Letter to My Family, and all Conservative, Liberal, and Indifferent Americans:
I personally am committed to health care reform, not because of politics, but because I see what our current system has done to health care.
Please LOOK at it rationally from your own experience.
Remember when we rarely went to the doctor, or took prescription drugs?
Remember when having a baby cost less than $50,000?
Remember when doctors made a good living, but still did not routinely buy million dollar mansions?
Remember when nurses were reliably employed, but were not given a $20,000 signing bonus as they have been here in the last few years?
Do you ever remember a time when drug companies had a 'down' year? When pharmaceutical salesmen didn't make a lot of money? When health insurance companies had trouble making money?
Do you remember when medical equipment salesmen didn't wine and dine doctors, paying for expensive trips, endless cocktails, fancy dinners?
Do you remember when our health care was one of the best in the world?
Our health care costs are now the highest in the world.
Our health care results are 17th in the world.
We have the highest rate of obesity.
One of the highest rates of infant mortality.
Cassie and I LOSE MY Cobra HEALTH INSURANCE ON AUGUST 31st. What are we losing? The right to pay "co-pays" that are higher than the whole doctor's visit used to cost? The right to line the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies with $150 "co-pay" while the insurance company pays the other $800 per month for FOUR prescriptions for a healthy twenty-five year old, two allergy medications and two antidepressants.
Is this making us either healthier or happier?
NO. NO. NO.
No wonder we are depressed!
I AM ANGRY. This insurance system is a no-win system built to escalate costs for US and raise payments to the health care industry. It will not stop until we say “uncle.”
We THE PEOPLE have to say ENOUGH. We need to take back our power and make this government OF the People, BY the People, and FOR the People.
Tell your Representatives and Senators to get off their fat arses and PASS meaningful reform. If we can find the money for War and Billion Dollar Bailouts, we can find the money for Health Care.
I want the SAME coverage Government Employees have for the same reasonable price.
I want it now.
Thank you.
Carol V BergTIP:
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Comments
It's unbelievable to me that conservative commercials can just say vote NO without having any proposals beside the status quo. But the scariest thing is that this tactic seems to be working. WHAT ARE PEOPLE SCARED OF? Do you really think it could get much worse?
And now, we're so terrified of every possible illness and so reliant on doctors and the pharmaceutical companies that any hint that they would be hurt by this change paralyzes us.
Keep being angry...we need it.
Thanks for writing this - just wanted to chime in!
I don't understand how any reasonable person, once they've heard the facts rather than the fear-mongering, can oppose public healthcare. They're so terrified of "socialized medicine", but would they argue that we abolish public schools, libraries, and police forces? I really hope not. Those programs are free because they're for the PUBLIC GOOD. Even though some of those systems have problems, what are we going to do, privatize the school system so that only those with a lot of money can pay for it? To offset some of the costs, we could make an "education insurance company". That way, we can get some corporate middleman to deny your child's right to learn fractions, because they've determined it's not useful enough. If you want to learn fractions, it's gonna come out of your own pocket, dammit.
Job please, Fox News. I'm willing to go blond.
Thanks, Carol. This is such a worrisome time right now.
As far as the COBRA... some of the ARRA language restructured COBRA benefits, but it depends on when you went on them. PM me if you want. I may know a little something that will help.
Come on, Americans. Afraid of a little socialism? Let's DO this thing, give EVERYONE fed health care benefits, or even better, single-payer. Let's lead the way to the best health care in the world. Let's give up a few joint-strike fighter jets; a few thousand pounds of white phosphorus; a few million plastic water bottles full of tap water. Let's skim off a few oreos off the defense budget (for a graphic look at how easy this shit is, look at:
http://www.truemajority.org/oreos/
He put that together in 2006, but it's still a great, easy way for folks to really GET IT about where their taxpayer dollars are going. Take some time to look at it, PLEASE. You should be depressed after watching it, if you've never seen it.
Let's not wait another 8 years for what's needed now. Time to make some phone calls! Emails aren't cutting it, so we all gotta CALL. NOW.
start a citizen action group to get health care by citizen initiative.
except you don't have citizen initiative, do you? why is that?
