Healthcare Limbo
I’ve been out of the loop for a while. You see I’ve been battling bladder cancer. On January 12th the day of that awful blizzard when temperatures dropped to fifteen below zero, I was on the operating table having my bladder and prostate removed.
The good news is they think they got it all and that I am going to be around for a long time. Well, that’s good news for me. I know people who might beg to differ.
The other good news is that this surgery won’t bankrupt me because I have Medicare Parts A & B plus supplemental insurance. I would not have been so lucky had I needed this surgery a few years ago, before I qualified for Medicare.
You see I’ve been dealing with bladder cancer for 23 years and the private health insurance that my employer provided was adequate to take care of the more relatively minor procedures I needed to keep the cancer from spreading.
But on a Monday in May when I went in for my check up the doctors had found that the cancer had come back with a vengeance. Without Medicare I would have been totally screwed because three days earlier I, along with the entire news team at KPTM, lost our jobs and benefits. I could have afforded COBRA for just so long with no regular income. The months of doctor’s appointments and chemo treatments plus the surgery and 6-day hospital stay would have drained my retirement savings, before putting me out on the streets.
The point is: it’s one thing to talk about a broken health care system it’s another thing to experience it first-hand.
My friend George [whose name was changed to protect his anonymity] is not as fortunate dealing with his health issues. George was a hard-working small businessman who couldn’t survive the hit he took during Covid. He couldn’t afford Obamacare, and he lost his Medicaid coverage when the Covid relief money ran out. Regular doctor’s checks ups were out of the question. During the holidays he had a stroke and for over a month he’s been lying in a hospital bed. He’s healthy physically but confused mentally. His family is trying to navigate the bureaucratic maze to get him back on Medicaid, and into a nursing facility.
Now I’m not telling you all of this for any personal attention or sympathy. God knows there are a lot of people dealing with worse things than me. I’m telling you more needs to be done to help people like George get insured.
When the Affordable Care Act was being introduced, I took call after call from voters who swore up and down that Government Health Care was bad. It wouldn’t surprise me if my friend in the hospital bed waiting for government assistance was one such person.
During my broadcasting days, I interviewed countless politicians who said that if you voted for them, they would repeal and replace Obamacare. Remember those guys? Vote for them and they would fix our health care system. Whatever happened to those guys?
Politicians can rile up the voters by talking about how the big bad government needs to stay out of healthcare. And on paper that’s a good argument. But in reality, sometimes people need the help. Not because they are lazy, but because sometimes life throws you a curveball.
I was blessed that the timing was right for me that I could hit that curveball out of the park. Other people aren’t so fortunate.
One other thing: Having the security of government health care gives me the freedom to not be tied down to a boss and allows me to develop my real estate business with Better Homes and Gardens. How many people are tied to a job they can’t stand just for the benefits?
It’s a complex problem and I’m not saying I have the answers. But Congress needs to stop playing politics and work on making health insurance more affordable for more people. Make it easier for a young entrepreneur to start a business knowing if they are thrown a medical curveball their future is protected.
Thank you to all the wonderful doctors and nurses that aided in my cancer treatment and recovery. We are fortunate to have so many great medical professionals here in town. Thanks to them, and government health care, I’m going to be around for a long, long time.
Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.
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