According to the National Coalition on Health Care:
"Several studies estimate the number of uninsured Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 46 million Americans, or 18 percent of the population under the age of 65, were without health insurance in 2007, their latest data available.1"
Health insurance is so expensive that I've known quite a few parents of my past students who could not afford health care for their families. I remember one dad telling me he had to just wait until a child was sick enough and then he'd take his child to the emergency room.
I also know a family member who got kicked out by her insurance company once she got too sick.
There are too many stories about the sick state of health care in the U.S. And yet people are absolutely filled with maniacal rage and hysteria about doing something to change anything if there's a remote possibility that it will affect their lives, even when they don't exactly know how it will affect them.
I thought the President's speech today was excellent. I really felt he tried to bring people together to listen to reason and to dispel misinformation. Did it work? I sure hope so. I'm really hoping something gets done this time. We need to come together and help those in our country who are less fortunate.
That heckler during the President's speech? Would somebody please tell him to grow up and learn some manners?
I think people tend to be so selfish. Wait til they are unemployed and uninsured. Then, they will sing a different tune!
ReplyDeleteHaving studied a little British history, I know there was a similar furore in 1906 when the Liberal government first introduced health reforms, but we got over it. I have paid for health care (while living in South Africa) and I get it free on the NHS here in Britain, and I have to say that neither system is perfect, but at least one of them is available to everyone, no matter what their income.
ReplyDeleteMr. Obama's speech was terrific! But did you see the group of supposedly intelligent Congressmen, sitting there with their stoic expressions, deliberately not hearing what was being said? I feel ashamed for us all when I see the people we have elected to office.
ReplyDeletewell the heckler apologized and he should have being a member of congress. I can't believe all the negative comments on facebook...all critical from my more conservative friends. I feel we need to respect, listen and then judge obama's remarks not prejudge as was done by so many. It's a sad state of affairs.
ReplyDeleteOh boy.
ReplyDeleteI had a long and rather ugly political discussion with my niece over the summer, and when it got to this issue she said she was furious that he was trying to change health care (she's insured). Well, we both have carpal tunnel syndrome, and when hers was diagnosed, she was told by her doctor to go out and buy arm braces, which she did; she's had to give up knitting and all sorts of things she used to do. In Ireland we have national healthcare, so when I was diagnosed (by that time I had lost all use of my little fingers and had to sleep in a chair), two days later I was operated on, and there wasn't even any paperwork to sign: I went to the local hospital that morning with my plastic identity card and came out that afternoon bandaged, with no problems since. I even had physical therapy afterward, painkillers for post-op pain, and a nurse came out a few weeks later to my house, to follow up. Because I have two disabled children at home and a low income, the state also paid for someone to come in and do my housework for the first week while I recovered.
I've had two Caesarean sections too, one in the US (with Blue Cross & Blue Shield coverage) and one in Ireland. In the US our final bill after all the deductibles and percentages was just over $10K though I was sent home after 48 hours (my son stayed three more days with complications--that was hell being separated), and the paperwork was unimaginable. In Ireland there was one consent form to sign, no bills ever, and they made me stay for five days to recover and sent a nurse out to my house twice, afterward.
I pointed this out to my niece, and she wasn't even listening. "I just don't trust him," she said. I wanted to smack her for being so closed to even *discussing* it. We would love to move to the US, and there are better opportunities for our kids there, but the two things holding us back are the huge cost of health care, and the huger cost of a college education. When those are (nearly) free here, it's hard to make a decision.
Sorry that was so long! But we've been talking about it a LOT in our house lately! LOL Keep supporting the President's efforts Kay; I wish the voices supporting him were as loud as the those putting him down. I don't know why so many people are being silent... or are they just being shouted down?
Well, having grown up with the Health Care system in England, I realize it had it's faults but no one lost their life's savings because of serious illness or was turned away because they couldn't afford health insurance.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the comments all I can say is, EXACTLY!
ReplyDeleteWell, you have been to my Pick a Peck of Pixels blog and know how I feel about Universal Health Care. We are the only country in the world that is so-called industrialized, that does not provide universal health care, regardless of some of cry about how bad or good their systems are, they have them and we don't.
ReplyDeleteAnd, your mention of having been to Matsushima several times in response to my post on Pick a Peck of Pixels,and that your mom lived there or has visited there, I thought I should tell you to ask her if she knows the Yamato family.
Haruhiko's wife and mother, I believe both, are school teachers there and friends of mine. That is he is via the web sites we have had. He has two sons who must be through with college now or just about.
His web site is linked on my Matsushima blog. It is Pearl Age. He tried to start a computer related business and give lessons on computer languages and opened an impressive office in Sendai but never could get enough students to make it work. I think he also tried Tokyo with the same results. There is a chance you guys might know them.
Amen to your post and all comments. Something HAS to be done and soon. Too many are dying from lack of care or going broke trying to pay. It's very sad that we've elected such narrow-minded people to run the country. President Obama cannot do it all alone.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the speech was very good. I especially liked the last section, about our nation's character. Maybe it needs some adjustment.
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