Health care concerns

I have a concern about healthcare in rural areas. All I can do is speak from my own experience.
As many of you know, I came from Northern California, north of Sacramento in the Central Valley. The dominating health network was Sutter Health.

A family member had a very rare virus that destroyed much of her brain tissue. The emergency services she received at UC Davis was wonderful and lifesaving. But she needed continuous care AFTER she was released.

Because of her disability, the only possible insurance available was MediCal, the California equivalent of MNSURE.

In all of Northern California, there was only ONE neurologist who worked for a system that accepted MediCal. He was two hours away.

There were no physical therapists, no occupational therapists, and only one clinic for MediCal patients, and they only did primary care.

This was one of the many reasons we moved to Minnesota.

And now that same health network just purchased the Allina system in Faribault.

Yes, I heard that they are “pouring 2 billion dollars” into Minnesota health. But who will benefit? I’m pretty sure it won’t be those who need it the most. We lived it in California.

Recently, I needed blood work done for a wellness program offered through my employer. They contracted with a company that only offers blood draws in the cities. An hour away. They would not allow me to go one mile and get blood work done, because they weren’t contracted with them.

This is a harbinger of things to come.

Corporates contracting with each other is good – for manufacturing, building, retail goods and services, etc. But NOT for healthcare. The corporate contracts are NEVER beneficial for the patients or the professionals who work so hard for so little.

Please listen to me. We are just one board decision away from excluding all MNSURE patients from ongoing care at Allina. And they’ve done it before.

What protections for patients are in place with this merger?

They will certainly continue to take emergency patients, because the current laws force them to. But there is already talk in the GOP about forced institutionalization of disabled persons. They really aren’t going to ensure that occupational health, physical therapy, mental health and counseling are available for those who need it the most.

The party the brought us screwworm, measles, diarrhea lettuce, and COVID certainly is NOT going to protect patients’ rights to care.

Neither will the huge corporations that are moving in.
It is part of the strategy. Bankrupt the systems, then swoop in and buy them out at pennies on the dollar.
Family farms, health clinics, what will be next?

It isn’t too late to stop this.

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Author: Sam Powell

What am I doing here? I am an ex-Reformed pastor. I love the system of doctrine found in the confessions of the church because they lead to Jesus, exalt Jesus, and clarify the life and work of Jesus. But I worship him, not the confessions. I will never use the confessions of the church to beat someone down or to win some kind of argument. In Reformed and Presbyterian churches, I hear over and over again how the books of order, the constitutions, and the centuries of procedures are used to silence the abused, drive away the sheep, protect the powerful, and maintain the status quo. If you haven't seen it, you haven't been paying attention. On top of this, in the 1980s and 1990s, several influential and powerful men introduced a new theology in the church as a response to feminism. They called it "complementarianism". They based it on a novel interpretation of the Trinity, by introducing authority and submission into the persons of the Trinity. Doing this, they contradicted the unanimous testimony of the church since the 4th century. And one more - in the 70s, a cult leader named Bill Gothard invented a religion which he called "Institutes of Basic Life Principles". He peddled it to millions under the guise of Christianity. All of these streams combined into a weird, oppressive, violent, vicious mixture which has infiltrated the churches. It is a strange new religion, under the guise of Christianity, but has nothing to do with it. It has gone by different names: Moral Majority; Christian Nationalism; Patriarchalism; It worships power and authority, it worships traditions and parliamentarian procedures, it worships celebrity, and it worships those who can argue down a liberal or a feminist. It values destroying enemies with argument, it values contempt and winning the debate. It calls for the release of Barrabas - at least he was trying to do something about Rome- And shouts for Jesus to be crucified. What this new religion doesn't have is: Jesus, the Lamb of God Grace Mercy Compassion Understanding Listening or Good news. All it knows is law. And all it trusts in is power. It knows nothing of washing feet, of letting the mind of Christ dwell in us, or of taking the lowest place. So this is why I am here. For those who have been run down by Driscoll's bus, who have been crushed by the Gothard machine, cast out by Wilson's cult (or Piper's or MacArthur's)... ...for those who are so confused that they don't know how to separate the gospel of Jesus Christ from the lies and tangles that the enemy has woven into a snare... I offer my services. I can listen. I can help untangle the lies by pointing you to the simplicity of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. You can find me at sampowellministries.com

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