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There’s no there — there.Any variation that the Republicans come up with is a variation of the status quo — and it’s a failed model at the system level.We’ve been fighting the actuarial math for decades — and the math always wins.Here’s the short version — forgetting how we got here (long history).U.S. Healthcare is tiered by coverage type. Coverage is tiered by:Age (twice — 26 & 65)Income (Medicaid)Heritage (Indian Health Services)Military Service (DOD & VA)Employment (Employer Sponsored Insurance)Non-Group (individual market)Non-SubsidizedSubsidized (Obamacare)BronzeSilverGoldNow, even with all this tiering, we STILL wind up with about 16% of the working population (ages 19–64) who are “uninsured.” Their only hope (in the event of a major medical event) is to race to the Emergency Room (where triage/stabilization is mandated by law — without regard to financial ability to pay).Legislatively, the way to think of our “system” is like a car — built like this:It’s a patchwork of many cars. It may run — but it’s a real mess to drive (especially around corners).And what’s the real point of a system where coverage is tiered? There’s only one reason — but it’s a biggie — to support tiered pricing. That’s how revenue/profits are maximized — and why many other consumer products and services have tiered pricing. We’re trying to cram healthcare into a consumer model — but it isn’t — and can never be:We don’t know when we’ll need expensive healthcare.We don’t know how much expensive healthcare we’ll need.The stakes are high – possible death or lifelong impairment.We often arrive at an ER on a gurney – sometimes unconscious.The average cost of inpatient surgery in the U.S. is $40,000 — so a ‘direct pay’ model is absurd.Genetics often plays a cruel role in our need for expensivehealthcare — and all too often, it doesn't play any role at all:Over 60% of the most prevalent cancers (2nd leading cause ofdeath) are the result of random cell mutation – not lifestyle or genetics.So how do other countries tackle this same dilemma? Every other industrialized country has standardized on universal health coverage — which should not be confused with payment type (because universal coverage can be either single or multi-payer — and include commercial insurance companies).And so how do these 2 wildly different models (tiered coverage of the U.S. versus universal coverage of industrialized countries) compare? Here’s that chart:NB: The chart only goes to 2014. This year — 2018 — Team USA will spend over $11,000 (four more dotted vertical bars) per capita —just on healthcare — AND — our Life Expectancy has declined for each of the last 3 years.How is it that all those other systems are so much cheaper (some by half or more per capita) with longer life expectancies? Simple — universal coverage is the delivery mechanism for the really big economic lever — single pricing.'Single-Payer' Healthcare Isn't Necessary -- But Single Pricing IsThere is no alternative — and there are only two options ahead:Accelerate the path to universal coverage (which the Democrats are committed to doing with steps like Obamacare).Slow (or even halt) the path to universal coverage with more opaque ‘gamification’ (which the Republicans continue to do in order to keep tiered pricing).Why is this so hard to accomplish? The logic is pretty clear, but the forces aligned against universal coverage (and single pricing) are fiscally strong.How many businesses do you know that want to cut their revenue in half? That’s why the healthcare industry won’t reform the healthcare industry. Rick Scott (R-Florida)… and the Republican argument is especially weak because there is no fiscal, clinical or moral benefit to tiered coverage. In fact, it’s the opposite.

One day, I noticed one of my tonsils was a little bigger than the other. I’m not sure why I opened my mouth to check, as it had not started causing me pain.It grew over the course of a week and remained painful. My mom said it would go away and I should just try to tough it out. So I took Advil, gargled with saltwater, poked at it with a cotton swap to attempt knocking the calcium deposits out, but nothing made it less swollen.I knew the next week I would need to pack and head to Florida to see my boyfriend, but my mouth was starting to hurt.When I got to Florida, the pain was about a 3/10. I told my boyfriend and also reassured him in the same way my mother reassured me that it would go away on its own. This was Thursday morning.Sunday we went to the small theme park in his home town called Old Town and went on a roller coaster. The park consisted mostly of shops so we went in all of them to pass time and to see if we could find anything cool for his new car. This was fun, but I noticed my mouth was getting more painful as I did stuff. By the end, I was at a 4/10.Us in Old Town:Monday, we went to Disney World. I was eating and drinking well. My other tonsils began quickly began to swell, and my uvula developed this white dot in the middle of it. The pain level escalated to level 6/10 after our trip to Disney.My boyfriend in Disney (pointing at a bird):Tuesday and Thursday we rested and I took as many naps as I wanted. He was a little frustrated that I was in pain, but he also knew that we had a full 9 days together and we could afford to waste some time.By Friday, I decided to go to an urgent care place because my pain was making it hard to swallow food. They prescribed me oral antibiotics and gave me 3 shots. One was a steroid, another was an INTENSE pain reliever, and the third was a high dose antibiotic. The pain went away for about 12 hours which was about the rest of the day. It was extremely hard to take the antibiotics as my throat was starting to hurt.By Friday, all I wanted to