WHERE ARE THE HEALTH CARE IMPACT STORIES?
In 1988 Willie Horton became known in almost every household. Horton was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in Massachusetts. At the time, Mass. Governor Michael Dukakis was running for president. There was a commercial showing Horton going through a prison turnstile for release on a weekend furlough, and it was the death knell for the Dukakis campaign. Ads can be the make-or-break deal, not only in campaigns but on issues. I have to wonder where the ads are which would put faces to the stories of those who have been adversely effected by loss of insurance or turned down due to a pre-existing condition.
I know there are stories out there. We need to hear more of them and put faces to the theories. Far too many believe that those without health care are degenerates, lazy and irresponsible. I saw one news piece in which a man had lost his six-figure-income job recently due to cut-backs, but developed a serious medical problem. I don’t know if he had COBRA, which is exorbitant, but he ended up in a clinic looking for help.
Some years ago I had left a career to start my own business. I had some money set aside and looked into COBRA. It would have cost me $450.00 per month to keep my insurance at the same level. It was out of reach, so I decided to wing it and hope for the best. Several months later one of my children, who was in college at the time, developed a serious medical condition. She had some medical coverage, but not enough for all the tests and meds she would be needing. Within three months of leaving my job, I went back to it and felt lucky to have had that option. I kept my small business active on a part-time basis. So much for the American dream. When it comes to your kids there is no choice.
So the point is, where are the faces to others who have dealt with far worse scenarios than mine? I have this conspiratorial theory that lobbyists for insurance companies and pharmaceuticals are so strong that we will not hear those tales. Unless these companies are broken up like Ma Bell was years ago, we are all in for a rough ride, no matter what health care bill is passed.
An issue of note is that health insurance is the only business, other than Major League Baseball, that has an exemption from the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. What this does is create an environment of no competition, thereby enslaving us to an industry with its heels dug in and its hands out for deals in lobbying efforts. It is collusion and it needs to stop. Bust the health care provider companies and the pharmaceuticals and give us some equity. Perhaps getting real-life stories are the answer to thwarting this so we can go forward with full knowledge of all the possible ramifications.
If you have any stories you could share, please do. Willie Horton’s story helped to determine the outcome of an election. If we do not become proactive in this battle, we will be at the mercy (or lack thereof) with the future of our health care. We will be like “Mr. Cellophane” from the musical Chicago. See the video page. He could be any one of us.
—cher
Cher, there was a piece in the USA Today about 2 weeks ago spotlighting about 7 people in different situations ie: one who had lost her coverage due to her cancer, one with HIV and couldn’t get coverage, the small business owner, etc. It was excellent but a shame that it doesn’t seem to be something that the tv media seems to be covering. You seem to only see the ads against any reform, trying to convince people that health care in countries like Canada and the UK is sub-standard and (gasp) socialized. As someone who has lived in England AND worked for the NHS I can say that their way is much better. There is never going to be a perfect system but at least when I lived there I didn’t ever wake up worrying if something hurt that I was possibly going to go broke.
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While the Horton ad did make Dukakis look weak on crime, I think what killed him was when he was asked by Bernie Shaw of CNN I believe whether he’d support the death penalty if his wife, Kitty, was raped and murdered. His response was cool and methodical and showed no love for her. Also, riding around in the tank with that stupid helmet didn’t help him much, either.
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He is the healthcare story that shows what is wrong with the current system. Baby too fat for coverage
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Theresa,
I’m glad you weighed in on England’s NHS. Great Britain’s system and Canada’s are painted with bleak brush strokes by many pundits. It is so good to hear first-hand accounts like yours. Don’t people realize that we will be paying one way or another for “socialized” medicine as Medicaid becomes more encompassing?
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Harrison,
You are correct in that the Willie Horton issue was not the only damage done in the Dukakis campaign. Dukakis self-immolated.
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Project Savior,
Thanks for sharing that. If this child’s father was not a news anchorman, I wonder if they would have been able to obtain the coverage they needed for him?
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The Dukakis campaign was nothing more than a prolonged auto de fé.
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The problem with anecdotal examples is that they are a poor way of addressing the issue, they only highlight the symptoms. There are plenty of horror stories from both sides—and they go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, ad nauseum with no discernible results or end.
“An issue of note is that health insurance is the only business, other than Major League Baseball, that has an exemption from the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.”
Heck, if you want real competition, let insurance companies compete across state lines just like most other businesses. In California, we essentially have an oligopoly of insurance companies that love the “closed shop” environment. Guess who lobbies hard for state insurance regulators (a political position) to harden insurance mandates or to create new ones? Health insurance companies.
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Although something that I generally don’t speak of, during a bout with my depression many years ago..I was left homeless..lived on the street for nearly a year..and during that time I saw many people out on the streets due to medical bills and losing their homes etc..
It wasn’t always lack of coverage that did this., some talked of losing homes because of bills and I don’t necessarily think that the government health insurance would have helped..There were many programs and policies to help the homeless back then, most were unfunded and mismanaged..The government does a really poor job at this..
I got in a shelter for veterans..funded by the federal government..One day the place was shut down by the same government that funded the shelter because the people that were given the grants stole most of the money..Despite being audited many times by the VA they still managed to steal the money and put many veterans back on the street..
