Months ago, I got in line at a drug store here. A woman ahead of me, obviously a familiar figure to the young pharmacist behind the country, trying, with mixed success, to take in the gentle explanation. You have maxed out your prescriptions on that insurance, the professional said slowly. I can't give it to you.
The customer shook her head in resignation. It was like the Medieval Courts of Chancery (ph), where if you were poor, you could take your lawsuit against the rich or the government and hope that when they hear the handful of cases to be heard that year, they picked somehow yours.
If they didn't, you could try again next year or, in some cases, every year for 20 next years. The woman who needed the prescription spoke even more slowly than the pharmacist just had. She almost had no hope in her voice. Try the Cigna please.
Another drug store late at night and the pharmacist there was a friend of mine. "You have to do something about this," he said loudly as he handed me my refill. He reached for somebody else's prescription. "You see this? Anti-fungal cream. I just filled this. You know what this cost wholesale? Four dollars. You know what I sell it for? Two hundred sixty three dollars. I sell it for less and I get fired, and maybe we lose our license."
Now was the next sentence from Keith Olbermann "I took pity on the woman and paid the bill myself" ? Sadly no Keith changed the subject and started ranting about how unfair our healthcare system is.
I will give Keith some credit though. At least he used this story to tell us how selfish and unfeeling the american taxpayer is for not paying that poor old ladies bills. Then again maybe if one of us had been there we might have kindly offered to pay for the womans drugs from our own pocket instead of having the government forcefully take it from someone else to pay for it.
