First of all, I'm still not done hearing answers. I'm especially interested in hearing about ex- or less/in-active members' experiences with their inactivity in the Church - how people react.
I happen to think members react differently than they know is appropriate.
But please, keep responding to yesterday's post. I'm insanely curious.
Anyway. I'm going to go on a bit of a tangent today. I just finished reading a blog entry where a woman, my age, describes her boyfriend. He seems to be schitzophrenic. When he is not on his medication (forgets to refill or something) he often begins "hears voices" and speaks often of killing himself and occasionally the need to kill others. What kills is that sometimes he can't get his medication. Want to know why?
His medication costs $400 a month.
$400 a month!
Now, I'm unsure as to their insurance situation but it suffices to say that not everyone has insurance. Not everyone has the chance to work at a job that offers benefits. Not everyone has the chance to go to school to get those jobs that do offer benefits (and even some of those jobs fail to offer them. Why? Because insurance is unbelievably expensive. See above example.)
For the sake of argument, lets say above guy is uninsured. Let's say, then, that he decides to get insurance. Problem solved, right?
Nope.
Seriously, now. It's like she wrote: her boyfriend getting his medication is in society's best interest.
$400.
A month.
My rent used to be $400 a month. Granted it was seven years ago, but still. I've never even spent that much for a frickin' car payment.
Unbelievable.
And people still insist our healthcare system is the best in the world.
Unbelievable.
Still Sharing It With Our Husbands
8 months ago
5 comments:
There are programs out there for this. Feel free to pass this information back to these people if you want. I used to be on heavy medication for my bipolar disorder and it cost $300 a month. When we moved from WI to TX in 2005, I was uninsured for 6 months until my husband had worked long enough to get benefits. We couldn't afford that $300. Thankfully, my father in law is a PA and knows some things about drug programs. If this person who needs his medication above goes to the website of the brand that makes his medication, he can find whatever program they have for uninsured patients who need life-necessary medications. Psych meds are among those.
The makers of my medication had a program where you signed up with an advocate (that's free), filled out an application, had your doctor sign off, and then you get your first month's refill for $10. After that, it was free every month until we were insured again. Because my doctor was in WI, we weren't able to coordinate properly and I ended up having to fill out the application monthly, so I paid $10 each month, but that's a thousand times better than $300.
Most companies, if not all, have a program for uninsured patients who need to take medication to survive and function. You're right - him getting his medication is a good thing for society. All this couple needs to do is do some research and get in contact with someone who can help them. I've passed this information on to everyone I know who is in a similar situation (my aunt, dying of heart failure, has $10,000 worth of medication every month and can't get health insurance from anyone, for example), and it works.
My conservative (but Canadian) in-laws never cease to remind me: America's health care system blows.
I figured as much.
Eh, I was in a ranting mood.
I promise to get to things of more substance than rants later.
But this is something that needs some attention. I've another friend in Arizona who suffers from bi-polar and can't get a job that offers benefits. She's going back to school in two months, and she has tried finding programs, but so far no dice.
There are better arguments out there for a better healthcare system than this, I'll concede that.
Crazy story, and obviously, America's health care system is totally bogus and completely controlled by very powerful, wealthy interests.
But all that aside.....
You paid $400 a month for rent? Whimper. The high living costs here hurt more and more every day.
lol, SEVEN years ago I did. One bedroom, kinda in the ghetto.
Can't even get a studio for $400 anymore, which is rather disgusting if you ask me. My brother pays something like $650 for his closet.
But you know, America's got it all figured out. Let's keep funding the companies that take our money and, you know, send their executives on a spa retreat.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
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