Today as I
sat in class listening to my professors lecture I was all too painfully aware
that I was still in the have not's category of life as I seam to be destined to
stay on state funded health insurance. A staggering 43 million American's do
not have adequate health insurance or go uninsured every year. More likely than
not you are forced to put buying medicine for an allergy related problem
because you have to have enough money to get you to the end of the week so that
you may have gas in your car, or food and clothing for your kids.
In my case
I have one medicine that my state medical insurance doesn't cover so I am
forced to find another way to pay for it. Fortunately I am disabled enough for
the vocational rehab department here to qualify for their program therefore
allowing me to get that much needed medication. However, I am not disabled
enough for the federal government to give me my benefits. It has become such a
fine line that those of us who are truly in need have to walk that we
continually have to tread ever so lightly or risk losing what precious benefits
we have managed to get. Conversely there are still those out there that fraud
the system and never get caught for a very long time. Only thing is that they
do get caught over time and then that makes it so much harder for the Joe Smith
to get on a program that he needs badly.
Then to
obesity related health problems are creating issues as well. Each year we are
spending more for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and CVD- just to name a few-
related health problems that treatment becomes the only focus of going to
doctor's and specialists. In that respect we want professionals to fix what we
have screwed up with years of bad health habits.
I have mentioned
my grandmother's ordeal in a previous article and I can tell you that I have
become proactive in my own health and I question everything when I go in for my
yearly exam. I am on that phone or waiting by that mail box to make sure I
don't miss getting my test results back. My reproductive health has never been
100% but because I have been active in my own health care I am healthier in
that respect today than I have been in a very long time.
Going back
and briefly touching on the have's and have not's and ones ability to pay for
medicine, I look at it this way yeah you have to feed your family, but there is
plenty of nutritious foods out there that are low in cost and still easy to
prepare. It is possible to eat healthy on a budget. Another thing I look at is
would I rather spend money on a fiber filled loaf of bread that is good for me
or would I go get a less healthier item to save a buck now then end up biting
my nose off to spite my face two years down the road when a doctor tells me I
have to start taking a fiber supplement because I am not getting enough fiber
and my colon is having issues. The next time I go shopping I am going to give
you an idea of what I buy on a low income budget and still keep it healthy. Yes
I do spend a bit more for some items, however it is worth it in the end because
even though according to the BMI calculator I am overweight, I don't look
overweight because I am eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise now that
I am back on campus.
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