Anyone have Medicaid/Medical, and not vax? - Page 2

[passionatepreggers]

My youngest got his 2 mo. vax, and that is all. He is now almost 8 mo. and I am 99% sure we are doing no more (I used to be pro-vax, but also very uninformed. I learn more everyday ). I receive WIC as well as Medi-Cal, and have not lost coverage or WIC support. My doctor is pro-vax, but also respects me as a person, and speaks with me as if I am one. The health dept. called once to threaten me, but (from what I can tell) no government funded program can force you to vax, just give you funny looks and make you sign papers saying you've declined it.

[Deborah]

All of the debate about medical care, free or not free, reminds me of one of the great stories from Harry Golden, author of several books, including Only in America. He wrote mostly about the Jewish communities on the Lower East Side in NY, in the early 20th century.

This community was incredibly poor, incredibly overcrowded, overworked, and, of course, fairly unhealthy. Few of the people could afford to pay for medical care. There was, however, a free clinic, where everyone could go and get medical care, if they could afford to hang around and wait their turn. Everyone who worked at this clinic got paid, the nurses, the cleaners, the secretaries, everybody, except the doctors. The doctors all volunteered their time. So the doctors would be working their normal contingent of hours at a hospital or practice and then go and do an extra shift at this clinic, that mostly served poverty stricken immigrants. Apparently the medical care provided was pretty good, in spite of being free.

The worst problem was that the majority of the patients had problems that couldn't be treated by doctors. They were malnourished, breathing bad air, working too hard (or under dangerous conditions), having too many babies too close together, so what they really needed was social change, not drugs.

[Margot Adler]

i second that!

it is not only our right, but our responsibility to complain until we are heard when we believe our children's welfare is at stake.

Originally Posted by angelpie545

This is a very classist thing to say. Most often, people who don't have a lot of money are also hard working, caring citizens who want nothing more then to give their children the best. They, for whatever reason, can't afford the insane cost of medical insurance as it is in the US. Also, doctors who accept medicare are NOT working for free-the state does reimburse them. It's not a large amount of money, but it's some-and yes, any good doctor who took his oath seriously should be willing to do some free work. I might get flamed for saying that, but I believe that access to health care is HUMAN RIGHT, not a privilege.

Don't act as if those of us on medicaid should be "so grateful" for what we have and to just sit down and not say anything. We have a RIGHT to good doctors who respect our decisions and who treat us with dignity and respect. All doctors should be held to that code. I believe that the government has a duty to provide quality health care to those citizens who cannot afford it. That is their duty as a governing body, and it is our right as citizens to have access to life-saving services. I don't believe that just because you have money you should be able to pay for better services. Everyone should have the same high quality of health care regardless of ability to pay. No one should have to suffer at the hands of incompetent medical personnel, not the rich, not the poor, not prisoners, not anyone.