I met Regina Holliday today, and it was an honor. You may have read about her in the Washington Post or on Huffington Post. Her husband developed kidney cancer, but did not get tested when the first symptoms appeared, because they could not afford health insurance. When he finally got a job with healthcare, the disease had spread too far, and he died recently at the age of 39. Wanting to spread her concerns about health coverage, and it’s affects on her and her children, she hit on a unique idea. She decided to paint a public mural expressing her message. A local landlord agreed to let her use the side of his building in downtown DC as a canvas, and she went to work. Since I was going to be downtown today anyway, I decided to pay her a visit. Media outlets are slowly starting to pay attention, and while we chatted, there was a steady stream of people stopping by for a look. I appreciate the fact that she has found her own way to spread her concerns. Thank you, Regina . [See more pictures of Regina’s mural at http://www.flickr.com/photos/staranela/sets/72157621851512579/ .]
I don’t have a problem with people having different opinions on this topic, but, I wish everyone would find a place for thoughtful and logical discourse, instead of rabid sounding protesters funded by the insurance lobbies, and an aquarium full of red herrings, distracting everyone. A few that boggle the mind:
* The administration’s plans include euthanizing our senior citizens. No really, people are out there saying that. I just heard someone at a rally comparing Obama to Pol Pot, Hitler, and Stalin. Really? No matter how much you dislike him, can you REALLY make the stretch to come close to believing that ridiculous kind of analogy? This is based on the fact that one version of the healthcare plan includes public funding for doctors to have the conversation with patients about living wills, so that their wishes, either for no heroic measures, or for all the heroic measure available to keep them alive in life or death situations. Shame on all the rabble rousers out there claiming this is the equivalent of the Killing Fields. I have a living will, and so should you.
* We’re going to be stuck with the awful NHS system that the UK has! Um, no. No on has ever suggested cloning the NHS. Or the Canadian system. But, you know, while there are legitimate horror stories about, and problems with both of those systems, that’s not the only side of the story. I have a lot of American friends living in the UK , and the one thing that keeps most of them from considering repatting to the US is our healthcare system. One friend who did move back here found her family in a horrible situation where not a single insurance company would touch her toddlers with pre-existing health problems, or her British husband until he had lived her for a considerable amount of time. Luckily her kids ended up qualifying for the state insurance program for uninsured children (yeah, the program the GOP tried to kill). But, healthcare here has been a nerve-wracking nightmare that it never was in the UK . No one says we have to copy another country’s system. But, THIS IS AMERICA , WE ARE SMART ENOUGH TO PICK AND CHOOSE THE BEST PARTS OF OTHER SYSTEMS AND PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR US! Why is that such a hard concept for so many to grasp?
* We’re going to lose control over making our own healthcare decisions. Again, no, no one is suggesting that. And, I hate to break it to you, but, unless you are paying for all of your healthcare, and I mean ALL of it, yourself, in cash, with no insurance company involved…..you are not in control of your current healthcare. Nope, your insurance company is calling the shots. Do you know now many established, experienced, expert doctors are told what they can and cannot do, by pimply faced kids just out of college, and without even a fraction of your doctor’s knowledge and wisdom? And, they are basing their decisions on their company’s bottom line, not your best interests.
* Healthcare reform is socialism! The sky is falling, the sky is falling. Yawn. What’s being discussed isn’t any more, in fact is probably less, socialism than public education, Medicare, Social Security, VA healthcare, and so on. I’ve never gone to public schools, and if I had kids, I’d send them to private church schools. But, I have never begrudged a cent of my taxes going to public education. It helps build a stronger society for all of us. It’s something we owe our fellow citizens. I don’t think healthcare is any different. It will strengthen our society in another way. We Americans don’t leave other Americans behind in other situations, whether it’s on the battlefield, or when they get into trouble in other countries. We send billions of dollars overseas to help people facing catastrophic health problems. Yet, we think it’s ok to ignore our fellow citizens closer to home. How is that right?
* People who don’t have health insurance are in that boat due to their own laziness, stupidity, lack of motivation, lack of priorities, lack of will power, etc. Do you really, truly believe this? I guarantee if you look a little closer around you, you will find you know plenty of people who either are, or were, in that situation through no fault of their own. They lost their job. They had a pre-existing condition. Their job doesn’t offer healthcare. And, it’s not just those without insurance who are in dire straights. You think you have good insurance? You better hope you do. A large percentage of personal bankruptcies each year are people who had insurance that turned out to not cover their health catastrophe, or had a cap that was too low to cover it. Do we honestly think it’s ok for people to lose their homes, their pensions, everything they own, in order to try to meet medical costs?
* If you’re young and healthy it isn’t an issue that should concern you. That’s great. So you’re guaranteed to never be in a life-altering car accident? You’re apparently immune to deadly diseases like meningitis, pneumonia, cancer, MS, and all the others? You have control over tumors that might develop for no reason on vital organs and suddenly threaten your sight, or your life? Good for you.
* The public option will threaten private insurance companies. No. The competition will suddenly mean they’re not the only player in the game, and they will be forced to clean up their act. And that’s a lot of cleaning that needs to be done. And, it’s not like you’ll have the option to opt out of your employer provided plan and chose the public offering, that’s already been made clear.
* There’s no money to pay for it. Good lord, do you know how much money we waste each year? If we truly want to fix this problem, we can find the money. We find money for planes that won’t fly, and other boondoggles, we can figure out a way to pay for this.
I think as long as healthcare is based on profit, and we don’t feel that all of our fellow citizens deserve it, we are doomed as a society. I’ve seen people weep over healthcare bills they couldn’t afford to pay, and seen others self medicate with questionable drugs obtained overseas because their insurance wouldn’t pay for the drugs their doctors said they had to have. Healthcare is not a want, it’s a need. It’s not a privilege, and shouldn’t be treated as a commodity. It’s something we owe our fellow citizens when they don’t’ have it, and in this day and age, in this country, there’s no excuse for people to die for lack of health coverage.
At The Very Least 