I have amazing friends. This particular friend (I will call her R, in case she wants to stay anonymous) is a wonderful woman. She is kind, caring, compassionate, and fair. She is one of those people who looks at both sides of issues and seeks a solution that helps both sides. Today she weighed in so eloquently on the ACA [that is the Affordable Care Act — which others call Obama Care ] that I asked her permission to paste it into my blog. You see, what she has to say has value. It needs to be weighed along with all of the hollering on both sides of the aisle and issue. Here are her words. I love this lady.
“Every week, sometimes multiple times a week, I have to look a parent in the face whose child doesn’t have insurance, and say I’m very sorry but your sick or injured child that needs surgery or long hospital stay, or long term antibiotics at home, or diabetic supplies and medication did not qualify for Medicaid. Sometimes they are over income by just pennies…. Hard working people, business owners who couldn’t quality for insurance due to preexisting clauses, full time employes who make very little and their multi billion dollar making employer does not offer them medical benefits, parents who have medical or mental health problems of their own and are doing the best they can to scrape by, older siblings working full time to help pay for their sibs prescription that costs $900 a month for one vital medication. I’ve watched families literally scrape together change to pay for needed equipment, while they are in tears embarrassed over their situation. One months prescriptions for diabetes can easily be a thousand dollars. A few days hospital stay with an unexpected surgery can run you in the tens of thousands. Forget about your catastrophic diagnoses like cancer, if you are uninsured you may as well sell off everything you own, that is if you have anything to sell. The costs of the uninsured/uninsurable are already falling on the backs of the insured. Hospitals are writing off millions of dollars of bad business yearly. The costs are passed on to the the insured/the paying consumers of healthcare, by way of huge hikes in medical costs year over year. I am not a financial expert, nor a expert of the law. I am however a seasoned nurse, a concerned citizen and mother, and a believer in charity and government sponsored assistance for the poor, the frail and the sick–and even the well, who can at any moment become desperately sick. I am not naive enough to expect all to share my opinion. I do, however, wish that folks would take an opportunity to truly look at human lives that are impacted daily by these issues. This is not a political game.”
My friend possesses such wisdom. There has to be a way to keep all of this in mind and find a way to help people, beyond what has been done in the past. There has to be a way to do it AND allay/address the fears of those strongly opposed. No solution is perfect, but my friend is one of those on the front lines, and her insights have meaning to me. You see, there is no denying that medical expenses bankrupt many each year.
There is no denying that some of the requirements of the Affordable Care Act are financially burdensome for some people, too. There is much to sort out. There are aspects of the bill that are extremely worrisome and frightening for some people. Just as we cannot overlook what my friends said above, we cannot minimize or marginalize those that have concerns, either. There is much to holler about.
But keep my friends words in mind. She is a magnificent nurse—and she loves her patients with total devotion; she loves them beyond measure.
Believe Anyway 
I wonder if you might clarify what ACA is for those who don’t know.
roger that–I will edit! It is the Affordable Care Act (which some folks call Obama Care)
On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 7:51 PM, Believe Anyway
Thanks Kate!
Raising 9 kids by herself after my dad died, my mom could barely scrape by. It helped that we lived in Hawaii where fish could be caught…and neighbors and friends helped one another. It also helped my mom that the elder children in the family left home in their teens to make their own living. There was no talk of health care in those days, let alone insurance. Going to the doctor was a luxury in which we rarely indulged. Dental care was nearly nonexistent. And welfare…I don’t ever recall talk about government help. Had it been available to us, my mom’s life might have been more bearable. Living hand-to-mouth, dreading serious illnesses, dealing with bill collectors…stole any chance of happiness for my mom. The stress of it all, coupled with chronic diseases like arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure probably contributed to her decline, mentally and physically as she aged. She died with Alzheimer’s, in addition to her other health issues. I, for one, would like those who need health insurance to get it. I also feel it is imperative that all subscribe to some sort of health care, so as not to have the emergency room serve as a doctor’s office. My husband and I have been there on numerous occasions. Thank goodness we have insurance…hospital costs are into outer space. All of us cannot continue to pay exorbitant ER costs for those without insurance. So let’s “bite the bullet”…and accept change. Nothing ever stays the way it was. In some cases, like the environment, that’s a bad thing. But in the case of insuring that everyone can see a doctor…get medications…undergo surgery…well, it’s a no-brainer. Everybody’s entitled to…life, and the maintenance thereof.
Your friend R seems to be a wonderful woman. Her words are of great value indeed. To me it is obvious that everyone needs basic health care insurance. The ‘Affordable Care Act’ is no more no less. I would like to know which people in America think they cannot afford it? I think if you are not a multi millionaire you do need insurance. People who have an income should not hesitate to pay a percentage of their income for health insurance. People who have an income just have to pay for poor people’s insurance too. It’s as simple as that. If health costs would not be as astronomical as they are in America. the insurance costs could be reduced. If people stayed healthier by living healthier lives, costs could be reduced too. If there were less un-employable people costs would go down too. But the way it is right now I am afraid the people who do have an income just have to fork out enough money for everyone’s health insurance. The aim should be to reduce health costs overall, but not to leave people stranded who do need healthcare .
I cant see where having Medicare or Medicaid does that much good, even though I have both and live on social security. Six years ago I had major surgery and before the dr would do it, I had to sign papers saying I would pay the ones that medicare wouldn’t. And with the shutdown I still stand to loose everything. Somebody needs to really get themselves in gear and I mean yesterday or me and millions are going to loose their homes and have no way to buy groceries and sure wont have medical care then. Sorry, I’ll get off my soap box now.
Stay on your soapbox!!
))):- It’s just that I’m worried. To me the GOP’s are acting like spoiled brats that don’t give a darn about
the rest of us. Now. Enough said. This stuff gets me
upset.
I don’t blame you one bit.
Thank you!