The Illness That Is Health Care

Recently, a Time Magazine article documented the horror health care can be for those whose income is above poverty but not enough to afford the monthly premiums which are above $1000 even for a couple. The problem is not just the cost of medical insurance but the irrational and obscenely high charges billed to uninsured patients under list of hospital charges (called a charge-master) that varies by hospital and state. The charges are irrational because they bear no understandable relationship to the real cost of providing the care. They are obscene because they are so high and are levied on patients when their medical condition gives them no real choice. 

 

While the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) makes great strides in addressing this lack of coverage there are still many who will fall through the cracks and start each day without knowing how they would cope with a medical emergency. This has affected my family in a personal way. Over the past twenty years there has never been a day when one or more of my children or grandchildren have had little or no health coverage. It remains true today. 

Only by the grace of God have we all survived. This is not to say it hasn’t cost us in terms of our ongoing health; especially for those who need mental health care. When you have Medicaid or other forms of publicly funded health care, you forfeit the personalized treatment the insured have come to expect. This often means you have little or no treatment options for persistent and long term health needs. The care you receive is often inferior to what you would receive in a third world country. The attitude of the providers is worse.

What is to be done?

First, demand adequate health care from your elected representatives. The objections to Obamacare do not usually seem based on actual facts. If there are problems with the legislation, fix them, but recognize the benefits it brings to the 46 million (more than one in 10 Americans) who are uninsured. 

 

I want to do my part as well. Anybody in the greater Saginaw area, who has more than $50,000 in medical bills, can contact me to see if they are eligible for a special reduced fee for a simple personal bankruptcy. 
 

We are pleased to inform you that the government has designated us as a debt relief agency that helps people file for bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.

WHY JUSTICE WON? 

Actually, “Justice Won” is a homophonic variation on “Justice One” – a tag line I’ve used for decades to describe myself as one dedicated to the belief that justice is a worthy goal to seek for all. That is the core commitment that drove my forty year career in legal services in civil and criminal law.

“Justice Won” is distinct as it implies you have come out of the justice system in better circumstances than you entered. This doesn’t mean that you necessarily “won” always but that you have had your day in court; to have your complaint heard. This type of justice can help you move on with life and let go of some unresolvable dispute. It lies at the core of much of what I now do in general and special needs mediation and in bankruptcy. In their own ways, each gives you  the opportunity for a fresh start.