It's an understatement to say a lot of people are involved in pushing for health care reform. Trying to follow the progress can feel overwhelming. Even when we do our best to stay informed, it's hard at times not to wonder where each of us fits in as individuals. Are the decision-makers going pay attention to what one person has to say?
The current health care system lets us get away with being quiet, with being poorly informed and being far removed from decisions.
My mind was wandering over these things as I was doing a few chores around the house, rinsing out some aluminum cans to put in the recycling bin. I put the bin out on the sidewalk and looked down the block and saw all the other blue bins in front of the other houses. I imagined all the blue bins across the neighborhood. And it reminded me: my individual actions do matter and together our actions make a difference that affects others.
Recycling used to be a “fringe” idea, now it’s the norm. Some individuals doing what they believed in came to influence groups of people and whole cities and states and countries. This is why each person's voice is needed and our health care system needs every voice. As more people ask questions of the health care system like, "Tell me more," the more the system is going to change the way it reacts to us, change its assumptions about what we want and the way care should be delivered. It could start with each of us sitting in an examining room, asking the doctor, about a prescription being written, “Is there a generic version?” or what about “Tell me about this new procedure. What’s better about it? Are there alternatives? What is the cost, by the way?”
Speaking up is taking charge. Know the options. Ask why. We’re an equal partner in our health care decisions – it’s about our body, our preferences, our money. And, just like recycling, I do this because I believe in it and because it helps more than me, it helps the community. If I take time and do internet research, maybe avoid a few unnecessary doctor visits and procedures, I'm helping to keep costs down for the group of people that together pay for my medical care, and I for theirs.
When it comes to health care reform, I can email my congressmen, write letters to the editor, blog, and go to meetings. I can also speak up when it matters – in my doctor’s office. This is one more way I can contribute to the well-being of the entire community. I hope you will contribute too – if this speaks to your experience, please share this blog with your friends and family.
– Susan with Regence
The current health care system lets us get away with being quiet, with being poorly informed and being far removed from decisions.
My mind was wandering over these things as I was doing a few chores around the house, rinsing out some aluminum cans to put in the recycling bin. I put the bin out on the sidewalk and looked down the block and saw all the other blue bins in front of the other houses. I imagined all the blue bins across the neighborhood. And it reminded me: my individual actions do matter and together our actions make a difference that affects others.
Recycling used to be a “fringe” idea, now it’s the norm. Some individuals doing what they believed in came to influence groups of people and whole cities and states and countries. This is why each person's voice is needed and our health care system needs every voice. As more people ask questions of the health care system like, "Tell me more," the more the system is going to change the way it reacts to us, change its assumptions about what we want and the way care should be delivered. It could start with each of us sitting in an examining room, asking the doctor, about a prescription being written, “Is there a generic version?” or what about “Tell me about this new procedure. What’s better about it? Are there alternatives? What is the cost, by the way?”
Speaking up is taking charge. Know the options. Ask why. We’re an equal partner in our health care decisions – it’s about our body, our preferences, our money. And, just like recycling, I do this because I believe in it and because it helps more than me, it helps the community. If I take time and do internet research, maybe avoid a few unnecessary doctor visits and procedures, I'm helping to keep costs down for the group of people that together pay for my medical care, and I for theirs.
When it comes to health care reform, I can email my congressmen, write letters to the editor, blog, and go to meetings. I can also speak up when it matters – in my doctor’s office. This is one more way I can contribute to the well-being of the entire community. I hope you will contribute too – if this speaks to your experience, please share this blog with your friends and family.
– Susan with Regence
