| > | | | | corporations who profit from becoming more |
| My emotional recovery coaching process can be | | | | specialized, bureaucratized, mechanized, and |
| applied to social conditions as well as meeting one's | | | | computerized. |
| needs for personal growth and development. In this | | | | Then there are the doctors who become red flags. |
| article I will apply eight steps listed on The Emotional | | | | Some dance with the dark secret of unlimited wealth, |
| Recovery Card to focus on healthcare reform. | | | | rather than embracing their oath to do no harm to |
| There is a dark secret about healthcare in this | | | | others in desperate need of treatment. |
| country: The quality of our system is poor and | | | | Our government is a red flag because for too long it |
| millions of Americans can't afford health insurance. | | | | has submitted to the will of medical lobbyists, |
| Poor Americans receive Medicaid, but too many | | | | insurance corporations, and pharmaceutical companies. |
| experience inferior medical care. Also, lots of health | | | | Why can't government be more sensitive to the |
| care providers and doctors don't want to accept | | | | needs of a majority of Americans buckling under the |
| Medicaid payments, which attempts to place limits on | | | | strain of our health care crisis? |
| medical charges. | | | | Face Feelings: |
| Retired Americans depend upon Medicare to meet | | | | Apparently, the insurance industry, medical and |
| medical needs, but there are serious gaps and | | | | hospital associations, the pharmaceutical companies, |
| limitations in the coverage. Middle class retired citizens | | | | and our federal government are afraid to try a new |
| can't afford to pay for the care available in Nursing | | | | and more responsive health care system. |
| Homes or Long Term Care Facilities. | | | | I assume they don't want to lose money, power, or |
| Many of our hospitals are managed poorly, have | | | | influence. It makes me angry to sense they refuse |
| unacceptable mortality and infection rates, and are | | | | to face their own dark secrets. |
| depressing places to die in. The quality of our health | | | | They claim a national health care system would |
| care in this nation seems to be totally dependent on | | | | decrease the quality of health care by taking away |
| one's ability to pay. | | | | the profit motive. Of course, they avoid facing the |
| But doctor visits, prescription costs, and high tech | | | | fact that the profit motive is precisely the cause of |
| surgical care are placing huge financial stressors on | | | | our health care crisis. |
| everybody. | | | | It is sad to think that CEO's of these corporations |
| The rich are well cared for, the middle class | | | | are making six figure incomes off the suffering of |
| experiences inconsistent care, and the poor have | | | | more than 47 million Americans who don't have any |
| mostly inadequate care-based upon what they get in | | | | health care coverage. How do you really feel about |
| our emergency rooms. | | | | that? |
| Unfortunately, too many doctors and hospitals have | | | | And why do our political and business leaders seem |
| become so busy that human emotions, compassion, | | | | so reluctant to look at the pros and cons of national |
| and sensitivity have become lost in the shuffle. | | | | health systems in Canada, the Netherlands, England, |
| Too often, pills, computers, and specialized machines | | | | Germany and other European nations? |
| have become substitutes for the health care | | | | Can we forgive ourselves for thinking, believing, and |
| professional's time and attitude of tender loving care. | | | | pretending that our health care system based on |
| It is time that we do something positive to reform | | | | profit is better than theirs? |
| are whole health care system. | | | | Admit Powerlessness: |
| Now that we have been honest and open about the | | | | We as individuals are powerless to change the |
| problem, let's go to the next steps on The Emotional | | | | system by ourselves. We remain at the mercy of |
| Recovery Card. (EMC is my unique life coaching | | | | the insurance companies who cancel our coverage |
| approach to personal and social change.) | | | | because we have AIDS, Cancer, or some other |
| Stop and Think: | | | | expensive and catastrophic illness. |
| Let's stop approaching health care from the point of | | | | We can't seem to budge certain hospitals that have |
| view of one's ability to pay or as some simple | | | | turned medical care into assembly lines for beds, and |
| commodity at the whims of our market economy. | | | | patient charts, rather than a haven for love, |
| Health care should become a basic human right. So, | | | | compassion, and healing. |
| let's stop and think more about that. | | | | Many of us are powerless to change the medical |
| Face Triggers: | | | | profession and pharmaceutical industry, which say the |
| We need to face our red flags, and see the private | | | | market economy must determine the price for all |
| health insurance industry for what it really is: a | | | | health care costs. |
| business that seeks to make a profit from healthy | | | | At times, we can become hopeless or apathetic |
| people who don't need it very often. | | | | about professional politicians who are dependent on |
| These corporations just keep striving to reduce | | | | political contributions from the health care industry to |
| coverage for "pre-conditions", and they lobby against | | | | get the money they need to stay in office. |
| legislation to extend national coverage to the sick, | | | | I will complete our discussion of healthcare reform in |
| poor, and elderly. | | | | my next article: Challenging the Dark Secret About |
| Some hospitals are red flags, because they are | | | | Healthcare. |