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ambitious_wenchI've been incredibly lucky in my life. Yes, I've had a life-threatening illness, and yes, it was covered by a sort of universal healthcare, right here in America. I had type III cervical dysplasia. I carry Human Papiloma Virus, which can lead to cervical cancer. Type three is is one step away from full blown cancer. I was in the US Navy at the time. Colposcopy, conal biopsy, a stay in the hospital, all of it was covered. I didn't pay a dime.
I've had a baby, a healthy child, and although it was a long labor (25 hours), no complications, and three days in the hospital. My sister-in-law came up to stay with us for a week to help out at her own expense. She was pregnant with her second child at the time.
All at no cost to me.
I chose not to have any more children, and opted to have a tubal ligation. No cost to me.
My life could have been shorter, my son might have died of asthma, I might have been forced to bear more children, if it hadn't been for the universal healthcare provided by the US Navy.
Universal healthcare? One argument I've heard over and over is that it takes a long time to get treatment; I had to wait 5 months for my colposcopy. Yes, I worried about my likelyhood of surviving. But at least I didn't have to worry about how I would pay for it. Once it was determined that yes, this is a serious condition, it took less than a month to have the conal biopsy. The margins were clear, meaning that the procedure which was designed as a diagnostic procedure was itself the therapy. I've been free of lesions since on every PAP smear. However, now that I am without insurance, it's been several years since I've had one, and who knows, it may have come back. I can't afford a pap smear to find out.
Another argument I hear is that folks don't want to pay for healthcare for people who live dangerous lives--crack addicts, smokers, heavy eaters and drinkers.
I'd pay for programs to help addicts. I have a friend right now who is trying desperately to lose weight on his own. He has to use a bipap machine to breathe at night. Would I tell him it's his own damn fault for eating so much in the first place? Hell no. I want to support him in his efforts to get well, slim down, live a long (if contentious life). I also expect him not to tell me it's my own damn fault I have HPV because I was such a wanton slut in my youth. Remember, I didn't give myself HPV, a male sexual partner did. It doesn't have to appear on a guy's dick for it to be transmittable. It's estimated that up to 50% of the adult population carries HPV.
I'd pay for universal healthcare in America. Currently I am paying for a war I do not support. I'm paying for the education of children I didn't give birth to. I'm paying for libraries that I will never use. With the exception of the war, I am proud to support all of them. An educated populace is a vital requirement for democracy. Healthy co-workers means less stress for me--worrying about them getting better, worrying if I will have to take up their slack when they come to work sick. Stress is contagious. We tend to spread it around. The mother who is beside herself over her child's health isn't going to perform as well as one who can take her child to a doctor and get treatment. She's going to have trouble focusing, is going to be short-tempered. And that is going to spread like cancer in the workplace.
I have another friend who is battling cancer in her brain, in her lungs. I worry about this brilliant lady who is brave and strong and intelligent and charming and utterly devoted to her nephews. She battled breast cancer, won, and now has to face more treatment. I haven't had the courage to ask her about how she is doing financially. I suspect not good.
I would gladly pay to help her with her medical expenses. But I can't. The war in Iraq is costing the US in the billions, if not trillions of dollars.
Why are we spending so much money to kill our own soldiers and attack a country that was no threat to us? Why aren't we spending it on healthcare?
Yes, I saw SiCKO today. If Michael Moore hates America for saying what he said in that movie, well then, I suppose I hate America too. And you KNOW how I feel about being called an America-hater. Pointing out that the floor joists are rotten and that there is raw sewage in the basement isn't an attack on this old house. It's a wake up call to do something about a real problem. Remember, I spent 9 years in service to this country. Don't you DARE tell me I hate America.
I've had a baby, a healthy child, and although it was a long labor (25 hours), no complications, and three days in the hospital. My sister-in-law came up to stay with us for a week to help out at her own expense. She was pregnant with her second child at the time.
All at no cost to me.
