Peter's Place

February is American Heart Month , a federally designated event designed to remind Americans to focus on their hearts and encourage them to get their families, friends. and communities involved. As anyone who has supported or followed US Senator Bernie Sanders knows, the costs associated with healthcare in the United States continue to skyrocket , while the outcomes of that care continue to decline . It's gotten so bad that major corporations are forming their own healthcare networks to help keep costs down. The American Heart Association (AHA) provides the following facts that confirm our nation's declining health and broken healthcare system: Graphic from the Go Red for Women campaign of the American Heart Association showcasing fact that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the USA Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, remains the leading global cause of death with more than 17.9 million deaths each year. This amounts to 2,300 Amer...

I feel as though I've just given birth but, as I'm 100% biological male, I know that's an impossibility in our reality. I've had this feeling on a near-daily basis for the past twelve months. I feel as though my normal life has become amplified, like how a headache amplifies into a migraine. That is to say, I've been taking care of my mother, who on top of her ongoing health issues was diagnosed with her fourth round of breast cancer at the beginning of last November, supporting my sister with her four daughters (the eldest of whom I've  previously written about is very special needs), helping my father (who's recently moved back to the area) launch a new business, and once in a while squeeze in an appointment or two for my own health needs that are ever-growing in this cosmic journey we're all in together as we swirl around through space on a water-covered rock orbiting around a giant blob of hydrogen and helium entwined in a fusion reaction we call ...

The United States should join every other major nation and recognize that health care is a right of citizenship. A Medicare-for-all, single-payer system would provide better care at less cost for more Americans. ~ Bernie Sanders After spending approximately four days inpatient, I was discharged from the hospital today. Last Saturday, I was taken (via ambulance, which probably isn't covered by my medical insurance) to the ER at Hartford Hospital and admitted there in a "code red" situation because I was having difficulty catching my breath due to my heart racing and perhaps some other medical problems I was experiencing. As a (somewhat very new) volunteer for Hartford Capital City Pride , I was at HCCP's PrideFest , which was held outdoors (in the very hot, very humid weather) in Connecticut's Capital City of Hartford's Bushnell Park . It was a very hot, extremely muggy day—just the sort that my asthma-based  COPD has serious issues with. Despite the...

Oh, the trials and tribulations of living on Social Security Disability Income with Medicare health insurance! The Rising Cost of Healthcare in the USA The problem of rising healthcare costs in the USA could not be more insane than what I'm currently being subjected to. I received a notice (so they say) from my Medicare Part D insurance provider (that's the insurance coverage that pays for all of my medications) that my premium was being reduced this year. One might think, this is a good thing, right? Well, as it turns out, it is exactly the opposite! I went to CVS today to refill five of my prescriptions that I must take in order to maintain my current health. These prescriptions are all required for me to function at close to a level of normalcy. The cost of the coinsurance for these five prescriptions is going to be $193.52! Last year, I paid all of approximately $40 for these very same prescriptions! This is complete insanity. I may be saving $40 on my...