seriously?

A couple of years ago I was sent to specialist after specialist when my muscles began twitching in my fingers and legs.  They wanted to rule out the scary stuff. Each month, although insured, the bills rolled in.  Our budget for health for one part time employee and one full time employee with benefits was over $500 … a month. We spent over $7,000 that year alone on healthcare and we’re supposed to be at our peak of health as young adults.  

Getting sick now seems like a last resort.  We eat organic; we take vitamins; we are health freaks.  We wait out to see how bad a virus or infection will get to postpone the inevitable – the bills. We have tried natural remedies, Chinese herbs, and every kind of alternative nutty thing you could think of. We went "Western" too and tried the antibiotics and presciptions.  But here we are stuck with costly medical treatments from various conditions.

I have a thyroid disease and this past December I finally took a pill that was smaller than the size of a baby aspirin to radiate it away. It was an extremely tough choice that took me a year to decide to do it. I explored all my options. In the end we went with what did make sense to us, but also what was the cheapest. That little radioactive pill cost us under $100, but to walk into the hospital, take the pill while the doctor watched to make sure I swallowed, and walk out (total time = 9 minutes) cost someone almost $4,000. I was glad I had insurance – it’s great when it works, but when it doesn’t, it’s awful.

Healthcare is one of the top reasons people file for bankruptcy and it’s not okay. It’s not okay when a mother questions taking her infant to the ER when she thinks he has developed pneumonia in the middle of the night for fear of the bills. It’s not okay when a person with serious medical needs becomes a pawn between the insurance company and doctor’s office. It’s not okay that a single dad working 3 jobs to support his family can’t afford insurance, and then is called lazy by some. It’s not okay that they system is F-ed up. (Oh how I really want to write that word).

So no, there is no perfect plan, but there needs to be a better one. One where medical facilities and insurance companies are not for-profits.  One where people are people for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and health. We have divorced the idea in favor of green paper with dead presidents. We have forgotten what commitment truly is – to the sick, to the poor, to the orphan.  We don’t know what it looks like to work together.

Here is my letter (and my cry): Please, please learn to work together in legislature and in your neighborhoods, not in a condescending way, but in a way of equality and good old fashioned citizenship. As humans let’s learn what humanity is once again and put the care back in health.