Psyched Out

I work with a new client who has gone from making six figures and having three jaguars to being on disability ($800/mo). He comes from an EXTREMELY wealthy family in the richest suburb in my state. His siblings are emotionally supportive and one of his brothers is his payee, but they don't help him financially at all despite stunning personal wealth. Someone in the hospital told him and his sister that my agency would pay for all his medication, which is a blatant falsehood. Now he and his family are FURIOUS. They refuse to believe that medical providers are not liable for providing him free medication. The sister's husband is a malpractice attorney, and they keep threatening to sue. I'm like, Knock yourselves out. Nobody has a responsibility to pay for his medication except him.

I explained that I don't like it when homeless and indigent people can't get the medicine they need and live in fear and anxiety and depression and psychosis. I don't like it when it happens to formerly wealthy people either. I used my standard social line, "All the people I work with are equally important to me." This works for both people who have self esteem trouble or depression (meaning "You are just as important") and with extremely entitled or narcissistic people (meaning "You are not more important").

So I spent an hour and a half of my life that I'll never get back saying "no" to people who would not accept that because basically nobody has ever said no to them before. Among the things said to me (followed by my internal reaction in ALL CAPS just to demonstrate how I was screaming replies in my head while apparently patient and calm.)

"This is just reverse discrimination."

UM, HELLO, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS REVERSE DISCRIMINATION. THERE IS MUTUAL RACISM, BUT THAT'S NOT DISCRIMINATION.

""If he were a black woman he'd get his medication from you for free." I did raise my voice a little saying, "Absolutely not!"

ABSOLUTELY NOT. AT LEAST A THIRD OF MY PATIENTS GO WITHOUT DESPERATELY NEEDED MEDICATION BECAUSE THEY ARE POOR BUT DON'T QUALIFY FOR MEDICAID OR MEDICARE. RACE AND GENDER ARE NOT RELEVANT. NOBODY GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT, INCLUDING YOU. SORRY IF HEARING NO AND COPING WITH IT IS NOT A SKILL YOUR PARENTS TAUGHT YOU. IT'S OFTEN HARDER TO LEARN IN ADULTHOOD.

"I didn't think we had welfare anymore."

YEP, THAT WOULD BE THE EXACT PROBLEM YOUR BROTHER IS HAVING AS WE SPEAK.

AND YOU'RE THE FUCKERS WHO VOTED TO DISMANTLE OUR SOCIAL SAFETY NET. AND YOU'RE ALSO THE ONES WHO VOTED IN AND INVESTED IN FOR PROFIT HEALTH CARE AND INSURANCE. AND THEN VOTED RESTRICTIONS FOR PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY WHEN THOSE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL BILLS DOUBLED IN COST, MAKING THE MAJORITY OF FILERS DECLARING IT BECAUSE OF MEDICAL BILLS.

"[Psyh hospital] and Community Mental Health and you are liable if you don't give him free medications and he gets sick again. You are responsible for guaranteeing his well-being."

HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OWN WELL-BEING. BLOOD KIN, WHEN THEY EXIST, GENERALLY STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND HELP THEIR DISABLED LOVED ONES. IF YOU WON'T, NOBODY ELSE CAN. DID I MENTION THAT YOU'RE THE FUCKERS WHO MADE DAMN SURE OF IT? BY DESTROYING THE ALREADY MEAGER SOCIAL SAFETY NET. REAGAN, BUSH, W AND YOU ARE TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SITUATION.

Okay, venting over.