I just got my husbands union magazine in the mail today and you would not believe what some employers are considering to limit health care costs. They are considering sending employees to India or other low cost countries for expensive medical procedures. This is affecting not only represented workers, but also unrepresented workers. The media is calling it "medical tourism".
Our jobs going overseas is bad enough (over 3 million manufacturing jobs lost to overseas) but now they want to outsource our health care as well? It will do nothing to resolve our climbing health care costs.
I just can't imagine any of us having to try and travel overseas for medical care. We have a hard enough time traveling and finding competent medical care here in the States.
If anyone would like the full article I will scan it and send it to you in a PM.
Sorry about the rant and the soapbox. I just can't stand insurance companies and what they try to do to us just to fatten their wallets. But I thought it was worth us knowing since we have to deal with insurance companies all the time.
Gramma, you're on my soapbox, and I welcome anyone else who wants to vent about this topic!
It is true....my father-in-law went through a similar experience in his early 50s. The co. he had worked for since he was 22 was sold to a Canadian company and they layed off everyone and brought in their own people. He had been the union president, and was making 60,000 a year. When he was laid off there was nothing else out there for him...and no-one wants to hire someone who is 10 years from retirement and overweight, with health problems. His only saving grace was the VA hospital plan since he is a Vietnam Vet. Ultimately he bacame very ill and had to go on disability. But in the process, for a few years, they lost their house, their car...their lives changed and they were really stressed.
There is no help for the average, hard working, tax paying, middle class American. You have to sink to the bottom before you can get any help.
I would love a copy of that article.
Many of us here cant climb mountains or run marathons. But we are smart people, and we are able to read and learn about these issues...and pass it on. And do something about it through letters, emails, and at the polls.
(steps down from soap-box)
(takes Crunchy's place on the soapbox)
I was thinking about all this as I've been reading a lot about the frontier west and how it was settled (researching a book). The thought came to me that the civilizing force of communites was women and what they stood up for.
Maybe as mothers, wives, caretakers, we used collectively voice that this situation should be addressed. I don't know of anyone that is not affected by our health crisis. But no one seems to be solving it.
(next)
This is absolutely isane!! I agree, there is no help for the average, middle class american who just needs a bit of help now and than! Our insurance premiums are 2.00 a month and continue to rise!I would love to think we could do something about it, but I feel like it's too big a problem to change! The enormity of it is overwhelming. Hillary discovered that when she tried to addresss the problem early in Bill's administration.(takes Crunchy's place on the soapbox)
I was thinking about all this as I've been reading a lot about the frontier west and how it was settled (researching a book). The thought came to me that the civilizing force of communites was women and what they stood up for.
Maybe as mothers, wives, caretakers, we used collectively voice that this situation should be addressed. I don't know of anyone that is not affected by our health crisis. But no one seems to be solving it.
(next)
[/QUOTE]
There is a part of my husbands union called Women of Steel that speaks out on issues that affect women. I am going to look into contacting them and maybe thru them we could have a voice.
Liz, sounds like a great idea. I think you should go for it.
I think the first step we have to get across to everyone we know is that people deserved good health care. It doesn't matter who they are, where they come from. The problem with Hilary is she had a bad habit of alienating people. I think she spent most of her time trying to figure out how the system was working that there was very little time left for actually fixing. Bush has sided on the welfare of the pharmeucital companies while putting a bandage of Medicaid. He is definitely focused on other issues. I don't think he can conceive what is like for those not born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
But it's like women getting the vote. First, we had to convince others that could change it, that we deserved the vote. Now, we have to convince everyone that all people no matter age, creed, background, deserves quality care. Doctors are just as frustrated as we are. It is the stuffing in the middle that fouls up everything like HMOs, insurance companies, etc.
We need an amendent that gives every American the right to decent healthcare. Change the law at the top and they will be forced to change the laws underneath. An example of this is Bush's "no child left behind." No matter if you like what he did, you can see the consequence of making it a law. It has forced every school in the nation to change the way they teach.