I chose not to have any more children, and opted to have a tubal ligation. No cost to me.
My life could have been shorter, my son might have died of asthma, I might have been forced to bear more children, if it hadn't been for the universal healthcare provided by the US Navy.
Universal healthcare? One argument I've heard over and over is that it takes a long time to get treatment; I had to wait 5 months for my colposcopy. Yes, I worried about my likelyhood of surviving. But at least I didn't have to worry about how I would pay for it. Once it was determined that yes, this is a serious condition, it took less than a month to have the conal biopsy. The margins were clear, meaning that the procedure which was designed as a diagnostic procedure was itself the therapy. I've been free of lesions since on every PAP smear. However, now that I am without insurance, it's been several years since I've had one, and who knows, it may have come back. I can't afford a pap smear to find out.
Another argument I hear is that folks don't want to pay for healthcare for people who live dangerous lives--crack addicts, smokers, heavy eaters and drinkers.
I'd pay for programs to help addicts. I have a friend right now who is trying desperately to lose weight on his own. He has to use a bipap machine to breathe at night. Would I tell him it's his own damn fault for eating so much in the first place? Hell no. I want to support him in his efforts to get well, slim down, live a long (if contentious life). I also expect him not to tell me it's my own damn fault I have HPV because I was such a wanton slut in my youth. Remember, I didn't give myself HPV, a male sexual partner did. It doesn't have to appear on a guy's dick for it to be transmittable. It's estimated that up to 50% of the adult population carries HPV.
I'd pay for universal healthcare in America. Currently I am paying for a war I do not support. I'm paying for the education of children I didn't give birth to. I'm paying for libraries that I will never use. With the exception of the war, I am proud to support all of them. An educated populace is a vital requirement for democracy. Healthy co-workers means less stress for me--worrying about them getting better, worrying if I will have to take up their slack when they come to work sick. Stress is contagious. We tend to spread it around. The mother who is beside herself over her child's health isn't going to perform as well as one who can take her child to a doctor and get treatment. She's going to have trouble focusing, is going to be short-tempered. And that is going to spread like cancer in the workplace.
I have another friend who is battling cancer in her brain, in her lungs. I worry about this brilliant lady who is brave and strong and intelligent and charming and utterly devoted to her nephews. She battled breast cancer, won, and now has to face more treatment. I haven't had the courage to ask her about how she is doing financially. I suspect not good.
I would gladly pay to help her with her medical expenses. But I can't. The war in Iraq is costing the US in the billions, if not trillions of dollars.
Why are we spending so much money to kill our own soldiers and attack a country that was no threat to us? Why aren't we spending it on healthcare?
Yes, I saw SiCKO today. If Michael Moore hates America for saying what he said in that movie, well then, I suppose I hate America too. And you KNOW how I feel about being called an America-hater. Pointing out that the floor joists are rotten and that there is raw sewage in the basement isn't an attack on this old house. It's a wake up call to do something about a real problem. Remember, I spent 9 years in service to this country. Don't you DARE tell me I hate America.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 02:50 am (UTC)Because they're people.
Our governments, economies, and structures should exist to support people. Being pregnant does not make you a non-person. Having testicular cancer does not make you a non-person. Being sick and addicted does not make you a non-person.
We support each other because it is right, and good, and because we are humane and hopefully loving. Being all concerned about 'people who use the system' brings up this idea that maybe some people do not deserve to have help. That idea's an anathema to me - a drug addict with a baby at the very least is still the best chance an innocent life has.
There's a certain amount of responsibility that goes with this, and maybe structures are not in place that deal with people who consistently and wilfully make themselves ill. Maybe we should be researching about how to create humane and sensible methods for dealing with that. But I will always support universal health care. Especially for those born with pre-existing conditions - what, so the roll of the dice means that you shouldn't get the aid you need to become a full and productive society member because someone else got lucky and can't be bothered helping? Gah.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 05:27 am (UTC)<deep breath>
Ok.
