FIC: Uninsured

[dr_dredd]

Title: Uninsured
Author: dr_dredd
Genre: angst, hurt/comfort
Season: Three, right after "Misbegotten"
Spoilers: None really; maybe very very slight one for Misbegotten
Word count: ~3200
Rating: PG
Feedback: Yes, please. I'd like to know if this worked for you or not.

Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis, characters, concept, etc, aren’t mine. Please don't sue

Comments

[sunmyano]

I liked this story very much. It made me think again about the whole medical insurance concept my own country is slowly moving to as well right now. I found it really touching and think that it'll stick with me for quite awhile now. *hugs*

[dr_dredd]

You're in Germany, right? In a recent article comparing health care systems from Europe and the U.S., Germany actually came out the best. What is your country changing it to?

And thanks for reading! :-)

[sunmyano]

Well, we have private and standard patients already and though we're still much better off than in the States the quality of treatment and the way patients with standard insurance are treated doesn't get better and costs more money than it used to through a new fund system the government is planning. All in all it's said that a two-class system is promoted more and more in the medical sector right now.
Okay, but I won't really complain about it even though it can really nuke me at times. For example when I needed an urgent appointment at the octamologist's they made me wait over 4 months for it because I'm no private patient.

[dr_dredd]

A two-tiered system is a tricky issue. On the one hand, I do think that people should be allowed to buy extra if that's how they want to spend their money. On the other hand, by doing that, they're tying up doctors, resources, etc. that could otherwise be used to benefit the main "pool" of patients.

If a system is two-tiered, I think it at least needs to be sure that the "bottom" tier has comprehensive benefits. (And that doesn't mean 4 months for an appointment!)

[ladyniko]

Wow, powerfully written and to the point.

I'm in both categories here - a health care provider (massage therapist) and an uninsured American.

Massage isn't covered by any state but like WA & FL. So, even though it has proven benefits, it's not "accepted."

I am uninsured because I am done w/ school and waiting (on the #$%#$^#$% state to get off their butts and finish processing my provisional license!) to start working for a spa.

If only we had "real" dental insurance that worked more like the health insurance is supposed to work in this country....

But, back to the story, I am so glad you had Carson going to go talk to Kate in the morning, because she would really be one of the few who could see why it upset him so.

Good job!

[dr_dredd]

You don't have to convince me about massage therapy. I go every 3-4 weeks regularly! And I agree that health insurance in this country should definitely work better than it does. Blue Cross/Blue Shield in California is spending millions of dollars on a campaign to defeat some of the governor's proposed reforms. They need to be spending this on medical care!

Going under the assumption that Kate's a psychologist (like she said in The Gift), rather than a psychiatrist, she may even have a better idea than Carson about lack of insurance. It's harder to get coverage for psychologists than it is for other mental health.

Thanks for reviewing!

[cybersyd]

I'm guessing you're going to be watching 'Sicko' when it's released?

Lovely fic, not just for the characterisations and the friendship between Carson and Sheppard, but also because it does what Stargate rarely does - touch upon real political issues. I don't want the show to become BSG, but it's always nice when fic does, particularly one over such a powerful issue.

The NHS may be flawed, but I'm still proud of it. I can't imagine living under the US system of health care...

[dr_dredd]

Oh, yes. I definitely plan on seeing it. Apparently Michael Moore's pissed off the Bush administration one too many times -- they're investigating a trip he took to Cuba for the film.

Health care is a tough issue (especially as judging by the controversy I inadvertently started on SGAHC!) I don't have any easy answers, but I really do think the U.S. needs a national health care system like the NHS, warts and all.

Thanks for the review!

[deaka]

Lovely story. Very much liked your characterisation of Carson - I really wish that they'd allowed him to develop more, because I don't think it could hurt Atlantis to have someone with his values around.

You handled the underlying message very nicely also - it didn't overpower the story in any way. I'm Australian, and I find it hard to get my head around the US health system but what I've heard makes my glad that ours is set up differently.

Great work.

[dr_dredd]

Thank you (and I agree with you about Carson!). I'm glad to hear that you didn't think the message overwhelmed the story. I was afraid it was going to turn out to be too preachy.

How is the Australian system set up?

[deaka]

I don't know all the intricacies, but from what I can tell our system seems to be closer to the U.K.'s than to the US or Canadian health care systems. Instead of the NHS we have Medicare, our version of a publicly-funded universal health scheme, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), a programme that subsidises the cost of certain prescription drugs. The system has its problems (don't they all?) but I'm thankful I don't have to deal with worries about health insurance and so on for my family.

Sorry if that's TMI, not intending to bore you to sleep. ;)

[dr_dredd]

No, not TMI at all. I've become more and more interested in comparing health care systems all around the world. I freely admit that I don't know much about economic theory, but it really is quite fascinating how different countries have come up with local solutions (or, in some cases, new problems) to the problem of "equitable" access to medical care.

[wraithfodder]

Great fic, and good commentary on the health care system (US, I presume). Yes, if you don't have medical insurance in the US, you're pretty much screwed... and even if you have it, it may not be all that great either depending on your plan.

[dr_dredd]

Thanks! I'm fortunate in that my plan is a good one, but some of my self-employed friends aren't so lucky.

I can't wait to see Michael Moore's new flick, "Sicko".