A Crafty Metaphor

I have asthma.

I have had asthma for about as long as I can remember.

I struggled for years trying to get it under control. I've tried just about every medication under the sun, largely without luck. Until a couple of years ago when I was prescribed a medication called Flovent. It was the first medication that ever kept my asthma comfortably under control. It's a preventative medication to keep me from having asthma attacks. I could probably live without it, but in order to do so I would have to refrain from physically exerting tasks and activities.

Anyways.

About a year ago, I went into my local pharmacy to get my Flovent refilled. When I went to check out, I was informed that my insurance policy no longer covered this medication (a medication with no generic equivalent). And in order to walk out with this medication today, (which had been prescribed to me by my doctor) I would have to cough up $70 out of pocket.

So now I had to make a choice. I was sort of painted into a corner because my two options were as follows:
1. Come up with $70 today to take home my inhaler. And then come up with $70 every month or so to refill it.
2. Walk away without my prescribed medication and go back to the drawing board trying to find a medication that works for me.

Tough choice, right?

I'm a college student in New York City. As much as I wish I could have come up with the capital to pay for that medicine, the reality was that I couldn't afford it. So I walked away from the pharmacy empty-handed that day.

"Well," you say, "if you can't afford your asthma medication, maybe you shouldn't go for a run.*"

I suppose that's one kind of preventative measure. But, if you ask me, I shouldn't have to quit doing something that I have every right to do. Nor should I have to quit doing something that I enjoy doing just because a corporation decided my medication wasn't worth covering. Someone devised this medication so I could go for a run or take a dance class without running the risk of having an asthma attack. And I have medical insurance to cover me for my day-to-day medical needs. So why is gaining access to that medication suddenly so difficult?

Unfortunately, finances play a huge role in most people's decisions, including mine. If I had the $70 kicking around, I totally would have spent it on that medicine (a medicine that isn't necessarily life-saving but certainly makes my life a lot easier). But since I didn't (and don't) have that kind of money, I essentially had no choice other than to walk away and try to figure out something else.

I had no right to choose. The only "person" whose choice was honored in this situation was the corporation who chose to no longer pay for my medication.

I doubt Flovent was taken off the list of preferred prescriptions for any religious reasons. But if someone is ever going to deny me medication based on the corporation's religious beliefs, I sure hope they do everything they can to make sure those values are upheld in every aspect of their business.

Because if it's THAT important to you, you should have no problem divesting in companies with opposing beliefs. And you should also have no problem with only outsourcing your labor to countries who share your ideals.

Sure, it'll probably cost you more money.  But that's your problem, right? Your right to choose.


*Okay, okay, I don't run. It was just for the sake of the metaphor, geez.