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John Cottingham wrote: >The source of this article is Common Dreams: http://tinyurl.com/4s9a5 > >Published on Thursday, August 19, 2004 by CommonDreams.org >If You Are in Labor, Press One >by Joyce Marcel > >Since my stepfather's death in Florida a few weeks ago, I've realized that it's much easier to die in America than it is to live. > >While millions of Americans do without any health insurance at all, and seniors cut their necessary daily medication in half to stretch the bill, and some wait until a simple problem has grown serious enough to require emergency room attention because doctors' fees are too high, dying - like running a prison - has become a American growth industry. > > There is something very wrong with this picture. All of the services the author identified *should* have been available (paid for by Medicare) through home health care services. After my husband's hospitalization for bypass surgery in 2002, identical services were offered to us. We still have the hospital bed and other accessible devices, including oxygen. Our phyician will write a prescription for any accessible device that we need - all I have to do is call him (last year we got a power wheelchair, for instance). Home health care, including Care Assistants who would bath and care for my husband, have been offered every time we see the doctor. I refuse the services because I am capable of providing for all of my husband's needs at this time - but I know those services will be available any time I ask. As for the author's mother having difficulty contacting her doctor during a time of need, well......in Florida, apparently finding a decent doctor is very difficult. I really have a hard time understanding why that is because so many of the State's residents are senior citizens. The rule in our family is, no matter how good the doctor may be - if the doctor is not available for what ever reason during emergencies, we get a new doctor. All doctors should have answering services. If they don't, they apparently don't care enough about their patients to receive payment for services. The consumer of medical services must understand that they are the customer - and the customers rights pre-empt the physican's. It is responsibility of the doctor to insure that some other physician will take calls in the event that he/ she can't. ---------- Mary Ann Ryan (CG Jamie 65/25) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn