Two things.

[feuervogel]

Things I love about America: I can criticize the president and not go to jail; I can be an atheist and not go to jail.

Things I don't love about America: my friend is blind because she couldn't afford the surgery to reattach her retina.

Comments

[sabeth]

Now if only it were possible for freedom of speech/religion and universal healthcare to coexist!

Oh wait.

I'm really sorry about your friend, that's terrible. Is there any way to fundraise for her? Does she have any other options? :(

[feuervogel]

It happened close to 10 years ago, and she gets Medicare and disability now, so as far as that goes, she's covered. (And there's a mandatory 2.5-year wait to get Medicare & disability, so while she was waiting for coverage, it got worse.)

[leora.livejournal.com]

Actually, technically it was to clean up proliferation in my eye. This is a much trickier to understand medical problem, alas. I got the retinal reattachment done in as timely a manner as I could, but it just wasn't caught fast enough. I delayed the second surgery on the other eye to deal with the proliferation.

I was lucky. The doctor I was seeing gave me multiple laserings and only charged me 1/3 of the cost of the first lasering and he let me pay it in installments over the course of a year. Those laserings were vital to prevent active damage and to decrease the odds of the retina detaching. And he could do those in-office. But a proper vitrectomy and general clean-up in the eye required more involved surgery and he didn't have the power to waive those costs. I thought I had good odds of it being stable if I waited a few years, since there is a 2.5 wait time for getting medicare after the start date of your disability, but apparently things deteriorated further while I was waiting for medicare to kick in.

That 2.5 wait time is one of the things that really bothers me. They will pay for your medical care - just not for 2.5 years. They have to know that many conditions will deteriorate during that wait. Many conditions will become more expensive to handle during that wait. And many conditions could be treated and let people be productive sooner if not for that wait. But 2.5 years wait. It's not a waiting list. It's a rigid set wait time. Whatever your recognized start date of disability, you will get medicare 2 and a half years after that (with an exception for those who need kidney dialysis who can get it sooner - while I appreciate the exception, it is insufficient).

[angelamori.livejournal.com]

oh dear... :( I thought that there's that new Health Bill?

[feuervogel]

There is, but this happened close to 10 years ago. (And the medical issue was actually more complicated than just a detached retina, as she explains above, but regardless.)