Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Insulin is #6.


I ran across a fascinating bit of data yesterday watching an enlightening, and validating, lecture posted by a friend deep in the comments on another friends post on Facebook. (Link HERE)

I took a screenshot of one of the slides in the lecture, and Googled the information to confirm validity. 



Oh yes.



It’s real.



Heaven help us. It’s super for real.

I’ve been running the numbers in my head for the past twenty-four hours, and there is no math on this green Earth that makes these numbers ok.

I know that Insulin is complicated to make, but it seems as though the demand is surging the prices, rather than the complexity of it all.  Because let’s face it, the demand for insulin is only increasing…and that demand is not driven by superfluous wants, but rather by need.

Need to live.

My children need a constant stream of this liquid gold flowing into their body all day every day simply to stay alive.

Why would the price go down? No one is going to stop using it because of price. No one that uses it has a choice.

So friends ask me, what is the answer? What can we do?

I wish I were a brilliant mind. My swelly brain can scarcely process the information my boys are constantly throwing at me, much less answers on how to fix the US Healthcare System.

But here is what I do know:

* I am angry.

* This is not right.

* I’m worried about my boys’ futures. 

My boys are entering adulthood faster than I care to admit. Will they be able to afford one of the most expensive liquids on Earth to stay alive?

I know that I can’t sit here and think, "It'll all work itself out."

I need to say something. 

We all need to say something.

I will march around banging my pots together as long as I have to, so I can get more people banging their pots along with me.

I am tired of hearing about Stormy Daniels. (Oh my gosh! I didn’t even need to Google her name. I’m sick about it.) I am tired of hearing about Russian probes. I am tired of hearing about how much our President plays golf. I’m sick and tired of tabloid news and tabloid government.

WE NEED REAL CHANGE, and help, and hope…and our government is a complete joke. Every Politician is in the back pocket of one special interest or another, and this is not left or right. Is our government really so corrupt that we can’t look at the fact that people are dying because they can’t afford their medication?

I’ve always believed that our voices together could excite change, but our Government and news affiliates are living as a bunch of spoiled teenagers.

There is no bigger picture, just petty jabs.

The Healthcare System in the United States is not an easy mess to clean up, so it’s ignored. It's easier to call someone fat, or find something to ruin a reputation than to solve real problems.

If one can’t do hard things, one shouldn’t run for office.

6th most expensive liquid in the world…

On the list with LSD and Scorpion Venom…

But in Canada it’s $30 a vial?

I’ll just leave you with one more screenshot from the lecture and let the silence that follows speak for itself.




4 comments:

  1. Meri, You are so right. Unfortunately I feel like this country is so FUBAR that there is no fixing it. The government is so far into the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies, the NRA, the hospitals... they are never going to do whats right or whats best for the greater good if they have to sacrifice their big dollar incentives... even if it means children die. Its gross. This is why my family is moving to New Zealand in December. We lived in Australia before (when our son was diagnosed) and we know that there is a completely different world beyond the borders of the US as far as medical care and medicine costs.. a far BETTER world. I hate to say it but I have given up on this country and I cannot wait to be gone.. I know this doesn't help, so I apologize for that. Keep on doing your thing.. you are a light in this sea of swelly brains.

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  2. Not only children. Those precious children grow up into adults, and their need for insulin doesn't go away. And then there are the people diagnosed in adulthood, who outnumber those diagnosed during childhood. We ALL need that precious liquid. And yes, we need to beat our pots, but we also need the organizations that claim to represent us and care for us (ADA, JDRF, AADE, and many smaller ones) to step up to the plate and advocate for us. Of course we want a cure, but what good will it do us if we're already dead or severely disabled from lack of insulin? Insulin access needs to be priority number ONE!!

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  3. Hi Meri, you have really put this into perspective for me. I have two girls both type 1 and it scares me to death to think that one day they might not be able to afford this liquid gold. I'm often reminded that our govt is not looking out for their people but there deep pockets. This makes me so sick to my stomach. I pray this country gets straight and these pharma stop gauging the american people.

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  4. The other day, Elise and I were talking about what she wanted to be when she grew up... when I heard her choices, all I could do was think, "but those jobs won't have health coverage. You need a job that will give you benefits." Of course I didn't say that, but it made me sad. And want to move back to Canada. How sickening that someone might not be able to pursue what they love to do because they might not be able to afford to keep themselves alive.

    I have more thoughts, but my filter is off right now because it's early, I'm tired, and I'm mad. So I'm going to shut up now.

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