Affordable Healthcare, Not Part of the American Dream...

What is wrong in America that anything remotely related to medical care is so damn expensive and why are we as consumers buying into the nonsense that somehow it is because what we get is "superior"?

I am in Panama. A few days ago I saw an Internal Medicine doctor without an appointment, no long wait and he was not rushing to get me out of his office. He took his time and answered every question I had and charged me a whopping $15 for the office visit!!! I needed lab work, which was done on site, for another $106; FOUR tests!!! I had the results by end of day... The medicine he prescribed cost $3.83!!!

Yesterday I went for a mammogram. It did not require a prescription, I had no appointment and it included an ultrasound, a much more thorough exam which I have never had done in the states! It cost me a whopping $40!!! It was so reasonable, I paid for my Friend's exam as well as a belated birthday gift! We barely waited, the staff was nice and only because there is a holiday upon us, Panama's Independence, we will wait one week for our results. INcredible!!!

We left from the radiologists, had a hearty lunch for two for less than $6.00 and then off I went to the dentist. Again, I paid a whopping $44 for a cleaning which was done by the DENTIST not a hygienist and had x-rays, a basic initial visit in the states for $44! I will return to have major work done that will cost me $6,000 in the states but will cost less than $2,200 here! Seems a no brainer!!!

Something is very wrong with the U.S. Medical system. It has become a racket. That explains why there is a huge fight against President Obama's push for affordable and accessible health care. Can't have that, too many people and industries stand to lose money. To hell with healthy American citizens!

What other explanation is available to make sense of why the same services we receive in the states for HIGH dollar are so affordable, accessible, simplistic and encouraged in Panama and other places? NOTHING about the medical industry in the states is any of those things where we pay $1,000 for an aspirin in the hospital, $4,000 for an ambulance ride around the corner, and a host of inflated charges for medicine and nonsense "medical" procedures.

I met a Canadian man the other day who could very well go home and get free treatment for his wife who needs a serious heart operation. In the states there are only 3 hospitals that perform the type of operation she needs. The cheapest of the three will charge $183,000. They opted to have the surgery here in Panama for $40,000. The Family has no insurance here in Panama. If he did, if I did, if we were residents or citizens, our minuscule bills would be even less. There was another American at the doctors office while I was there. He paid a whopping $7.00 for his visit. My dentist told me a mammogram for her would cost only $28!

Something is very wrong in America. I will get as much done as I can while I am here. ENT, GYN and Colonoscopy. TMI, I know but I want to impress upon you that there is another way. Open your mind to understand that America is not always the best! The pharmaceutical companies that rip us off in the states, sell the same damn medication in other countries at affordable prices. It is horrible!!! I will return to the states with a clear mind medically and still have a few bucks in my pocket. Works for me and it is money and time well spent!!!

Take care of yourself folks and/or do your homework, choose a place to visit that has good and affordable medical services (Cuba is a good choice!) get on an airplane, enjoy your vacation and get your doctors appointments out of the way at the same time! Not a bad deal. Kill two very important birds with one stone. IJS...  the medical industry in the United States? 

Ebola and Good Timing!

Timing is everything. It seems had I stayed in Ghana another week or so, it might not have been so easy getting back in the US. As Ghana so far, is not one of the affected countries, no one asked me a thing coming through Customs. Nothing. Although I had expected at least a question about how I was feeling or where I might have traveled while there... Honestly, I had considered visiting a few African countries while on the continent before coming home but decided against it. I felt it wiser not to complicate the matter. Ghana was on the safe list and I decided not to roll the dice. Good decision...

Since coming home I have had two experiences where medical professionals were leery of being in my presence. One was a doctor who literally tried to diagnose me for bronchitis or pneumonia from across the room. I said to her, so the nurse has obviously told you that I was in Africa so now you think you can diagnose me from across the room? She turned beet red and then gave me a BS exam. I reported her and was asked to return to see a real doctor who examined me to see why in fact my chest was feeling so heavy. He did not guess. He listened to me breathe and took an x-ray!!

I have been home for 18 days. I have absolutely NONE of the symptoms of Ebola and the incubation period is 21 days. I am no more in the woods than are those who are reading this post. I complained that it was her type of "medical" response that allowed the situation in Texas to escalate. The deceased went to the hospital as soon as he felt the symptoms, fully disclosed his circumstances and was sent home in a highly contagious state. Who knows why the nurse turned him away but if it was due to fear and a desire to just get him out of the hospital, that has proven to have been a HUGE mistake. Granted I understand the need for precaution but if our medical professionals are afraid, we all need to be damn worried!

I compare Ebola to HIV & AIDS in that as long as it was restricted to Africa, as was HIV & AIDS to the gay community, it was not "our" (mainstream America) problem. The lesson is that we live in a global society without borders. Nothing is restricted to any one class or place. We ARE our Brother's Keepers.

Be Well Everyone and live wisely. Wash your hands regularly, don't shake hands with others and think as well as behave with good hygiene sense where ever possible. Wipe down gym equipment BEFORE & AFTER use. While we can control with whom we swap saliva, blood, urine, feces, vomit, semen and some other body fluids, swapping sweat with strangers can pose a very real, unknown risk. This thing is getting crazier by the day...

Glad to be home albeit only briefly. Panama & South America this time... Looking forward to it!

¡Ten Cuidado Mis Amigos!

Black, White & Blue...

Over the past few days, I have watched this video several times as it makes its way around the internet. It captured a White woman preventing the arrest of an innocent Black man in her neighborhood. I admire and applaud this woman for her courage and that she cared enough to intervene and come to the aid of another less capable of defending himself.

I am struck however by two things;

(1) Black officers, in the nation's capital no less, harassing an innocent Black victim for simply being present in the "wrong" neighborhood, an indication of their distorted view of themselves and that blue blood runs DEEP! and 

(2) I wonder if me, as a Black female attorney, could so forcibly assert myself by intervening in police activity and achieve the same result. Would I warrant the same level of respect or would I be sitting on the curb next to the accused under arrest for obstruction of justice? Did this woman even have to indicate that she was an attorney or was being White enough to command total compliance and damn near an apology from these Black officers? What would have been the response, to her much less to me, if the officers were White? Acquiescence? Hmmm, Just Wondering...

Happy for the outcome but the background music is not so melodic to my ears. Conversely, it is deeply disturbing no matter the radio station. Officers are in such denial of their inherent bias, which is so ingrained in rank and file from top to bottom, that it renders them incapable of being objective and therefore incapable of doing their job effectively. I am pessimistic that their prejudice can ever be fixed or reversed. So now what?