Throughout these Chernobyl
readings, discussion, and blog posts, a prevalent topic has been the need to
prove a certain degree of illness in order to receive benefits. I find the case
of Chernobyl especially troubling as it encompasses illnesses that are largely
out of the control of those who are experiencing them; they are not, say,
diabetes or coronary artery disease, which are often exclusively caused by
lifestyle choices and bad habits. The irony of this is that these diseases are
suffered by those who usually have health care benefits and these diseases are
in fact covered by insurance plans. The victims of Chernobyl for the most part,
have no control over the origins or prevention of their diseases, nor do they
have a clear path to care for these diseases.
However,
it cannot go without saying, that many of the “sufferers” did actually do
things to increase their “rem” levels such as going into the Exclusion Zones.
Yet this is not too far off what many people on insurance policies do when
desperate – finagle test results, or even making their conditions seem slightly
worse to receive better coverage or move themselves up higher on transplant
lists. (Please forgive the pop culture reference, but does anyone watch Grey’s
Anatomy?)
Overall,
I am just impressed with the amount of altercation that has to go into actually
getting the help that you need, and in the case of the Chernobyl disaster, I
believe is deserved. I don’t want to ignite a fiery debate about healthcare at
this point, but I find these discussions particularly interesting within the
context of this nation’s healthcare debates right now.
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