USA HealthCare Mess

[andhra_jp]

‘A Broken Health Care System’ for Ill People and Their Caregivers

My husband was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis just as the Covid pandemic hit, in April 2020. 
By December he was completely paralyzed and on a ventilator. He needed help 24/7. With Covid restrictions, friends and neighbors were not available to help me.

We were fortunate to be in contact with a wonderful nonprofit, Compassionate Care A.L.S., in West Falmouth, Mass. 
We were provided with medical equipment that insurance would not cover. 
A lawyer suggested that I divorce my husband of 54 years to reduce his assets so he could qualify for Medicaid. 
We found an agency that specializes in A.L.S. care, and its employees were here faithfully, day and night, until he passed away.

At the cost of $20,000 a month I was able to keep him at home, where our family could love and support him. Most people don’t have the resources I had. Their loved ones are sent to ill-equipped nursing homes.

It is shameful that this rich country has such a broken health care system. Rachael Scarborough King is correct in pointing out that the population is aging, and our Congress is doing nothing to alleviate the caregiving problem.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/13/opinion/caregivers-heath-care.html