A one-size-fits-all health program is not the answer

May is Mental Illness Awareness Month, and it is important to note that mental illness is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. That is the reason, to be honest, that I am not going to act like it is. The facts are that I have been affected by this, and it is more than a nuisance. I say it is difficult to describe what a pain it is to not feel worthy of anything good happening to you or to feel completely unmotivated to live.

In my writing, I make it a point never to ask for anything that my readers do not want themselves. The three things I need to live life are meaningful work, medically appropriate housing, and healthcare that can meet all my physical, mental and emotional needs.

Public health is a major issue. People who would normally oppose socialized medicine are often the people who want me to go to a clinic run by the government where I would never get the meds that I need - not to mention the meds necessary to manage my high blood pressure.

They are against this form of medicine because they don’t want to face the fact that for millions, this is the reason someone might not be able to get a job. Who can afford to be without their health insurance when they have a major illness? I have to consider every dollar I make so I don’t lose the ability to justify why I need benefits from Social Security.

The problem is that I am not the only one with these concerns. The health system is failing to consider the fact that everyone needs to work. The mental health system is one of the worst at teaching people the skills they need to work.

If everyone had insurance, so that no one could be refused healthcare, we could focus all of our resources on ways to make sure that everyone had the best care. The fact is that there is already rationing of healthcare in our country, and that fact is obvious because only those with insurance can afford the healthcare they receive.

I do not support socialized medicine because that is what I received when I was first treated for mental illness. I know that it doesn’t work, and I would have never received the meds that I am on if there was not a change in the mode of care that I was receiving.

My health is important enough that I should not be forced into a one-size-fits-all program where it is not likely that I will receive the care that I need. That program also would withhold the attention I need to be fully integrated into the community. As long as there are not enough adequate healthcare programs available to everyone, people will find it hard to get the care they need and be the best that they can be. These are facts. Face them and take the first step to putting disabled people back to work in the real world.

– Joseph Kastner is a staff writer.