Opinion: Sen. Manchin's Opposition To Build Back Better Could Be Body Blow To U.S. Healthcare

San Diego CA

24 December, 2021

11:27 AM

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By Rachelle Compton, Times of San Diego December 23, 2021 As an ICU and seizure nurse for over 37 years, I have seen firsthand the constant struggle Californians experience to afford the prescriptions they need to stay healthy. Here in the wealthiest country in the world, hard-working Americans pay three times more for the same medications than people in other countries. This past weekend we watched Sen. Joe Manchin tank the Build Back Better Act with little to no explanation to the medical community — another frustrating and heartbreaking blow for many of us who have devoted our lives to keeping Amerians in good health. Manchin's refusal to join his party to pass this desperately-needed health care legislation—during a pandemic that has killed more than 800,000 Americans—is a body blow to nurses, doctors, and patients across the country. From here on the frontline, I can assure Joe Manchin that Build Back Better includes provisions that will save lives, and that conversely, his opposition to Build Back Better is a vote against lower drug prices, affordable coverage, and better care for working families and seniors nationwide — measures he has supported as necessary in the past. Patients I have met are rationing pills or forgoing essential medications altogether because of cost. Over 100,000 American seniors a year are predicted to die prematurely due to lack of access to high cost prescription drugs. This is simply unacceptable to me. I became a health care professional to keep people healthy — surely a fundamental right of every American. Much to my despair, I am unable to do my job because prescription drug costs for my patients are astronomically high. All the while, as my patients scrimp and suffer, big drug and insurance companies are bringing in record-breaking profits. The Build Back Better Act works to put an end to many of these health care injustices. This legislation addresses the broken system that forces millions to choose between putting food on the table, paying rent, and affording the medications they or their children need to survive. These policies are important steps in creating a health care system that prioritizes the health of every American regardless of their economic means. Furthermore, failure to pass Build Back Better may create more hurdles for state legislation such as Assembly Bill 1400, a guarantee for free health care for all Californians. How can Manchin ignore the pleas of millions of Americans, including countless West Virginians, as we beg him to help us when we need it most? If he won't listen to me, maybe he'll listen to one special patient. Over the years, I have encountered many patients who've struggled to afford their medications, but my most heart-wrenching experience was with a 24-year-old epilepsy patient I'll call Jay. Jay reached out to me late one night to ask me to help him get his lifesaving, very expensive seizure medication. For those of you who aren't familiar with partial onset seizure disorders, it is essential to patients afflicted with them that they not skip a single dose. Even one missed dose can pose a huge amount of risk. Jay was struggling financially and between insurance, and he tried to work with the pharmacy to come up with a solution. He reached out to his father, who was not in town, and he left a late-night message on my office phone, but he simply didn't have enough money on hand to buy his medication, and he eventually left the pharmacy empty-handed. When I came into the office the next morning and heard Jay's late-night message, I rushed to my computer to help him fill his prescription. At the top of my inbox was an email that made my heart sink: "I am sorry to inform you Jay died in his sleep from a seizure last night." I was devastated…and angry. This should never happen in America. Jay's death was totally preventable — the result of a cruel, irrational, and inhumane health care system. Jay grew up in San Diego, far away from West Virginia.. He was not Manchin's constituent, but he was an American with his life ahead of him, and he died from the disregard of elected officials like Joe Manchin. Californians can't wait any longer for the affordable prescription drugs that Manchin is withholding. For families like Jay's—and there are many—it's already too late. Every day that passes with Manchin stymieing the will of the majority of Americans of all political affiliations across the country, he is allowing Americans to die knowing that all they needed was what the doctor prescribed. Rachelle Compton is a nurse at UC San Diego Health. She lives in Scripps Ranch with her husband Chaz, daughter Nina, and grandchildren Aubrielle and Adam. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.