State and city governments across the country are facing budget shortfalls and are desperate to find places where then can make spending cuts in order to make up the difference. These cuts in services are having a huge impact on the lives of the people who depend on them. And, much to the dismay of healthcare workers, some of these service cut backs are costing lives.
The New York Times recently covered a story about how the state of Arizona stopped financing certain types of transplant operations under the state's medical assistance plan. Their version of Medicaid underwent some sever cut backs that were made effective this past October.
Many doctors are saying that these changes are basically death sentences for low-income patients. These patients are in the very difficult position of having little chance of survival without the transplant procedure, but they don't have any way to get the hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for the treatment.
There have always been many regulations as to who is able to qualify for a transplant operation. Not everyone who needs the procedure is able to get one, but now, people who were on waiting lists one day, suddenly find themselves not eligible.
The article shared the story of a man who had been on the waiting list for a liver transplant. A friend of his family was dying and wanted to give her liver to him. Once the budget cuts went into effect, he was no longer eligible for a state-financed transplant. His family and friends tried desperately to raise the $200,000 needed to pay for the operation. When their attempts failed, the liver was given to someone else on the transplant list.
The state's Medicaid officials said that they are only discontinuing some transplant procedures. According to them, they assess the success rate for previous patients and determine if it is worth the investments. Some of the procedures they have stopped covering are lung transplants, bone marrow and pancreas transplants. They are expecting these budget cuts to save the state $4.5 million a year.
As you would imagine, these cuts are causing an intense debate throughout the state and it has even made its way to Capitol Hill.. Government officials seem to be split on the issue. Some of them think that cutting out expensive procedures, like certain types of transplants, is simply a cost saving measure. It doesn't actually cost lives, because no one is saying the patients can't have the transplant - just that the state will no longer pay for it. While others argue that these cuts are death sentences for the low-income patients who desperately need the operations, and while cuts may be needed, you just can't cut lives.
In my opinion, I think both sides of the debate are missing the larger picture. Imagine your partner, your child or someone you loved was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. Once you get over the shock, you vow to fight this every step of the way. But, the treatments are expensive and before you know it, you are missing time from work to deal with appointments and medical issues. This causes you to lose your job and your insurance rates are astronomical and there is no way that you can manage to continue your coverage. In that heartbreaking moment, you apply for the State Medicaid assistance and just hope that your loved one will get the treatment they need.
Soon, the doctors say that the person you care about needs a transplant and with that operation, they will have fairly decent odds of being able to live a full life. Without it, they won't have much more time left. Can you imagine what it would feel like when you found out that Medicaid won't pay for it and the only options are for you to come up with $200,000 or watch your loved one die? What would you do? What would you be capable of?
Personally, I think it would be very hard to just politely accept this sort of decision and say that it is just what you get for being poor. What would you do if you were that desperate?
I firmly believe that lawmakers and the wealthy have a vested interest in providing these basic services for the people who can't afford it. If you overlook all of the humanitarian reasons, throughout history, not providing for the basic survival needs of the poor is how rich peoples' heads end up on spikes.
I am not trying to be over-dramatic here, (well, okay, maybe just a little) but when people are fighting to save their lives or the lives of their loved ones, they are capable of doing almost anything. When enough people are engaged in a common battle for survival, especially where the only solution is being able to come up with the money, normal laws of good behavior take a back seat.
Even if they aren't able to save their loved one's life, they will never forget and will be quick to place blame. History has shown us time and time again that survival and vengeance are powerful motivations for revolution.
Along with the effected patients in Arizona, I am hoping that these changes will be repealed quickly, because everyone deserve the right to life saving medical treatment.
What do you think about this policy change? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobSiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
