Let Them Eat Cake

The 71 year old woman I love has Ocular Melanoma with metastasis. This was diagnosed seven months ago as terminal cancer.

She relies on Medicare and a supplement to pay for her care, and she has responded well to the treatment she has received from the dedicated health care professionals at Cedars Sinai Hospital. Her treatment to date has cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

As a result of her treatments she has continued to be a functioning person, mother to her children, grandmother to her grandchildren, sister to her brother, friend to her friends, and a loving companion to me.

What would have become of her if she had no insurance? While I am not sure, I expect that she would no longer be with us.

I am of the opinion that the administration is trying to do a good thing by changing systems "in" health care that does not work for so many of us.

I am not thrilled that so many in the health care and pharmaceutical businesses are and have been contributing so much to so few with their campaign contributions and horrid advertising. I am also of the opinion that those with "vested interests" in retaining the status quo will do almost anything to see that nothing changes.

Our health care system is in crisis, but not for the people who are able to afford first class coverage.

Knowing that to be true, where have all these legislators who object to an attempt by our President to provide some form of health care to all Americans been hiding all these years? Why have they not been trying to find a solution to an obvious problem?

How, where, and to whom were they complaining about the flawed health care system we presently have? Why were they not attempting to repair it?

I wonder most of all about those almost fifty odd million people who have no health insurance at all.

I wonder about every person who lost their health insurance.

I wonder about every person who has been turned down for insurance coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

I wonder about every person who has been priced out of coverage that they need.

I wonder about those who had to decide between buying food and buying medicines that they need.

I wonder about those who have had to deal with insurance companies in the midst of a medical crisis.

I have been fortunate to have received health care:

• Because my parents paid for it.
• Because the United States Air Force paid for it (those Socialists).
• Because Columbia Pictures (twice), CBS, Polygram, and MGM paid for it.
• Because Medicare paid for it (those Socialists).

I am also thrilled to learn how these great Americans who are health insurance company executives

Always remember when reading this that Socialism is looming everywhere! I have even read that the Feds are planning to take over health care in the Military, the VA, and Medicare.

I would assume that without pressure from those with vested interests in health care, a reasonable bill can be written.

This could happen someday. But not here. Not now.

Where will it end?
When will it end?

The next thing you know the Feds will be regulating the Airlines.

Horowitz, the Red

Comments

[schatsie]

MEDICARE for ALL NOW.....

[gizmo64]

These are the people who only will watch Faux Noise and will never read anything from anyplace else.
Yes it is jaw dropping to hear the elderly scream about their health care.I think it is not that they don't know it is that they are believing the misleading statements made by faux noise about DP and such instead of reading for them selves.They should remember that
http://www.relfe.com/media_can_legally_lie.html about faux noise and how they can lie about any news they want to.Media can legally lie about news.out of Florida appeals court.this tells just how the people from Murdoch's station are allowed to mislead and lie and get away with it because they are an infotainment station NOT A NEWS STATION> EVERY THING THEY SAY IS OPINION NOT NEWS.

[jemborg]

Wow! I'm a freedom loving Aussie and I find this paranoia over decent pubic health care amazing.

We've had it for almost 30 years.

I've expounded on this in many of Huffo's threads but let me simply say... America you deserve better, do not believe the Conservative lies.

NB: It took two goes in my country to get universal Medicare established. The Conservatives got rid of it when they got voted back in. The Labor Party re-established it at the next election after that. And although they have undermined it every time they got back into power the Conservatives don't dare try to get rid of it again. What I am getting at here is you have to push HARD for it- it's NOT going to happen through bi-partisanship.

[DamaskinosWasRight]

Excellent column.

I hope things go well for your wife.

[sophierose]

How does one get through to the senior citizens, {who tend to vote in large numbers} that their "medicare" is public insurance.. ? It has been jaw dropping watching their indignation at town hall meetings.. Or do they just not want young families to have affordable coverage? Makes me embarassed to be old and have old relatives.

[FlamingLibrul]

Mr. Horowitz, I wish you and your wife/companion the best with your journey. As someone who has no health insurance, your post leaves me as frightened as ever. I am also losing hope that meaningful health care reform is going to happen anytime soon, if ever.

Corporate interests are too powerful, and have waged a successful campaign to purchase congress. They are obviously willing to protect their mega-profits at the cost of a few million anonymous American lives. The pharmaceutical and health insurance executives probably jokingly refer to this inconvenience as "collateral damage."

Am I cynical? You betcha.

[tenzindorje]

Let them eat cake. Hmm... when do heads start to roll?