do was lay in bed. That night, I noticed the white spot on my uvula had grown quite big and round and my uvula was sticking to my tonsils because it was crowded. This made me snore and make weird exhale noises during the day.My boyfriend was getting more frustrated with me, complaining once or twice that I was always sick. He wasn’t complaining in a selfish way, though. He was complaining because he didn’t want to see my time in Florida go to waste. I don’t travel and he knows that so he wanted me to see as much of this unknown place as I could and I completely agree with him. He knows I love exploring and he was just trying to get me up and about, as he knows I am happiest in that state.On Saturday we went to a party at his friend’s house. It wasn’t like a college drinking party, it was this magician man’s dinner social to celebrate and show off his new and improved tiki bar. My 21st birthday was the next month so I couldn’t taste test, haha. I watched my boyfriend socialize and share secrets with other magicians, as I was trying not to talk with a mouth full of pain. But I did a little. And I ate like a normal person. I didn’t want to present myself as any different because I was with my boyfriend and I naturally want to not make him feel like he is dragging around a non-magician sicko because I’m pretty.That night, I went home with pretty intense side pain. I wasn’t sure what was hurting but I was experienced enough to know that the pain wasn’t urgent. Sunday, I had about given up. I ate a few bites of pasta (that my boyfriend made for me) and decided it was no longer possible for me to swallow solid food. My boyfriend was feeling bad for me this whole time. He was also feeling helpless because I was virtually unable to be comforted.Later that day he helped me get outside to get some fresh air. We went outside, around a few buildings, sat at the small pond, I picked up a tiny frog for him to pet, and we made our way back to the place where he lived. I did need fresh air for emotional reasons, but it didn’t seem to help me physically. Pain level 9/10.Monday, I went home VERY early in the morning and my boyfriend graciously drove me to the airport, saving me $30 for a Lyft ride (look deep in the comments if you want to know why this is an extremely kind task he did for me). I couldn’t really speak anymore, but I spoke just enough to read off the directions to the airport from his phone. I love him and I really wish I could have given him a proper thank you and a proper goodbye.When I got home, my mom took me to another urgent care where they prescribed me a different antibiotic that did not work. I couldn’t talk anymore and I did not eat at all the whole week, but I did manage to keep up with drinking a maximum of one cup of vitamin water per mealtime.Friday rolled around and I couldn’t open my jaw more than an inch. So my mom took me to express care where they realized this was a serious problem. They took me on a slow ambulance ride up to a hospital about 5 minutes north. My mom met me up there because she loves me and she was my vocal temporary cords. I spent some time in the emergency room where they gave me GREAT IV pain meds (so I could talk) and did blood tests to see what was happening.That’s when they discover I had Leukemia, a blood cancer. They then sent me to an emergency room 45 minutes North that specialized in cancer treatment and I sat in another emergency room for hours being introduced to new doctors, nurses and people who are trained to be hematologists-oncologists.At 3 am they sent me to my room and when I woke up later in the morning they told me I had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. This is a GREAT TYPE of cancer to have because there is no tumor and it’s very treatable for someone my young age and my great health.It’s been about a month and a half, I’ve had one round of chemo and I’m a day into my next round. I’m feeling great, looking great, and surprising all the doctors with my appetite and energy! After this round, I’ll have a bone marrow transplant and if I make it through that, I will be cured!For those who are concerned about how frustrated my boyfriend was and that he was complaining, let it be known he was under a lot of stress trying to be able to continue to stay in the United States legally. It’s really not easy. But actually, he was VERY supportive by cooking my meals, letting me do house tasks that I wanted to do, cuddling me when I was cold, and getting me things I needed when I asked. He was frustrated for me, not at me.Now, my sisters and I spend our days sending Facebook and Snapchat selfies to each other via text. My boyfriend and I video chat often with updates on our lives on opposite sides of the east coast!Me:My older sister:My younger sister (who looks 10 years younger with the filter she used):Edit (Easter Sunday, 2020):I am now in remission. It has been almost 100 days and I will start being weaned off of a lot of medication I am on. I feel like I always used to, I am still very happy, and I currently have no evidence to believe that I once had cancer (besides a few scars from tubes being stuck in my veins). Thank you for allllll the upvotes!Edit (Independence Day, 2020):It has been 169 days post-transplant and I have had two minor cases of GVHD of the skin then gut. I have not started to be weaned off any of my medication, but they did add a medication. UGH! As of now, I am hoping I will be okay in time for school to start in mid-August. Still wicked optimistic and living life to the FULLEST!

HealO Medical is a Florida company with a China office, seeking to manufacture in China as well as US. We are interested in high-capability partners in new product development (R&D) and manufacturing. Please contact me via elin at healomedical dot com. Thank you