By snoadmin
It’s impressive what you can learn waiting in a line. Well, it’s probably not as much about gathering information as it is hearing a bunch of incredibly well put-together gossip from the ladies that set up camp outside of the Long Beach Comprehensive Health Center where I went recently.
These ladies must keep themselves amused because at 4:25 a.m., they know they have a long day ahead.
“You should go buy some coffee for us,” the lady behind me said. “I promise to save your spot.”
I smiled and told her that I don’t drive. She looked nice, but I preferred not to take chances.
As the time passed, the line grew increasingly longer. All of us were there for the same reason — we lacked health insurance.
When I was diagnosed with epilepsy a couple of years ago, I panicked about how the heck I would afford my anti-seizure medication. Then I discovered Outpatient Reduced-Cost Simplified Application (ORSA), a way for uninsured Angelinos to pay for outpatient medical services in one of the Department of Health Services facilities.
Because of the stigma that county clinic users carry, I was extremely embarrassed that I had to go to one for medical treatment. Once I got there, though, my embarrassment turned to sadness.
How is it that sick people in the United States must stand in line at 4 a.m. to receive healthcare?
This time, I was standing in line for my friend, a Cal State Long Beach liberal arts major whose mother is extremely ill. They both lack health insurance. There was no way I was going to stay behind and let my friend stand outside of this clinic — with her mother on a chilly morning — waiting to be seen by a doctor.
The lines were mostly made up of older Latino and black women who carried blankets to protect themselves against the cold. They tried to make the best out of it.
One of the ladies mentioned that this was a great place to meet people and sell her Avon products.
As we got near the front of the line at around 7 a.m., I put my book down when a little girl in an elementary school uniform asked if I wanted to buy tamales. She pointed to the other side of the line, where her mother was making bank selling tamales to others in line. People quickly pulled out dollar bills to buy tamales with a side of warm chapurrado.
I sensed that some have done this before because they packed their own breakfasts and lunches. Others just looked hungry and waited patiently for their turn to see a doctor.
My friend finally arrived right before they opened the clinic doors, her sickly mother slowly walking before her. She’s been very sick, but because she has no health insurance, she hasn’t seen a doctor.
A recent CBS News/New York Times poll reported that 38 percent of Americans are not willing to pay higher taxes so that everyone can have health insurance.
It’d be ideal to have a universal healthcare system without having to pay higher prices, but we’re currently going through some bad economic times. I wish I could take that 38 percent to spend one chilly morning with the people needing healthcare the most and ask if they still feel the same. Or whatever.
-Julio Salgado
