Not many industries have the profit margin health/medical care does. Over the past 2 years my family & I have discovered just how much my medical care has cost us. It started with what should have been a routine surgery, full hysterectomy. That surgery alone was $22,000 with $3,000 of it being the price of the medical device I was implanted with ( surgical mesh) . That device was 10″x 12″, then it proved to be defective, causing some serious injuries once inside. For each ” Adverse Event” ( as injuries are named by the device co. & FDA) there would be another surgery, more medical equipment needed at home , Example: Wound Vac, IV Machine. Then the medical supplies, wound dressings ( state of the art= VERY EXPENSIVE) gauze, saline to flush wound & IV Line. And let’s not forget the drugs, from expensive antibiotics to pain meds & pretty much everything in between, I have been prescribed it. All in all though, these are the ” Cost” one would normally associate with ” Medical Care”. But then there are other ” Cost” that my family & I have paid as well. These ” cost” no check will cover, No Insurance will pay for . And yet these ” Cost” have been the hardest the accept. Our health insurance premium is around $600 per month for family, Most charges have been paid @ 80% by the carrier. Leaving us with 20% to cover on our own. By Being implanted with a $3000 surgical mesh device, we are now about $50,000 in debt. Turns out the device was defective, funny thing is, everyone in the ” Medical Community” Knew it was defective. Even the government agency charged with protecting citizens knew it was unsafe. Yet , even now as I write this post it is sold all across the country. The manufacture of my particular device has had several past charges from Department of Justice, things like ” medicare fraud” for selling faulty pacemakers, to patent infringement , each time these cases go to trial , a civil penalty is fined. The Government collects its share & patients are left to bare the ” True Cost” of defective/dangerous devices themselves. It borders “insidious” what has taken place across this nation concerning defective drugs/ medical devices. We have all seen it, The TV commercials advertising a law firm ” If you or a Loved One have been Injured”….Or the warnings that appear for the latest prescription poison. ” Bad Drugs” The TV ad says…..I say poison made by “Bad people“, People that have chosen ” Profits” over human life. People that are determined to sell their latest ” Wonder” NO MATTER WHAT COST it will have on the people that buy them.
Just to make it perfectly clear here, These ” Products” that We buy, We do because a doctor has prescribed them, or has determined this ” product” ONCE IMPLANTED into your body ” Will make you good as new” . We are not talking shady used car salesmen here, We are talking about Doctors. This is the profession people enter when they wish to help a person get well, the profession that once was about improving the quality of human life. No longer do I believe this about the medical community. Greed has replaced Grace, profits before patients, and ” Do No Harm” Now means ” Do Not Get Caught” And if you are ” deny, deny deny”.
Am I bitter you ask? No, Disappointed, Am I angry? No, Shocked. Do I want revenge? No, I want ” Change” Accountability, I want ” justice”.
I am a real person, not an ” Adverse Event” to be counted. The ” Cost” We ALL pay that have been harmed by some ” medical blunder” can never fully be calculated. Like what is the value put on a mom not being able to play with her children? Or how much is missing a school recital worth, because you are not able to get out of that day from the pain. What is considered fair compensation when you ” Wet” yourself in the grocery store because your bladder just empties whenever it decides. How much should a man be paid to give up his intimate life with his wife? An actual ” monetary value” is placed on the things I described above. See, here in America we seem to think it is ” OK” to mame/disable/injury/destroy a persons life. If they complain or disagree and you realize you can not silence them, Well….. Cut ‘Em a Check & Then pray your next ” victim” does not have as big a mouth. It is not like ” They” ever change their way. In fact those checks ” settlements” are already written into the bottom line, even before the product is sold.
The ” True Cost” my family & I have paid could never be calculated into ” dollars” . No, These are ” moments” that have been stolen, Robbed of the memories my family & I should have been making. That surgery changed my life & Not for the better. Everyday I wake in such pain, that I am unable to stand up straight. The normal function of my bladder & bowel are things of the past. Intimate relations with my husband of 20 years is now something ” We remember we ONCE did” My joy, zeal, & love for life has been replaced. I now have fear, worry & anxiety for the future, where I once had goals, dreams, and aspirations. My story is not being shared because I need ” Pity or Sympathy”, NO, It is being shared in hopes Someone will read it & then think twice before allowing ANYTHING to be permanently implanted into their body. Each patient must become informed , in order for this to happen we need more ” transparency” . Device/Drug Companies MUST disclose ALL risk , without doing so, No patient could ever be informed .
What has happened to me, should never happen to anyone again. For 2 years now, ” Surgical Mesh” are words that haunt me. Words, I wish I never knew. All my medical care, including that @ University Of Maryland Medical Center by Dr. “J” , has ” Cost” us more than we care to acknowledge, The ” Price” has been much too great, more really than any family should have been expected to pay. And yet, everyday we are still being ” charged”, Paying the price for trusting the device company , Praying the price for trusting Dr. “J” from the big prestigious University Of Maryland, and paying the price for ever thinking everyone has the same moral values & ethics you & your hold.
In our nation Industry & Government are now hand-n-hand. It used to be Government regulated Industry, Now the roles have reversed. Big Business is now Boss. One view of the documentary : Ethos A Time For Change, will prove that. Most politicians have now been tattooed with UPC bar codes, scanned & bought by some business wanting them to turn a blind eye. Our government agencies charged with protecting us, are now for sell as well. The fee for a new medical device or drug is a serious joke, it is clear this is a “buy off”. America we need stop paying these ” cost”, do what we can to expose this corruption. Sweep out government offices that hold officials that are capable of being bought. Hold our government accountable & refuse to spend your dollar with companies that cause harm. We hold the power, quit buying the products, it is that simple. No sells, no profits, no profits, no more corrupt businesses holding the ” power to buy decisions”.
justizseeker 