Guess I feel passionately about this one.
Health care should be a right, not a privilage. It is against the law to neglect your children's health, how about we make it against the law to make people go without health benefits.
My bil has microscopic polyangiitis. He had a crisis about 2 years ago, can't work and had his SSDI denied. They are going to lose their farm soon. My sister has left injuries untreated until she has lost the use of her arm. This is in 21st ccentury america. He worked 35 years without asking for much more than a living wage and some health benefits.
We need a revolution in the streets.
What if we all wrote letters and I will send them via email to Women of Steel. Deanna, you would be great at this. You have a strong voice and the ability to write very well. If anyone is interested in starting a letter writing campaign to them, PM me and I will send you my email addy. My granddaughter leaves in the afternoon and I will be able to sit down and write a letter then. She loves Nick Jr. online and it is sometimes hard to pry her from the computer lol. Plus she keeps me pretty busy when she isn't playing online.
This is something we should all be passionate about and take a stand for. Not only for us, but for our children's future as well.
I would write a letter. I get a newsletter that is a group into making health care an equal right for all. I can't think of their name now but if we wrote a bunch of letters. They would know where to send them. We should include the talk shows and news programs.
To whoever may care…
by Deanna Lenard
This is a declaration of independence, or moreover, a restating of our human rights. In the Declaration of Independence, it states that we all have the right to “Life,
I wish to focus on the right to life. I am not talking of the current debate on a fetus’s right to life. That is for others to discuss and fight. No, I want to speak to it the right to have to decent healthcare. For without it, there cannot be life or quality of life is so diminished that it becomes a lifelong incarceration in a body that does not function.
There are over 46 million Americans without health insurance in this country. That is more people than live in
Over and over again, I hear “I can’t afford health care.” This comes not just from Americans who would rather spend their money on material items. This is the cry of many working Americans who have already stretched their incomes, have two working parents, good jobs, and they still cannot afford health care. Then, there are the rest of us. Maybe we are single parents without child support. Yet, we bear the burden of our children’s welfare without the means to provide.
You either must be among the privileged in the country or fall below national poverty lines in order to obtain healthcare. Certainly you can get the best medicine in the world in
And, if you become completely destitute because you can no longer work because you couldn’t obtain the proper medicine, you must wait until all your personal resources are depleted and you have no income. Life becomes a bleak horizon. When you have been brought down as low as possible, then you must navigate through a maze of paperwork to see if you are eligible for some kind of health care. It doesn’t matter that not being able to afford proper care has crippled you and worsened a condition that might have been corrected or treated at a much earlier stage. No, you must suffer until you reach the dregs of poverty. And, you are forced to beg for this precious gift. The process is humiliating and demeaning.
Then, you must wait for doctors. Your condition worsens. But once on the public health system, you are at their mercy. If you had private insurance, you could see that very important doctor or have that critical surgery within a couple of weeks. On the public system or the HMO system, you are forced to wait months of time in which your pain escalates and your condition deteriorates until permanent, irrecoverable damage is done.
Many people must become homeless before they can get help. I had to. And, I fear I might end up in that situation again.
Ah! But there is Social Security for the disabled. This benefit that I paid for with my taxes, which was taken out of my paychecks is not there for me in my time of great need. No, I must spin the wheels of obligatory paperwork. My doctors must fill out forms again and again that repeat that I can no longer work. I’m at that point. Yet, I must wait until Social Security decides if I am truly disabled enough. Most people are denied the first time because there are more cases than can be handled by the people employed to handle them. And, you must wait for decision a minimum of five months. Some people go two, three, six years of trying to prove they cannot work. This is all so that the American people won’t be fooled out of one individual manipulating the system. It’s not like you win some grand lottery. When you go on Social Security, you are embracing poverty for the rest of your life. You can’t have income, you must exhaust all your resources, and you certainly cannot work. Besides, this is not a welfare program. It is an insurance program for people that have been working. Even our soldiers coming back from injuries from
Agencies that are supposed to help will ask you this rather peculiar question, “How do you intend to survive?” It as though the question never entered your mind about the months of no income. Hopefully you have a spouse of family member to help you. But if you don’t, guess what; you go begging. Yes, I used to think like most Americans that Social Security and other services would be there when and if I needed them.