First, I only made it through about 50 minutes of the movie before I had to walk away from it. Yes, I really did try. I have several very serious issues with this movie, the least of which is the 5-minute love affair he has with Hillary ("Beautiful! Sexy! Intelligent!" <gag>) - but I'm not going to go into them here.
Second, I never said that you hate America. I never even implied it. What I said was that Michael Moore hates America. If you find yourself agreeing with a point that he makes in one of his movies, that's great - somehow, the man does manage to have a salient point every now and then. But that does not mean that you share in what I believe to be his loathing of this country and the way it operates.
Finally, I have enjoyed the benefits of Universal Health Care in my life, and found it lacking. I have been without insurance, and managed to pay for my care through some pretty serious health issues. And I have enjoyed the benefits of private health insurance.
"And that's all I've got to say about that." -- Forrest Gump
no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 06:25 am (UTC)I can accept that you don't like Michael Moore. IMO, he brings up way more than a few salient points; and it's those that I'd like to address.
I'm not saying that the navy gave me stellar care across the board. The same doctor that delivered my son also gave me an episiotomy that wasn't needed, stitched it too damn tight, and caused me incredible pain when I resumed relations with my husband. He joked with my husband about "restoring my virginity" as he stitched me without any anesthesia. He also cut open a thrombosed hemmerhoid without giving me any anesthesia. When I screamed in pain, he told me not to be such a baby.
I'd still take that care over being in debt to a profit driven healthcare system or a corrupt insurance industry. Then there was the time I had to have impacted wisdom teeth extracted. The dentist was top notch, gave me good drugs to ease the pain during and after, treated me with dignity and respect, and was masterful at his job.
You're going to get good and bad in any healthcare system. Why be burdened with paying out of pocket, or going without alltogether, or fighting to get what you paid for from insurance companies?
Not having seen the movie...
Date: 2007-07-05 02:35 pm (UTC)Being in Massachusetts, I have been keeping an eye on this (As a MA resident, you must have insurance or risk financial penalties- this year is your personal tax exemption). I also watched the bickering and he said/she aid between MA legislature and the insurance industry. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out (but since my wife's job carries the insurance I can stay a bit more objective).
I don't know if he addresses any of this in the movie or not...
But the biggest problem is how most people in the country treat doctors and medical care. Too many people only go to the doctor when they are sick (and a majority of those are emergency room visits). And this puts a huge strain on the system since the people without insurance now have bigger bills.
I think there needs to be more attention paid to prevention and early detection and saving acute care for when it's needed. This is going to be a major mindshift for a large group of people.
Another problem is the out of control costs of healthcare. Many doctors are saddled with huge amounts of debt coming out of medical school (and their undergrad degrees as well). Add that to the high cost of malpractice insurance from our over-litigious society. If Universal Healthcare is going to be viable, these issues will need to be addressed as well.
And I have some more Republican views (or at least what Republicans used to stand for) in that I want smaller, more efficient government. I don't think the Govt as it operates now is up to the task of operating such a plan without largescale waste, gaping loopholes and system abuses.
How will this be paid for? The Canadian system works with huge taxes on alcohol and tobacco as well as a national sales tax on top of the provincial taxes (and even the tax is taxed). War spending aside this would require a lot of money which would mean less pork projects for Congress. And I don't see that happening willingly.
I think the Mass system is on to something (if the other issues can be addressed). If working, the employer must provide insurance (not necessarily PAY for it but at least make sure it is offered and a few well-placed incentives could be helpful). If not working, tie something in with unemployment. Retired or disabled, continue SSI/Medicare.
It would also require some immigration reform as well. The system would not be nearly as feasible if illegal immigrants gain coverage as well. But that's a different soap box.
Another interesting idea would be to allow Children to put their parents on their insurance as part of the family plan... that would relieve a lot of the non-working pressure.
Does this need to be done? Yes. But it also needs to be done right and preferably the first time.
You can have your soapbox back.