But the story of how I am being penalized for the fuckups of CVS when I do not work for CVS will have to wait. Today you're going to meet Eric De La Cruz. From all accounts I have seen, Eric is a pretty normal 27 year old, except for the fact he developed severe dilated cardiomyopathy. Bad news the dilated cardiomyopathy is. Those of you in the professions already know this means his heart will get progressively weaker until it's transplant or death.
So Eric was sick, and he was ready to do everything he could to get better. Had he been born in Toronto, or London, or Paris, or Tokyo, that would be the end of this story and I could move on to how CVS sucks pud for making me bail out their sorry asses. Eric had the bad taste to be born in the United States though, where no private insurance company was gonna touch a kid with major heart troubles with a ten foot pole. Eric was placed on Nevada Medicaid.
"Oh, well that sounds like the end of the story then" You must be saying. "Go ahead and tell us how CVS is ruining your life when you are in no way affiliated with CVS"
Nope. Because Eric was also rude enough to reside in Nevada, where there are no heart transplant centers. Nevada Medicaid will not pay for out of state care. So Eric would just have to die. Two times a court of law told Eric he was just gonna have to die.
That's what happens in the hodge-podge blend of senseless private for profit and 50 separate state government run except for the parts that aren't government run programs that we call a health care system in this country. If you're in the wrong place with the wrong problem you just have to die.
Which is why I say burn it down. The whole fucking thing. What passes for a health care "system" in this country needs.....to be.....destroyed. Because what would save Eric....his only hope....was the one part of our system that is national socialized medicine. Medicare.
If Eric could get covered through Medicare, the federally run health care plan that offers universal coverage for the nations oldest and sickest citizens for far less overhead than private plans, he could get back to only worrying about if a compatible heart would become available and the monumental task that is recovering from having a major organ ripped out of your body and replaced. Fortunately for Eric, Medicare is overseen by politicians and not CEO's. Politicians need votes, and when Eric's sister raised a ruckus about the screwing her brother was getting, the politicians realized letting one of their constituents die so publicly might not be the best way to get those votes they need. Eric was granted Medicare coverage. So thanks to his sister and the national socialized medicine part of our health care system, he has a chance.
It shouldn't have been necessary. The ruckus raising. You shouldn't have to have a sister like Eric's to have a chance to live. Because not everyone has a sister like Eric's.
So burn it down. The whole fucking system. You, and me, and Eric, and everyone else in this country deserve a hell of a lot better.
CVS sucks.