What if I Was Poor?

So, I was looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs today (stop me if you’ve heard this one – lol) to explain to a student how you can effectively market to a customer based on the need that your product is designed to fulfill for him. I came to a realization.

The most basic need is physiological.  These are the basic needs to survive such as breathing, food and water. Most “high-ticket” products don’t fall into this category – they can , but at their most basic level they don’t.

Since May, I’ve been fighting a recurrent lung infection. It flares up every two weeks or so.  It’s flared up right now with escalating symptoms and my doctors are doing all sorts of tests to figure out what the heck is wrong with me. I have to tell you that the fact it’s a lung issue is a little ironic. My Mom and Sister smoke like chimneys and have for years. I’ve never smoked a single cigarette and I have the lung problem. Not that I would wish this on them but you have to wonder.

So, one of the treatments prescribed is Advair, an inhaler that helps keeps your airways open so you can breathe. It’s that purple disc that you’ve seen on TV. The first couple I used my doctor gave me free samples which was very cool. She made it seem like it was a big deal but I didn’t really think anything of it.

Let me just tell you that without this inhaler, it’s a struggle to breathe. Just regular breathing. Walking is effected. Even sleeping is effected.  Forget trying to do much more than walk from my bed to my home office.

Yesterday, I went to the pharmacy to fill the Advair prescription and when I picked it up I was shocked that the Advair was $202.

$202. For an inhaler. TO BREATHE.

I know what you may be thinking now but guess what?  I have insurance that covers prescriptions. Good insurance.

Thankfully, I can swing $202 to be able to breathe. (Thank you real estate and internet marketing!) But what if I couldn’t?

What if I literally didn’t have $202 to spend to be able to breathe? What would I do?

There’s a big political debate in the US right now over health care reform and I don’t have a position on either side. I haven’t paid much attention to the subject because, until recently, my health hasn’t ever been an issue.

People are very passionate on both sides of the debate.  And not only do I not know all the issues, I have no idea how I feel about it.  Really, I have no idea what the answer is I’m just thanking God that I’m not poor.

In this business, it’s easy to get caught up in the material things that we get as a result of our success. The things that satisfy the “esteem” need. And I have plenty of those, too. But I have to tell you that all the BMW’s, koi ponds, 50″ plasmas and Rolexes in the world don’t mean much when you’re just a sick chick that wants to breathe.