I am unemployed. I have no health insurance. I have a Mental Health condition that is never going away. As a result, I turned to my county Mental Health Services for assistance.
Thank CHRIST these people want to be in charge of YOUR healthcare, too. /sarcasm.
I have been on a 200 mg dose of
Lamictal,an anticonvulsant medication used as a mood stabilizer for the treatment of Manic Depression, for approximately four months now. Last month, I went in to pick up my refill only to discover that, despite the fact that I was being given the appropriate dose for several months, I was only authorized to receive 100 mg. I cried in the lobby for 15 minutes and GlaxoSmithKline finally authorized half a month of medication free of charge for the mix up, which wasn't at all their fault, but the fault of the government. The issue was that the county failed to ever send my new dosage info to the drug company, who shipped me 6 months of 100 mg tablets. As I was up to 200 mgs, my supply depleted too quickly. It is policy to resubmit proof of "income" (such as it is) to the drug company for them to authorize patient assistance. Upon receiving the proof of "income" several days later, the drug company IMMEDIATELY shipped out my meds. I was given a month supply of 200 mg tablets. Thankfully, drug companies have a monetary motivation to help out patients. The government seems to keep forgetting where their money comes from.
Anyway. 15 days later, as promised by the drug company, enough pills are shipped in to cover 200 mgs for a month. Wonderful. This morning, I called to refill my prescription again.
They told me no.
After getting the run around for two hours, I'm finally told that it's MY FAULT I don't have what I need because I never informed them of the increase in my dosage...despite the fact that I gave them a prescription with a note to increase to 200 mgs four months ago, despite the fact that I went through all of that nonsense last month.
I run out of the mood stabilizer on Wednesday. The county refuses to expedite the process whatsoever, though they were informed twice now of the increase in my dosage and are actually at fault for my meds running out. I need only take this medication three hours late to become a complete basket case. I become irritable, intolerable and violent. Yes. VIOLENT. I immediately hung up with the fucktard at the county and proceeded to bawl my eyes out until my body temperature rose a whole ten degrees and I became convinced that I could officially take no more of this...that I might as well be dead.
After contacting another agency who is looking into why this wasn't cleared up a month ago (as well as taking a couple of
vistaril) I'm feeling a little more calm, though no more optimistic about the ultimate outcome of this illness as long as I don't have health insurance...as long as I have to continue to rely on the government to "take care" of me.
I'm unemployed because of more than twenty years (and counting) of fiscal ineptitude on behalf of this shitty, shitty, and growing SHITTER by the NANOSECOND, government. I have never been employed - EVEN AT MINIMUM WAGE - without the option of health insurance from my employer. I've been eligible for it since I was 16 years old and making $5.15 an hour. I'VE NEVER BEEN WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE UNTIL I WAS UNEMPLOYED. I'VE NEVER HAD WORSE HEALTHCARE THAN WHEN I WENT TO MY GOVERNMENT FOR HELP.
I will more than likely be without medication for a period of 15 days, when I will have to start over with a 25 mg dose and work my way back up to 200 mgs (25 mgs at a time, dosage increasing once a month) to avoid DEADLY side effects. The dose increases until my emotions are MANAGEABLE.
I do not have a curable condition. I cannot use talk therapy alone to manage this condition. This condition, untreated, makes me miserable to a point of which you cannot conceive unless you're living with it. That is, Manic Depression. That is, Bipolar, Type 1. That is suicidal, raging, psychotic depression on the horizon, as late autumn/early winter (as well as late spring/early summer) are the worst months of my cycle.
I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm furious. I'm ready to attack anyone foolish enough to pretend socialization of medicine is any kind of "solution" for healthcare when I know BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT that every American can already be treated by their government. Socialization is bullshit. Because when that happens, it's my case x304,059,724. And you're included.
If you have health insurance, shut the fuck up. Just shut the fuck up. YOU don't know what WE go through. YOU don't live without ANYTHING. Stop pretending you know what it's like to be poor. Stop pretending your stupid conscience is any replacement for the FACT that suicidal people are put off by the government just like people who need a goddamn MRI. It ISN'T JUST THAT. It ISN'T.
If you support Socialized Medicine for America...Universal Healthcare...Obamacare...whatever you're PRETENDING is that right thing...then YOU don't have a heart. And you CERTAINLY don't know what you're talking about.