Pennsylvania On The Forefront Of Single Payer Health Delivery

My name is Kate Loving Shenk of Nursing CareerMerle was emotionally challenged by the duel
Transformation and a Staff Registered Nurse inthreat of incarceration and economic collapse.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania.Our bill, HB 1660 pays for long term care and
As a Health Care Professional, I see people whodoes not involve the bureaucratic paper work
are between jobs, who are in retirement, orthat was created ultimately by health insurance
starting a new business, or who want to go backcompanies to deny payment to consumers.
to school, or move from one job to another; andIf HB 1660 was in place, Marybeth and Merle
they lose health coverage in the process,wouldn't be going through this degrading
sometimes with catastrophic results whenexperience.
accidents or acute health conditions occur duringThe question is, how many other of our elderly as
these times.well as most people between employment, are
When people fall in these categories of thehaving similar experiences that are the worst kind
uninsured, health care workers, patients and taxof humiliations in what is NOT a civil society until
payers all have to pay.we get a single payer system instituted in our
From my perspective, when a patient arrives atcountry?
the hospital with a large brain stem bleed becauseMeanwhile, the health insurance industry continues
of a major stroke after he stopped taking histo lobby to protect their position and profits, while
blood pressure medicines when his retirement planthe system they've created continues to
unexpectedly dropped his health insurance, anddisenfranchise more and more people in this
we resuscitate him just long enough for his familycountry every year.
to arrive and say their goodbyes;I would be remiss if I did not talk about single
And this and similar situations occur wheremothers in this scenario.
patients between jobs and in retirement areI spoke to such a woman whose yearly income is
forced to cut back and consequently die as the$18,000/yearly, but because her ex-husband had
economy worsens, suffice to say, Nurses andinsurance that covered little if anything, her 2
Doctors see these sorts of examples all the time.children did not qualify for schip.
Burnout in my profession results because of aShe went to her state representative who gave
profit driven health care system that isn't takingher poor advice: To ask her ex-husband to drop
care of anyone, and Nurses and Doctors are lefthis insurance, wait 90 days, and reapply to schip,
to pick up the pieces.not taking into account that her ex-husband was
Or take the example of a man between jobscourt mandated to have such insurance.
without health insurance, with a job interview theConsequently, her out-of-pocket medical
day after his car slipped on black ice, was flownexpenses continue to mount because of a
by helicopter to an area trauma unit, and spent 2system that allows too many single mothers to
½ days in Intensive Care before he wasfall through the cracks.
moved to a regular hospital room.In sharp contrast, a health care system which
He sustained major injuries to his spine, includingincludes full and unlimited medical, dental,
fractured and compressed vertebrae, andprescription drugs, durable medical equipment,
shattered discs.home nursing, mental health, optical, substance
This man was incapable of attending the jobabuse, hospice, long-term care, emergency
interview, of a job he was favored to get, andtransport, physical and occupational therapy, will
now has a huge hospital bill after major surgeryfree all of us to make full contributions to our
to his spine, transport by helicopter, and anfamilies and to society.
extended hospital stay.Malpractice, another overwhelming stress
Or the example of an 89 year old woman, Merlecontributed to a health care system in crisis, will
Kuznik, who broke her right hip after suffering afade.
major stroke on her left side. The nursing homeAmerica will be able to compete in the Global
she was in insisted that Merle Kuznik apply forEconomy.
Medicaid to pay for expenses not paid byThe stressors I have described will vanish.
Medicare.HB 1660 has the singular capacity to bring the
When the paperwork was not completed in ahaves and have nots together for a common
timely fashion, local Constables showed up to hercause that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
nursing home room, with guns visible but in theirand America desperately need.
holsters, and told her she would have to go to jailBy having a Civilized Medical System in place, as
for 3 days, if she did not pay.Chuck Pennacchio calls it, we can serve our
Merle's daughter Mary Beth went to KDKA TVpopulation of patients with a clear conscience.
and told the story which the station covered, butThese are the greatest gifts of all.