Well folks, it’s just not true. Instead, I warn you not to get too sick or to old to work in this country. Don’t become a senior citizen and certainly don’t be born with a disability or obtain one along your life’s path. For if you do, you will be cast off from our society. Since you no longer will be providing between 25 and 30% of your income into the big cash pile for our elected officials to play with, you have now been reclassified as “not worth having around.” In some people’s minds, it would be better if you just died and quit costing society.
You will be ejected from the mainstream of society. Forget the American with Disabilities Act. Do you think for one instant that you will ever set in an important position on some corporate board? No, if you have to use a wheelchair, a cane, walk with a limp, have trouble speaking clearly, have to use adaptive equipment; then they might give you a job. But you will be hidden from view. For we only worship the healthiest, youngest and most beautiful people in our society.
Have you any idea what jobs that they train the blind for in the state of
Or, what of the infant, through no fault of her own, is born with developmental and physical difficulties. We put parents through hell in getting help for these children. When, in the back of some sick mind, one might say we are better off without out them, I cry “No!” It is beloved niece, my best friend’s daughter that you would cast off. I cannot imagine life without this person.
And, what of the mentally ill? Illnesses of the brain are looked down on in this country as some kind of character flaw. The assumption is that this person has done this to themselves. But I have a daughter with a serious mental health problem. She is young. But she might never know what is like to work a job. She is destined under the current system to be verbally abused, ignored, disrespected and condemned to a lifetime of poverty. It is not her fault that she has this illness. She was born with it. If I get to the point of being unable to care for her again, they will toss her to the street. They have done it before twice and they have threatened to do it again. She will plead for help and they will not listen.
And what of seniors? Everyone that lives long enough is going to be in this boat. But only our senators have full health coverage even for a minimum term. What about the citizens that elected them? It is fine to talk of IRAs and 401Ks. But life does not always go smoothly, and many people must dip into these plans to survive today. And, as you age, your body will not work the same way. Do you suddenly become useless because your hair has gone white? Must you also become impoverished? Can you leave nothing of what you have built for your children? It is very naïve to think that you will not become among the disabled or the medically needy in your lifetime. It will happen. It is only a matter of time.
Health care is life care. It is not a business proposition, but is a human one. Yet, we have allowed medications to become so unaffordable that the result is that people die or are left with permanent damage because they cannot afford these medicines. Yes, Research and Development is crucial to the finding new cures. But this system is completely out of control. And, that is with the blessing of our President.
It can cost between ,000 and ,000 a year for just one crucial medicine for the treatment of an autoimmune disease like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chrohn’s, and Ankylosing Spondylitis. You’re lucky if your insurance company pays for this. But even the co-pays can rapidly deplete your resources. And, what happens if you cannot afford these medications? Or worse, you cannot get any kind of insurance because you now have a pre-existing condition? Once marked, you can never get private insurance again. So not only do you have the misfortune of becoming ill (like it was some big mistake that you made), but you are labeled and denied medical care. You can plan on continuing deterioration in your body that is both extremely painful and crippling. You get to watch as joint after joint is destroyed and all because you cannot afford a treatment.
And, if you try and buy medications outside of this country, you can be arrested or your medications seized. What kind of solution is that? Who are you protecting, Mr. President, the desperate citizens of your country, or the great pharmaceutical companies who might have to make a little less money on the suffering of Americans?
We have to change this. This is not just happening to me and members of my family. It is happening to all of us. Once, the women in this country were a force to be dealt with. We were crucial in changing a wild frontier into a civilized land. As mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers we still have the strength to make a change to the course of our country’s welfare. We must awaken our sons, husbands, brothers and grandfathers to the great need. The suffering must be addressed.
