Equal Healthcare???

Haven't been blogging much lately.... I've been "downsized" from my Kaiser job..... but.... this has allowed me more TIME to work on all the other things in my life I love! ( Where a door closes, a window opens!).
I wasn't so concerned about loss of income, as I do MANY things, what immediately came to mind was oh ****, I will lose my health insurance!!!!! How sad that this was my FIRST concern!
I elected to keep my current health plan under COBRA, regular COBRA payments for this are $1,650.00 per month. As I was ready to choke, I discovered that our new President signed something wonderful that went into effect 02/09 that allows you to keep COBRA for 9 months at a 60% payment reduction,(it will go up to the regular cost after 9 months) if you didn't quit your job! Needless to say, he is on my most popular people list, right now!! Hopefully my husband or myself will find something with benefits prior to this reduction running out!
Better yet.... hopefully Health Care Reform will be wrapped up and we will have another option!!!!

As a RN for 16 years, and a Lab Tech for 10 years prior to that, I have worked in health care for most of my life.The last 10 years has very blatantly pointed out to me that the illusion that we have equal access in Health Care is a JOKE.Even with private insurance, all people are NOT treated equally. As a result of my recent change in employ, I went to work for a "registry", they supply nurses to different facilities that they are contracted with. I was sent to a small hospital here in the Central Valley.
Now I haven't worked in-patient for 10-12 years, but I was appalled at what I saw being passed off as good health care, I had a weird sense that I had been dropped out of a plane and landed in India or Africa, in a very undeserved area of either of those countries, (as I am certain there are places within either where BETTER care was being provided.)
The nurses there seemed fine ( that is what came through anyway),with providing "good enough" care and in no way inspired to provide "better" care, like the patients were grateful for whatever care they got, (and many were!), and should be happy they got any at all!
This is not how I was taught to provide care... In my little world, if you are my patient, you deserve the very BEST I can give you, does not make a difference what language you speak, if you are paying cash, insurance, or Medi-Cal; I will advocate for your just the same... not so with all nurses...... so I discovered!
This particular facility serves a primarily Spanish speaking population, a large percent have Medi-Cal, and the facility and the care provided definitely relayed this loudly.
This is run by a private multi facility organization, not the government...... It is a "not for profit" religious group, yet the top CEO's make mondo 6 figure incomes....... astonishing for me to comprehend.... as a little money spent on Infection Control regimes could go a long way....
Hey.... think one of those CEO's wants to give up a little dough to improve things?????
Think one of those CEO's will go THERE to have their child born, or if they were having a heart attack.... NOT!!!!
Thought perhaps this is just my impression.....( this happened to me 2 weeks ago FYI).
Spoke to a young lady 2 days ago, who had her baby at a sister hospital, owned by the same company, in a similar type community. She had a baby there 8 months ago..... her perception of her care was the SAME as what I witnessed, only more horrific, as she was the patient it happened to.
As she relayed her experience to my shocked ears it was hard to fight back the tears....
This women spoke English, is a US citizen, had nice "private " well paying insurance, yet she
was treated like she "didn't know better", like she didn't know what type of care she DESERVED. ( oh wait, I guess we DO have equal health care, we ALL get crappy care!!)
This women had her baby by cesarean, did not receive ANY pain medication for over 8 hours after her IV was removed, despite numerous requests for some.Remembers being told to get out of bed and go take a shower, here are your towels....by herself...no help out of bed for the first time after surgery.. NOT OK!!
She had major abdominal surgery.... not a splinter removed, not just a sore bottom, we are talking staples in your belly! All this and she could actually ask for what she needed in English....

So... Health Care Reform..... we sure as **** need to do something, don't you think????