Last Wednesday night I attended one of the 3,000 vigils called by MoveOn to show support for health care reform. About 60 people showed up in our town, holding candles, and - as was planned for all the vigils -- taking turns reading 11 pages of one-sentence descriptions of MoveOn members "who are suffering under our broken health care system", as MoveOn's introduction stated. Some of the cases hit me like a punch in the stomach and I -- along with others -- audibly gasped. Others gave me a sinking feeling, a sense of hopelessness.
As the reading went on, I felt a growing outrage and, from what I gathered talking with others afterward, this was widely shared. Not the sort of outrage that would lead me to draw little mustaches on posters of Blue Dog Democrats or John McCain. But pretty pissed off nonetheless.
The vigil's organizer said that it was a fair guess most of us in attendance did have some sort of health care. Later, though, I happened to be standing nearby when a woman told him that she owed $125,00 in medical bills and had been forced to leave her home for subsidized housing. The stories on MoveOn's list are everywhere -- they are our neighbors' stories, family members' stories, the stories of other people just like us, trying to survive and flourish in an America that -- according to our national myths - should be compassionate towards and protective of its citizens.
Whom did we hear about as we read the list of people screwed over by our current health care system? "Samantha has been denied coverage since being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3." "Tracy lost her leg to cancer, and is now getting dropped from Medicaid." "Christine's out-of-pocket expenses are forcing her to live in poverty while dying from kidney cancer." "Malyn died of cancer at age 63 because she couldn't afford health care and her employer didn't provide any." The term "because of a prior condition" appeared often. This is flagrant abuse - insurance companies, among the most cash-rich corporations in the world, can refuse to insure you if you have "a prior condition". That is, if you have colitis, as does one of the people on the list whom insurers would not cover, they won't cover you for anything. What if you get hit by a car, which has nothing to do with colitis? No health insurance -- because you have colitis.
"Ian is 20, has Type 1 diabetes, and has been denied health insurance by Medicaid, insurance companies, and Medicare/Social Security." "Michelle has breast cancer and her insurance will run out on October 9th of this year." "Jack's company forced its retirees out of its health insurance program by raising the premiums from $47.93 to over $600 per month." "Kerry is battling stage III breast cancer that went undiagnosed for too long because she had no insurance to cover routine health screenings." Another common term is "lost their home". Medical expenses are a leading cause of foreclosure and eviction, so the sicker you get, the more likely you'll get thrown out onto the streets.
On it goes. The real list is millions of names long. So where is the outrage? Where are the Democratic politicians telling these stories to their constituents, their colleagues, and to the nation as proof that the current system is failing so many? Why are Republicans and Blue Dogs playing low-life political tricks just to defend insurance companies (heavy campaign donors) and peddling a perverted version of an America where the government aiding its citizens is treated like a heinous act of treason?
Why has the media ignored the real outrage - not that of the fanatics who think the health plan will lead to a totalitarian state, but the outrage over the millions of people falling through the cracks...Excuse me, was I about to say "cracks" in the system? Let's change that to "widening crevices" in our health care system.
"Jackie has MS and no health insurance." Seven words that speak to an individual's courage and pain, to social injustice, and the chance for rescue and redemption, rescue for "Jackie" and redemption for a nation that must do a much better job of serving its people.
until we reach a tipping point
and then watch out
then the pitch forks come out
and the stupid top of the food chain will regret allowing the masses to be so heavily armed for political gain.
ooops!!!
big mistake
our system is corupt
and getting worse through time
where's the outrage...?
good question.....
I don't know
maybe the angry masses are too programmed to respond
or
maybe they are just not televised
?????
it will get much, much worse before it gets better
, insurance can't pay for treatments or procedures that don't exist, and for many of us, the critically and terminally or chronically ill, there are no treatments or procedures that will give us back our lives, meanwhile the rest of you continue to bicker over how much you'll have to pay to get a sprained ankle set, or get your jock itch cream.
Sorry, my life is more important than your discomfort, and the only forms of medicine that is being discussed is prevention of obesity and its related effects, and it does not require an MD to tell us to eat right, exercise, and not smoke and drink. Sadly, there are many of us who it doesn't matter what we eat or if we smoke and drink, because we will be disabled, whether we have insurance or not, and we will be terminally ill, whether we have insurance or not
"High level leaders in that movement directly tied to vice presidential candidate Palin were on public record urging Christians to 'infiltrate' key sectors of society such as government and business and proposing a program of religious and social cleansing in which entire population groups would convert to the form of Christianity espoused by the New Apostolic Reformation or else be 'displaced', driven from 'the land'."
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/5/13585/8320
Money, money changes everything.
In 2001, a study found that over 18,000 Americans died not just from a lack of health care (that number is far larger) but from a lack of health care due to a lack of insurance. That's 6 times the number that died in the 9/11 attacks.
Clearly any rational nation would have declared war on Newt Gingrich as the much deadlier threat to Americans but I see ol Newt is coming back as a spokesman for the right.
I bet we listen to him again and go right on dying in the name of corporate profits. Where's the outrage? Mine's largely burned out or buried under mounds of incredulity.
Read Tabibi's article in therecet Rolling Stone. This discussion has been a boon-doggle from the first; what the politicians are doing is redefining a market so that profits can increase, it never was about health care reform.
Plus, "Jackie has MS and no health insurance." Seven words that speak to an individual's courage and pain, to social injustice" only gets one booed at these "forums."
But continue to speak about what's right, especially to those in authority. We all will share in the success or failure of this effort. I find the easiest question to ask is "What would you do?" to all that are against reform. If they believe there's no problem, then ask what are we to do with the 45 million that are uninsured, the potential for financial ruin due to illness, and the rising costs that DO hurt businesses that have to provide coverage for employees.
If they agree that there's a problem, then aside from "tort reform" (which hasn't worked in Texas) what so different from what the President wants to do?
It was Gentleman Jim Corbett, heavyweight champion, who said it best: "If you're looking for sympathy, it's in the dictionary, right between sh-t and syphilis.".
To change from this reality to one in which we care for each citizen would take a major revolution not only in perception and goals but in funding and the priorities of those in charge. That isn't going to happen.
President Obama is not the Bernie Sanders of President's. He's a captive of his staff and the powers of Goldman-Sachs, who rely upon the Insurance industry for a goodly share of their profits. So we must either turn to a Congress which can override a Presidential veto, or revolution.
Voters will need to decide on next Nov. to support their convictions by voting in Progressives to replace the frightened Democrats and the Obstrutionist in the Republican party, or accept the status quo, slink away from the fray, and continue to step over the homeless, hapless, and underclass.
Everything that this planet has to offer we have to share whether we like it or not. Once its gone, its gone to all. Its in the best interest of every living breathing human being to look out for each other. Without each other we have nothing and we are nothing. It takes many hands to build, create and maintain.
And the rich will sit at their gold plated desks watching their workforce drop like flies because they are too greedy to share.