Nov '09 10
No one should die because they lack access to affordable health care.
The health care debate is good. I support it. I don’t care which side you’re on, just jump in the water and get involved. After all, the Federal Government is not them … it’s us. We live in a representational republic based on the backbone of a government of the people, for the people and by the people.
That said, here is my take on the health care debate.
I dear friend of mine wrote the following to me:
Do you support the constitutions right to life. When you fail to provide access to health care, you are allowing your fellow Americans to DIE and thus not preserving their right to life. This is NOT a political issue this is an American issue. You care when soldiers go to war and die. You care for elderly men and women by providing Medicare. You care when people lose their jobs and use COBRA to continue their coverage. You care when the poor are provided Medicaid. Health Care Reform is for those who are still falling through the cracks. They are too young for Medicare. They may be self-employed and not have COBRA options. They are working, but don’t make enough to cover their premiums. They can afford the premiums, but are provided a policy with pre-existing condition clauses. Why punish these individuals and families? Do they not deserve the right to have affordable access to health care?
I don’t think there should be any question in anyone’s mind about the need for health care reform. People are dying every day because of lack of access to health care due to a number of reasons.
It does not matter whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Liberal or Conservative or any other political view because health care is an American issue.
We need to stand us as Americans and make sure that not one more American dies from inability to access adequate health care.
Tell your congress person and your senators that you want the following:
- Insurance companies must cover everyone even if they have a pre-existing condition. Those who have a pre-existing condition need health insurance the most and are denied. This can and often results in the death of fellow Americans.
- Make it so insurance companies cannot cancel you when you get sick. This saves American lives too.
- Make health care accessible and affordable. This means that competition must be a part of the equation to bring the highest quality of health care for the best possible price. This means laws in place that previously allowed monopolies must be changed and competition must be introduced into the health care industry.
- Address the costs of health care. This includes malpractice insurance reform, tort reform, insurance claim fraud and medicare fraud.
- Make health care patient focused. This means the patient makes decisions regarding their health care.
My sister died due to lack of access to affordable health care.
First of all, I appreciate the sentiment here, and my heart aches for Ann and anyone else who would have to deal with that kind of tragedy.
Second, #1 and #5 will never be addressed by the current bill just passed by the House and headed to the Senate.
Third, the untimely death of a close relative, especially a young sister, is a travesty, and that shouldn’t happen. As American’s, we should band together and do something about it. But not this.
Now, I don’t mean to get on a rant here, but what your government is doing is disgusting. Your government, with your vote, is taking advantage of your tragic story and telling you they can make it right. All you need to do is vote for health care reform.
Ann, I personally guarantee you that, if you were to write out everything you thought should be done to fix the problem, you wouldn’t need 1900 pages. I also guarantee you that, if you had access to all you money you wanted to fix the problem, you wouldn’t need a trillion dollars. Let me help you with that number:
$1,000,000,000,000.00
There are about 300,000,000 people in the country, and the government is looking to take an average of $3,300 from every man, woman and child in the country … just to get things started (if you think they’re only taking this money from the rich, you need to read the bill … very carefully). Furthermore, there are (depending on who you ask) about 50,000,000 uninsured people (others says it’s closer to 15,000,000). So the government says we need between $20,000 and $60,000 per person to provide them with health care?
Seriously! How many of us spend that much on health care per year. Yes, some people have illnesses and other conditions that would require a large expenditure, but most of the uninsured are healthy enough they do not require that. There is a difference between “uninsured” and “dying because of a lack of access to affordable health care”.
Should we, as Americans, have organizations, agencies and charities in place to provide those in need with access to health care to prevent them from dying? Yes.
Should we, as Americans, encourage our legislature to pass legislation empowering the Federal government to “guarantee” access to health care by making it a criminal offense to not have health insurance? No!
Your congress is seriously considering legislation that would make, as a condition of citizenship, mandatory the purchase of a product or service, whether you want or need that service. Seriously? What the Hell kind of country is that?
And do you really believe the Federal government will do a better job of “distributing” health care dollars? Really? Obama himself, in response to criticism that a government option would drive private companies out of business said, “Look at UPS. Look at FedEx. They’re doing just find. It’s the Postal Service that’s in trouble.”
Are you listening? ARE YOU LISTENING?
He knows it won’t work. Why don’t we just pass a law that makes it against the law to die? Would that help?
Ann, I don’t know much about your sister’s story, and I’d like to hear more. I agree that no one should die because they lacked access to affordable health care. No one should die for any reason. Ever. But we do. It’s not fair, it’s how it is. Life isn’t fair, and death isn’t, either.
The only thing worse would be for the Federal government to milk $1,000,000,000,000 from our economy by playing on your emotions and put it in their pockets … without ever solving the problem.
