Seventeen years ago I woke my mom and aunt up with a problem: I wasn’t breathing normally. My mom worried because that’s what she did, and my aunt worried because she had one idea: asthma.

This was the beginning of what has been a wonderful life of wheezing, gasping, and taking steroids. And the best part is that I have to pay for inhalers — the devices that give medicine to asthmatics. I use this wonderful device because I need it to live.

So let me write this line and see if you’re as angry as I am: After insurance I get to pay $10-$30 a month to live. Not “live comfortably,” just “live.” And thanks to that wonderful, conservative idea of the “free market” (where corporate bailouts and subsidies are somehow allowed), there is a person out there making money off of me.

The idea of profiteering off of the illness of someone else is infuriating. I think of someone — a stock owner! — sitting on his ass collecting dividends or (even better) waiting until that hugely profitable moment when a bigger corporation buys his stock for an assload of money. Making this nightmare even better is the fact that if I don’t find affordable insurance in the next few years (I can stay on my dad’s until I’m 25), my inhaler cost will eat away my bank account quicker than a cake in Oprah’s greenroom.

My government does not care about this and continues to defeat any attempt to help everyone afford the cost of medical care. I am pretty sure I know why: Those people collecting dividends and making money off of my sickness, well, some of them are running for Congress. And, oh, it makes me feel great to know that.

When I was five I was told I could grow out of asthma, that it would improve with age, but it never has. I have a thousand triggers that can set off the panting/gasping sweat-storm that is a normal asthma attack for me. Luckily I only have one of these every couple of days, so I’m doing wonderful.

And when I lose my insurance and have to pay out the ass to live, it’ll warm my heart that I will be helping this generation of pharmaceutical stockholders buy BMWs, which is going to be a real comfort when my O₂ stats drop.

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Once again Patrick's article is so very correct. It is always a toss up for seniors to decide whether to eat or just buy medicine & maybe get a little food, nothing fancy. I know I'm one of those seniors, who even with insurance has an astronomical monthly drug bill. & all brcause the FDA lets Phstamaceutival companies run wild with their costs. My local pharmacy osn't making the money, but oh those on Medicaid, not medicare pay practically nothing for their meds. Way ro go Patrick & good luck with the astjma!!!

centralgal | May 23, 2007

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