Russian, Russian...

So I worked in another store yesterday.  14 loooong hours.  Another story for sure.

This store has a HUGE Russian population.  One that apparently doesn't speak English.  So all morning, until my Russian speaking techs came in, I would get calls from people that went something like this:

ME:  Thank you for calling....
BORIS:  Russian, russian...
ME:  No speak Russian.
BORIS:  Russian, russian..
ME (louder):  No russian.  English.
BORIS:  Russian, russian.
ME (even louder):  No russian....NO RUSSIAN!!!

(side note:  why do we speak louder when there is a language barrier?  As if the person is going to suddenly magically understand English if it's spoken loudly?)

But here's the thing....as I was filling scripts for the Russians, I noticed that every single one of them was on Medicaid.  Really?  How does that work?  Who decides how Medicaid is administered, 'cause they have some 'splainin to do.  What, exactly, is the residency requirement to receive Medicaid?  Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-immigration, I'm just wondering how it is that so many of the people who receive public aid don't speak the language.  I see it more than you think.

And the really interesting thing is that it's not the populations that you'd think.  In my experience, hispanics are way less likely to attract attention to themselves by seeking out aid or assistance for themselves.  They'll send their children to public school, yes, but I have counseled several hispanic patients that they needed medical care, not some over the counter crap and I just knew I was the best they were going to get.  It's in their face.

So stop talking about the Mexico-US border and demanding a useless fence (I'm looking at you, Sarah Palin).  Howzabout taking that cash and using it to sharpen regulations regarding who is eligible to receive state and federal aid?  I'm thinking you should have been a citizen long enough to have paid into the pool a bit before you start taking out.

Just a thought.

Been on Hold with Walgreens....

For 34 minutes!  Woohoo....'cause I got NOTHING better to do, right?  Don't tell me that you are soooo busy at 1 AM that it takes 34 minutes to answer a call.