Monday, June 2, 2008

I'm glad I'm not having babies in America.

Apparently some health insurance providers are refusing cover to women with a history of c-section.

Now my first delivery was normal.

My second delivery was what would be called a crash section. A lot of running around screaming. That was the staff...They were very professional in the room but I could hear outside as they rang surgeons, yelled at the junior doctor that had let it get to that point, yelled over the phone to Spain to my consultant who was on holiday ( great timing by me), shouted for porters and cancelled an operation where the lady was already on the table. There was my husband threatening to kill the previously mentioned junior doctor, and the hospital administrator in a corner talking on three phones to security (remove doctor), a lawyer ( possible law suit) and the consultant (so he was on two phones) from Spain.

I heard running footsteps as a different consultant arrived from I think a transporter module (star trek) and I was being pushed along the corridor to theatre with said consultant already weilding the knife as a midwife tied his mask on. Just as I started to panic they put a mask over my face and I woke up with a baby, healthy, and a husband, ten years older.

I didn't have the time, and the staff certainly didn't to discuss whether a c-section was a good choice. It was the only choice.

My next pregnancy ended in a trial of scar, failed, followed by an emergency c-section at 35 weeks. Emergency seemed to mean an hour or so in this case, but the circumstances were very different. If I'd had an American insurer I would have had no cover, no choice, and probably a handicapped child.

My fourth delivery was a planned c-section. Planned on the day I had the pregnancy test, by the doctor. He'd had enough, and frankly so had I. While they were in there they re-tied my tubes, twice, and cut them.

So this move is to lower the planned c-section rate, c-sections done for convenience. The rich will still get their planned sections. People like me who have emergency c-sections will not get insurance cover, and will not be able to have planned c-sections, where's the justice in that?

I am morally against c-section for convenience, and can assure any women that recovery from a normal delivery is much smoother. There are good reasons for c-sections, medical and non-medical. Stopping cover is an idiotic and short-sighted ploy fron the insurance companies.

I do predict that the first woman who has a disabled baby as a direct result of this move will also be the one that changes the law.

1 comment:

slh35661 said...

This is the very type of story that makes this article scary. I had not heard of insurance companies in the USA doing this before now, but everyone I am passing the article to is as shocked as you and I are. My first thought is of course, so insurance companies yet again descriminate against women for being women. My next thought is how many women will be caught in limbo because of this with no coverage. My third thought is, finally this may make some physicians who are quick to use the knife stop and take a second look before just doing it because they want to go to bed before midnight (and I have worked with an occassional doctor or two like that). Honestly though most doctors I have worked with are not quick to jump to a c-section for no good reason. Just the ones that aren't very competent.
By the way, I love the idea of the woman cave. I'm thinking I would also make the window have the prettiest view to inspire great writing and wonderful insightful thoughts.