This morning started out as any other morning... I awoke a little before 7am so that Rachel and I could take the dog out and go for a run. The air was heavy and humid, and the sun hid behind the clouds, illuminating all the sides, like a delicate golden outline. It's mornings like this that make me happy to be alive, and even though I was so tired from working on the medical inventory, my head was clear and my heart was full and I was ready to start yet another very busy day.
As I was responding to some emails, I heard a loud thud and a scream come from my bathroom. I rushed in, to see Rachel on the floor, a towel covering her face, and blood everywhere. I was afraid to have her remove the towel, because I didn't know what she had hit or how bad the injury was, so I woke up Dr. Ben and had him assess the situation. I came back with handfuls of gauze as we took the towel away from her face. She had a long gash down the bridge of her nose, a cut in the bottom corner of her eye, and another cut right under her eyebrow. She told us that she was reaching out to get her towel from the shower, slipped, and when she tried to catch herself, her hand slipped from the counter and her face caught her fall instead. It was a deep cut, and looked so painful, but we all tried to stay positive for her while Ben and I cleaned her up. I knew that she needed stitches, so I called her insurance agency to find a place that we could take her. And this is where it makes me mad.....
Her insurance told me that because she is over 30 miles away from her home in Laguna Beach, California, they would only cover her to visit an Emergency room and that there would still be no garuntee of them covering the cost. They said that the co-pay would be at least $100 and that the case would have to be reviwed by a board to determine if the insurance would cover her "emergency", and if they decided not to, she would have to pay for the whole cost of her ER visit (which, as someone who has been rejected from an insurance claim, is a very hefty bill).
Even after all of that, Rachel still went to the ER, paid the $100 and came back with 10 stitches in her face. What bothers me is that she should be able to walk into any hospital and be treated with equal respect and care for her injury, not for how much money or insurance she has. Insurance companies are so hard to navigate through, and most people don't think to call first ahead of time for emergencies (I mean, come on it's an
emergency, who really thinks logically anyway), so it's almost as if you have no insurance if they decide not to cover where you go.
It's interesting to talk to people who criticize Floating Doctors for the work that we are doing outside of the country. Sky and I had a gentleman yell at us at the Latino festival this last weekend saying that we were "unpatriotic" because we did not desire to set up free clinics in the US. What's funny is, we would LOVE to help our country, in fact, our country needs so much help, but ultimately, we would be shut down by sue-happy people and insurance agencies. Clinics have tried this and have been unsuccessful because of malpractice suits from people who's insurance refuse to cover their care. This man continued to say that because we wouldn't practice here, we must be practicing bad medicine, and what "horrible" people we must be by going to these poor countries and giving themc are we are not qualified to give.
Sky and I both feel lucky to talk with these people, because it gives us an opportunity to shine. Through our optimism and (ahem) logic we are able to elequently tell those who fail to see the good in our organization how our help will not only benefit the communities we visit, but eventually our home country as well. Floating Doctors is proving to the world that medicine can be simple, can be effective and low cost, and can get back to the basics of what good practice actually is--doctor/patient relationships and quality care. We will be visiting a multitude of small communities that have NO access to care (meaning, they have no hospitals, no doctors offices, no emergency rooms...nothing!), and show that by simple practices and preventative care, we are able to lessen their disease burden. Furthermore, we can attribute the data that we collect (through the World health Survey that I am writing) to our own healthcare system here, and find a way to make it work for everyone, and elimiate the disease disparities that seem to have paralyzed our health.
I feel so lucky to be part of something that is so great and that is fighting for a better and brighter future for the rest of the world. I know that the work I do with Floating Doctors is only the first ripple in the pond, and after this first year of missions, the circles will extend wide, helping take the step in a healthier tomorrow.
