On the other hand…

I’m afraid I’m not among those who agree that our health care system is working juuuuust great and needs no fixing at all. Case in point, this brave and desperate letter from a friend whose husband has been stricken with a debilitating neural disease:

I hope this note finds you well and that spring has turned the corner in your world! Winter hasn’t retired here. We had 12 inches of snow on our back deck yesterday. It’s all the way down to 5 inches now! But warm days are forecast for about the next 4 days, before Winter has another go at us. Snow is possible again by Wednesday, but that doesn’t seem to bother the crocuses and tulips!

It’s been a while since our last update, so I wanted to share what’s been going on. Jerry continues to impress me with his courage! He struggles with headaches and other pains, and it’s a bit harder for him to get around now. Another neurologist is attempting to treat the headaches, but so far the medicines have made things worse instead of better. Jerry rarely complains, except of loneliness. He spends most of his days at home alone. The list of doctors he sees is growing. In spite of the challenges, Jerry maintains a will to be productive and positive, but I can see the day to day stress is wearing on him!

Another huge challenge for us is that I will be losing my job around the end of this month due to downsizing. This is scary for anybody, especially these days, but the scariest part will be losing my health insurance when Jerry is so sick! I will have severance pay for about 2 months, which gives me a chance to explore my options. I am considering going back to school in order to position myself for a better job, but am not sure that’s the best idea due to the lack of insurance. Jerry is covered by Medicaid, and it’s a long shot that we can replace the specialists he’s seeing now with doctors that accept Medicaid. I’m quite concerned about the transition because although they give you a fairly long list of doctors who accept Medicaid, very few are taking new patients, and there are not many specialists on the lists. This will be a huge challenge for us! Jerry’s condition is extremely rare and requires considerable expertise to treat effectively. COBRA is amazingly expensive! Although, since the government is currently subsidizing it, I may be able to manage it for the couple of months during which I’ll have the severance pay.

Grayce is finishing up 5th grade. She has an outstanding singing voice and stole the show at her school’s talent show! Rachel is applying for grad school in Seattle. We should know if she is accepted by the middle of April. She wants us to move back with her, the prospect of which holds huge obstacles and promises at the same time. I am very concerned about relocating Jerry when he’s so sick. The stress of moving, settling in, and changing doctors seems daunting not only for him, but also for me. The hope comes in the opportunity to reconnect with friends and to be closer to family.

We have monumental challenges to face and huge decisions to make! Please pray for us and feel free to share encouragement, wisdom and any resources you might know of!

It’s just wrong that these people have almost nowhere to turn. Your prayers for them would be deeply appreciated. They don’t know what to do and I haven’t the slightest idea what to say to them.

And, by the way, if you feel even the slightest inclination to use my combox to somehow pile on and find fault with them, please know that I will regard that as an invitation to kick you off my blog. The divine command is to help the sick, not bash them.