Pragmatism and the Healthcare Debate

Opinions abound about healthcare in the United States. But while people with competing ideologies retreat into their corners, people in poverty with mental illness suffer needlessly. The debate rages over whether or not healthcare is a human right, and we’ve ended up with a patchwork of private providers and public assistance. It seems no one is happy. For those of us with coverage from an employer it’s still difficult. My family faced open enrollment this month and it took hours, and a spreadsheet, to choose between options. I gave up, poured a bourbon, and sat staring out the window at an early snow, while my wife struggled on until we could make a choice. But we’re still unsure what it’s all going to cost. Those on coverage through the ACA face each year with wildly different costs and coverage, and the possibility always looms that in the future nothing will be available. Those on Medicaid carefully negotiate income and possibilities that may make them ineligible, and those on Medicare live with the fear that political whims or large budget deficits may change their coverage or what gaps they have to fill. But it’s much more difficult for those who can’t afford coverage that would take care of the cost of chronic illness, or those who can’t afford coverage at all. Those with lives battered by mental illness often fall into one of three categories: First, if they are working, it’s often in the gig economy where income is unpredictable and benefits are rare...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Ethics & Morality Health-related Minding the Media Personal Policy and Advocacy Stigma affordable care act chronic mental illness Entitlement healthcare Medicare Mental Health Source Type: blogs