Second of all, your comment was mean. Why is that? It seems like you support healthcare reform, C just poured her heart out, and you don't even know her. If you really cared about creating citizen action, you wouldn't be snide when someone voices their support for reform, you would see it as an opportunity for mobilization.
that pretty well excludes you and every other american.
people raised in a society without democracy do not suddenly develop the character of citizens. so your anger will be dissipated in useless talk and writing. i can't see the future, but i have seen the past and that is what has happened, always.
i'm sorry, but ignorant people don't find solutions. you have to research and consult other societies to extend your imagination and conceive of new ways of doing things. angry isn't enough, but it is typical of americans: a race of grain-fed taxcows who have swallowed every lie the elite have fostered.
"you also have to smart and educated, aware of history and motivated to change the future..... you have to research and consult other societies to extend your imagination and conceive of new ways of doing things."
I would be offended by those statements, since you have no evidence that C or myself is lacking in any of those areas (I lived in a country with nationalized healthcare), but I have to consider the source, so I'm letting it go.
So please, indulge us, on your own blog. Tell us all about what you've done, about your citizen's action groups, about all of your research and what you've learned from history. Or is it just easier for you to tear down other people's ideas? Constructive, indeed.
community action is apparently no longer possible in america, simply because there is no sense of community in the mobile, atomized and alienated society america has become.
you have the example of female suffrage and temperance in your history, but neither you nor any american suggests using this positive and effective action to get health care reform. you are apparently incapable of citizen action.
perhaps i should not verbally chastise slaves for having a slavish character, it's like kicking a dog, isn't it? but a few americans are vaguely aware that 'something should be done', and perhaps my words will energize someone to lead a democracy movement, or at least join one, if it should appear.
about 40 years ago, i began to say to people around me, that our government was evil. i was pretty confident in my opinion, as the government was dropping napalm on paddy farmers, to save them from becoming communist.
so i urge you to be citizens of a democracy, to get power out of the hands of politicians. they can not be trusted with this power, no human can.
Noah, Glad to have you on board!!! I may be driving to Washington to speak with these power brokers to make sure they know this plan is NOT OBAMA's Plan. This plan is THE PEOPLE's plan. You can come with me. I'll pick you up on the way.
aim, You are in the same situation as my friend. The only way she can afford health care is Medicade. She has survived stage 4 breast cancer, has arthritis, etc. and could NEVER afford private health care, or even a group health care plan with the high deductibles.
Deborah, Excellent Idea! They are in a different universe, where they look down on "the people." They should come and see it from our view.
Brian, I can't believe it either!
Cassie, Maybe you should go for the government jobs. Great health care and retirement. Good idea to get your doctor's appointments now. I'm making mine too.
wakingup, I have peppered the media, and will be going to Grassley's office on Monday, and Yes, LOEBSACK. I contributed to his election, and I will be calling both of their offices, AND sending letters to them which I have already sent to all of the major Iowa newspapers. I was invited to sit in on a panel on healthcare here. I do want to talk to you.
Patrick, You are making an excellent point. YES, we are overmedicated, over tested, over-scared making us forget that health is our normal state. Advertising drugs, and advertising in general, creates this anxiety that tells us we aren't okay. One of my points is that our "sickness" system must continue to create hypochondria to feed it's enormous appetite for patients.
We must change the sickness paradigm to a system that supports wellness, now only available in "alternative" health care.
Dragonlady, YES. You are right. It is time to act. AND to get more citizens on board. My family in Kansas is wary of government interference, but I am asking them to look at their own experience with this system and put aside their fears. We need this NOW.
Al Loomis, Who are you and why do you care? I essentially agree with the whole power trip of politicians, etc., but I am doing something about it. Are you? Citizens movements may be dead to you, but not to me. I am on it. This letter is only part of it.
Cassie, Thanks so much for making excellent points. You are a brilliant jem, as you have always been. Thanks for all of your work and caring. You are truly a woman of action!