Possible Heart Attack, Health Insurance and the Devil at My Door

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

My brother had chest pains yesterday. He called me from the hospital today.
He's doing well right now, had a stress test, sonogram of the heart, and tomorrow has heart cathetarization.
He's in a nice room, there's a computer for the doctors and nurses to use, there's even a futon style bed for spouse or family to stay on at night.

I am SOOOOO happy that he has health insurance, thanks to his own hard work and thriving business.

I am hoping that this excellent modern health care will make the difference for him that wasn't there for my father at 60, my uncle at 55, and my grandfather at 55. So all we have to do is hope that this early intervention and vastly improved care will allow my brother to have a long and full life.

Its not his fault he had this - he has always exercised, never smoked. He has always been in good physical shape. So, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Meanwhile, I knock on wood. I live on the hope that I can hang on long enough to get access to health care before my first heart attack or chest pains come - or inevitable illness comes. Heart disease has struck the women in our family too, even those in top condition. But so have other things.

I worry about when I get sick, not for my own happiness, but for the sake of my dependents. I would rather pass on then leave my family with a pile of hospital debt and lost shelter.

I am 7 years younger than my brother - will I make it long enough, stay out of jeopardy long enough, stay the devil from my door long enough - until the day I have health care, somehow?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I hope that you can keep the devil from your door...

There are some things that you can do, proactively, to help reduce your familial risk.

Get your cholesterol checked, and if it's elevated, get on the medicines that will reduce it. Exercise, don't smoke, eat a diet full of vegetables, fish and chicken, with less beef...

Those measures will help. I am a retired critical care RN, just so you know.

You can't change your genetics, but you can affect your own blood levels of certain chemicals that can be harmful.

I wish you well!

[Mind_your_head]

3. California Peggy, as much as I *love ya*.......

all the proactive/reducing your risk stuff, which will TRULY give one many more years of an active/healthy life.....will eventually fall flat, as you know. Age takes its toll. Which was why MEDICARE WAS IMPLEMENTED!

You know if there was a single payer system in this country, a LOT Of things would change (almost overnight):

1) People would not be afraid to be entrepreneurs anymore. They could try to start more businesses b/c they wouldn't have to worry about their own (or their employees) health care costs.

2) People over 50 y/o (who have SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS) would be 'hired' again. Honestly, if you're over 50 and lose your job, you've got one chance in a million of being 'rehired' right now. A lot of the fear is b/c if you don't have a pre-existing condition already, SOMETHING is going to go wrong with you (medically) in the next 5/10/15/20 years....it always does. The body wears out. Companies don't want to take on that obvious liability. Whatever a 'seasoned' worker knows/has in skill is NOT WORTH that risk, or so the corporation sees it.....

[Selatius]

2. This is what kills me about America.

This nation boasts that it is the richest nation in the world, yet it takes care of its sick and poor as if it were a pauper. People who have health insurance fear losing it, and those who have none fear even more. The health insurance companies only care about profits, and they would be more than happy to deny a claim or get out of covering somebody if it meant greater profit margins, and it is allowed to continue. This nation treats the least among it with something little better than scorn and contempt.

When FDR was elected his final time, he had a goal in mind to bring health care to all once the war was finished. He also wanted to guarantee a good education to all Americans regardless of wealth. He died before his task was accomplished. Over 60 years later, we have had leaders like George W. Bush.

How far we've fallen.