I’m tired. Tired of this system. Tired of pretending it’s “broken” when it’s actually running exactly the way it was built: to profit off of people’s suffering. Today I had to sell my medical marijuana, my prescribed medication, just so I could afford my psychiatrist appointment. Both are essential to my health. Both are prescribed by professionals. And yet, the United States makes me choose between them like I’m choosing which limb to keep.
That’s not bad luck. That’s not “failing to budget.” That’s a health system that says:
“We will let you live, but only if you can afford it.”
Politicians tell us to “take responsibility” for our health. I am taking responsibility. I’m going to the appointments. I’m following the prescriptions. I’m doing the work to stay alive and functional. But responsibility means nothing in a system where access to care is determined by your bank account.
The truth is, this isn’t a healthcare system. It’s a pay-to-play survival game, and the people in power know it. They benefit from it. They built it this way.
I’m done calling it “broken.” A broken system tries and fails. This one succeeds every single day at its real goal: squeezing profit out of sick people until we can’t afford to stay alive then have to worry about our family getting the funeral bill.
Sisyphus Shrugged 