How, you ask, how? The problem is too complex. I say it is not complex. It is a decision away. Then it is following through with that decision.
I am calling for an amendment to the Constitution of the
You have to change the law at the top to get the other laws changed. Then, companies will be forced to make changes in how they dispense medical care. If people are treated earlier before a disease really sets in and takes hold, we are eventually going to spend less money on health care. And, the money we spend on all the paperwork could go elsewhere.
We are dying, people. Literally, people are dying because they cannot afford to see the doctor, because they are turned away from emergency rooms or the wait is so long. This is a problem. Quit closing you eyes to it. It is only going to get worse.
Yes, this problem does affect me personally. Today, it might not seem to affect you at all. But in a split second, an accident could occur and you or someone you love could be tossed on the other side of the line. Even the great Christopher Reeves discovered this. Highly successful, strong willed, and in a moment his life changed forever. Even he was faced with the huge medical costs and had to fight, with just his voice and the support of his wonderful wife, to get the help he needed.
It takes courage to change. It takes that kind of courage. But we are Americans. We can build a better society. The true strength of a society is not in the number of its military forces or its deadliest weapons. It is in its will to take care of the frailest members of its society. For even our military is being failed with inadequate health care. They fight for us, come home and are discarded. They too fall victim to a failed health system.
We have to stop this trend. Let us treat each member of our society with respect. Build a bond between our members. Strengthen each other. Share encouragement.
And, let’s change some laws and provide care for each of our citizens. Only then can we truly build a strong
I'm at work, so I know I missed some of it (hard to pay attention with people in your ears
Three cheers for Deanna. You should have a column in a newspaper. Seriously. You know, thats something you could do from home.
Your voice is a mighty wind blowing through a harsh, cruel landscape. And when the dust settles...behold, the emperor has no clothes!
Thanks, Alan
PS: send it to your local newspapers...someone might pick it up...and anyone else you can think of
AMEN! Beyond excellent letter! Let me know if you want me to send it. I am down to one extra teenager so I have the time now to do everything. I will most likely work on my letter late tonight when I can't sleep. For some reason....i do my best thinking then.Thanks for your comments, Katie and Alan.
Liz, please feel free to use it. I didn't check it for typos. But if you know where to send it to help make a difference, go for it. The same goes for anyone else.
Alan, I think I'll clean it up a bit and send it to the local paper here as well. That's a good suggestion.
WOW DEANNA. YOU ARE ON AMAZING WRITER. So now we can all be lazy and just sign yours. You said it all. I love how you write. You are so intelligent and articulate with a heart of gold - proud to call you friend.Here was her comments which I found very discouraging:
I can personally agree in many ways. I don't know about publication because I'm not knowledgeable enough in that area. In my experiences when you fight for what appears to be the logical, the just, the right, simply "just common sense" it can turn on you and become like a dog that turns on his master. You find that you come out with less than what you started with all in the name of good. I just don't know how some voices are heard and others are not.
I don't really know what I'm advising. I think it would be great if our health plans were better and our country supported its citizens with care. Maybe I'm thinking that the big muckity-mucks are always going to get fatter why let them feed on the remaining marrow in your bones?? But, if you have the fight, then fight.
Well, she just makes me more determined. So, I want to get some milege out of this. Are there organizations that we can send this to, email campaign, writing senators?
Suggestions?
I would love everyone to use it. If there is someway we can attach it to a petition, that would be great. I'm just not sure how to get started. Our state elections are on Tuesday and this is not even an issue in any of the campaigns.
I've seen email campaigns. Possibly we could get some of these health forums and sites to post it as well.
Thank you. A friend of mine is very into political issues, and has written MANY letters to congress and state offices herself on many many issues. Some of which were actually resolved in our state. I'm going to let her read it, and I'm sure it'll get her fired up. :) She's a voice that our reps(FL) are already familiar with! Thank you again!