In the past, we literally had to sell our house to pay a huge hospital bill. The hospital sent the bloodhounds. My husband had just lost his job. I was near death.

Afterward, anything related to that crisis was big red lettered ‘pre-existing condition,” by any and every insurer we’d ever had… and although undertaking scrupulous selfcare (dont drink dont smoke, dont do illegal drugs, dont lay-about, ok ok, well some layabout in order to read books.. and eat fresh fruit til I could break out in cherry blossoms, beef is a treat maybe once a month, omega 3, vits and supps daily; whey prot. and etc. … and a few generic meddies to keep me alive)…

I havent yet been able to build blood centrifuges and testing machines that will moniter whether my blood levels on several points dive to life-threatening red-line. This leaves me two choices, go to the local lab four times a year and pay $500 a round, plus physicians’ fees to write orders. Or don’t go and not know when, for instance, I need life-giving iron infusions IV.

Here’s another soul who’s concerned about ‘pre-existing conditions’ knocking him off the rolls of ‘worthy to be helped if in critical need’… Whose Gonna Take the Weight? He also has a unique method of intervention and self care now.

I wonder if the current universal health care bill will cover what some deem ‘alternative medicine,’ –will this be reimbursible under the preventative care clause?

From a deeply ethnic family in the boondocks who had no ready connections to competent doctors, drugs and machines and hospitals, I tend to think a combination of whatever works very well, most quickly, and most inexpensively, with least horrible side effects… is the first way to go– but then in whatever other ways… old fashioned remedies that work, alternative medicine that works, western medicine that works… these each person has to weigh risk vs benefit from there. Hopefully with an able advisor of great experience. And time-tested efficacy of interventions.

For some of us, (Jerry Remmers my coblogger here as well who has written about the frustrations of insurance on his chronic illness…) just trying to stay “well-enough” is often a trial when the ‘supplies’ for staying well, are so ungodly costly, and when many are on fixed incomes and have to decide to go without in order to absorb the escalating costs/ copays/ out of pocket pays for much-needed supplies… and the insurance, whether medicaid, medicare, medi-anything, keeps booming “Pre-existing condition. Eat it.”

Dont tell me I shoulda coulda taken better care before my health was fragile. I was born this way. Nearly didnt make month one, let alone year one. I have to work with what I’ve been given. And am grateful to Creator that I somehow still manage to be alive. Cant make everything all better by following the public pap about how everyone is morally deficient if they cannot know, afford, find, follow basic helps…

Just saying: There seems no use in trying to shame or beat up people for trying to stay healthy, when they cannot always afford to have/take/do/be whatever it takes to do so. Will is one thing. Got that. Dedication is one thing. Got that. Devotion is one thing. Have that too. Commitment is one thing. Have it in spades. Discipline is one thing. Have it most all the time.

But I and others have no control whatsoever over the huge cost of interventive preventative care now… and if WORKABLE clauses on such are not clearly scribed into the newest health care bill… intervening preventative care will only escalate in larger and larger costs to the consumer/patient/person… (Jerry Remmers and I spoke publicly at TMV about how the cost of a simple supply of one small box of blood testing plastic strips for diabetics (1/2 inch long ea) costs over $100 cash, plus often enough the cost of a doctor visit to renew the Rx from time to time). Out of pocket.

It would make no sense to pass a health care bill that left people on their own to pay and pay and pay… who have already, via insurance companies’ policies’ been exiled and on their own anyway all these decades past.. and who have paid and paid and paid out of pocket to try to stay/ remain/ regain health.