The Walk for Healthcare
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© 2009, Ogan Gurel, MD
Chris
: With traffic zooming on by, we didn’t have much time for chitchat. But he, Chris was his name, told me, “We needhelp, it’s rough out here for everybody—not just the elderly. There’s drugs and alcohol problems, no treatment and the priceof medications is too much.” I asked if he could share a specific example. “Sure,” he replied, while the older gentleman in thepassenger seat with him nodded in acknowledgement. “My mother’s got Alzheimer’s and her medications are five to six-hundred dollars a month. It’s impossible …” A couple miles farther down the road I stopped into theBlack Oak Baptist Church(they were fifteen minutes away fromstarting the service) and spoke with the Pastor, Rev. Bob Parnell of Black Oak Baptist Church. He told me that they will pray for me and for healthcare and good health for all on this bright Sun morning.
John
: I stopped into the Indiana University police station in hopes of finding a water fountain. John, the officer-on-duty atthe front desk, greeted me. “It’s a critical situation,” he told me. “Especially now that people are losing jobs. But keeping prices down is important. Even with the insured, prices are inflated, they’re sky-high.” I nodded in reply. “So, it’s hard to stay healthy if you can’t afford health care.”
Ed
: Six miles later, now in Hobart, I stopped into United States Security (a private security service) forsome water. I talked with Ed, the Director. “Definitely things need to change,” he said. “But it’s more like tweaking. I’m100% against something like the Canadian system.” I asked what he thought of the health care reform debate in Washington.“Well, I don’t like the idea of the upper brass fat-cats reaping rewards. They need to be dissolved or at least held accountable… and take another bottle for the road,” he added.Later, heading down the long stretch of IN-130 (7.7 miles) I stopped into the 2
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Street Bar & Grille for some water & juice. There I met threeindividuals, two of whom were so supportive of the Walk that they not only shared their stories but also gave me $30 as a donation, $5 of which Igave to the bartender as a tip for the free water and OJ. I spoke with Eric and John, sitting together to the right of me, and later with John on my left.
: Eric told me his brother's story. He had had an eye accident, lost his job on account of that and being without healthinsurance had tofile for bankruptcy. "That about tells it all," he said.
: Jack has g ood insurance. But his story is not a happy one. It started a few years back with anunexplained painin both his feet. “I saw everybody and anybody,” he said. “You name it, doctors,podiatrists, all sorts of specialists, I saw them!” Nothing seemed to help but painkillers and these wereprescribed only sparingly. “Besides,” Jack told me, “I didn’t want to become an addict. But I could barely walk and, you know, could lose my job.” He told me how a neurologist finally gave him two back injections—“L4, L5,” hetold me, “and that worked!” I nodded, realizing that such a run-around in our fragmented medical system was not uncommon.“But, here’s what’s fucked up—the insurance company wouldn’t pay for the one thing that worked, the injections. Now I owe $6,000!” Igrimaced at the story. “Oh yes,” he added, “before—several years ago—I didn’t have insurance and I had to declare bankruptcy. But that’sanother story. Now, I’m worrying about this six grand.” Eric glanced over with a knowing look.
: John actually had two stories. First, his wife has diabetes, lupus, and fibromyalgia and he feels that the drug companiesare just pushing drugs … through the doctors. “The drugs don’t work,” he told me. “She doesn’t seem to get better and allthat seems to happen is that she gains weight.” He then shared his second healthcare story which happened after his first son was born. The $11,000 dollar bill forced his family into bankruptcy, again, soon after his wife gave birth. “It was like the bill was ‘padded’ butthere was nothing I could do about it.”Continuing onalong IN-130 (another driver, recognizing me from the Chicago news, stopped to talk and provideencouragement), I finally reached Valparaiso but had to cross to the other side of town to get to the hotel. (Many thanks to theFairfield Inn &Suites in Valparaisofor a complimentary room.) It was getting late and I finally reached my destination (slowing down because of the growing blisters) at 10:30 PM. I don’t think I could take another step. But the front desk clerk, a young man named Kyle, had a very interesting story totell.
Kyle
: Kyle’s story is a bit complicated. He’s a senior in college (at Purdue in Hammond) buthe started college a couple years after graduating from high school. Because of this unusualtransition, it ended up that he had missed the deadline for getting insurance through hismother’s policy. “I was working to put myself through college with a bunch of part-timejobs. None of them, though, provided insurance … then I got sick—very sick.” He wasbedridden for several days with fatigue and fever. He finally went to his family doctor whotook a blood test. Two days later, his mother received an urgent call from the doctor saying, demanding almost,that Kyle go to the emergency room immediately. Kyle told me, “it was the highest white blood count he hadever seen,” and he was concerned Kyle had leukemia. So, at the behest of the doctor, and actually feeling better by this time, they went theemergency room. It turned out, thankfully, not to be leukemia, but Kyle ended up with a $9,000 emergency room bill (he was never even admittedto the hospital). “My mother and I spent months fighting and negotiating,” he told me. “Luckily the Church organization affiliated with St. Mary’sfinally—yes, finally—helped take care of the bill.” Shaking his head in disbelief at the Kafkaesque ordeal, Kyle concluded, “It was something—andI’m not talking about the illness—I never, ever want to go through again.” And so I checked in, hobbled to my room, lathered the Neosporin on my feet, and called it a night.
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