The thing I saw is that the government is very inept at managing large sums of money..very inefficient..Much of the money goes to friends of the policy makers or those in control of the purse strings rather than the most efficient at the job..
Programs and policies created by the government don’t guarantee that people will be helped..It generally is the opposite..
I believe this will be true of this health insurance plan..After seeing all the government help for the homeless do absolutely nothing..I believe this plan will do the same..
Take care..Thanks for the comments..
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VH,
I know of one health center in this state that is like Pac-Man, gobbling up all the smaller mom & pop medical equipment providers. They have literally cornered this very lucrative market and shut out competition. How did they do this? With a little help from their friends and lots of bucks behind it. That’s free market with strings.
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MegaMan,
We are deeply in your debt. You served your country and got a terrible deal. I am so sorry. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but we do need stories—from many aspects. Life is such a damn learning process, but if your story does some good for one person, then something positive came from your plight. Someone has to call attention to the homeless, to our Veterans and to their experiences. We need voices.
I agree with you that the room for corruption is limitless. Are those in government more corrupt than the Bernie Madoff’s of the world? Money and power corrupt both in government and in the private sector.
Having worked for government most of my career, you would think I should be jaded. Quite the contrary. I have seen some government programs which were efficiently and scrupulously run. I have seen checks and balances and accountability. I’m no shill for the government, but I do care about those who are voiceless. I don’t blame them for not trusting. In dire circumstances, however, if the wealthiest nation in the world does not provide access to health care to its own citizens, it is a failure.
Have I also seen corruption? We all have. But I tell you, this is still a worthy issue from my point of view. You were worthy of better treatment. Someone has to fight for those who cannot do so for themselves. If we do not strive for ideals, then what is the point of this democracy for which you were valiant?
You didn’t give up and neither will I. We may see things differently, but we both want the same thing. Justice.
Take care, my friend
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Oh man…it is so true that the messages keep going back and forth ect…
I get a headache trying to keep up with who said what and who is winning at the mudslinging.
The health care system is a mess….who knows just how long it has been a mess. We only hear about it now because someone wants to revamp everything….but who is it going to benefit is the question and what is that benefit going to be.
I am Canadian and Cher…our system is not all that…at least not for the past 10 years.
We are and have been paying for many extras such as tests..paperwork ect. This all started when we were advised that certain age groups..namely seniors were abusing the health care system through nonsensical visits due to their being lonely.
Then the Doctors were told that they had a ceiling number of patients that they could see as there were too many neglect cases being filed due to an unrealistic number of patients being seen per day.
Say bye-bye to all of our Doctors….many of them are here in the US and any anywhere but Canada.
My daughter waits for almost 3 months just to see her GP (general practitioner)….the time one has to wait in order to see a doctor of any type is ludicrous.
I know many Canadians that have spent a lot of money in the US for health care because they did not have to wait 1-2 years to see a specialist and that is exactly how long our waiting lists are for any specialist.
So is it better….I do not see how it is better than what you have here now.
I am very confused as to what they want to do…except that is has made a lot of people very upset. Actually it feels to me that the confusion is being done with intent.
All we can hope for is that someone somewhere actually has the good of the people in mind when making this decision.
~D~
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D,
It is good to hear from you about the Canadian aspect, since that gets brought up by comparison frequently. At least Canada made an attempt. The fact that it has gone awry may give some of our legislators guidance for pitfalls which should be avoided. And you may be right about the confusion possibly being deliberate. Certainly what is on the table now bears little resemblance to the HCR outlined in Obama’s platform during the campaign. Details. Don’t we deserve details?
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Seeing examples is a great way of illustrating what’s wrong with a particular situation, or what’s right.
The self-employed struggle to pay huge amounts of money just to have basic health care. And those are the lucky ones. Luckily my wife has a “real” job or we’d be struggling to figure out health care for our family.
Let’s hope “we” can come up with something soon.
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THE GUYS,
I fear the self-employed will become an endangered species as health care costs rise and become out of reach. What happened to the “land of opportunity”?
I swear, if this were “back in the day,” I would be taking to the streets marching with signs and singing Marvin Gaye’s song “What’s Going On?”
And I would rally sit-ins on the steps of mega-insurance companies. This is one of the most critical issues in my lifetime, but I have to wonder if those in power hear our concerns. Once elected, those who are supposed to represent us become ensnared in the power and re-election web. Do they listen to their constituents anymore?
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You talk about the monopolies of the insurance within states. Much of that has to do with the limitations that are put on insurance companies by the government.
The federal government is going to put the largest part of the payments of the health care bill onto the states. Which causes 10th amendment problems. Yes our federal taxes may not increase (which I doubt by the way), but out state taxes are going to increase. Doing that now is a bad idea. The states can’t afford it and with this many people out of work they can’t afford any additional burdens either.
You also talk about how the republicans are stopping the legislation, the last time I checked they don’t need the republicans to pass it. The problems with getting this passed is coming from the democrats. By allowing the far left to take over the process the middle of road politcians can’t bring themselves to vote for something that we have no way of knowing if it is going to work and will not insure every person, nor will they makes the cuts that they are saying they are going to make. They never do. If they were smart they would put a test program in a large state that has a diverse population; like PA or OH to see what works.
I had cancer, while I did have insurance, my prescription coverage was not enough to cover what I needed on a monthly basis. I ended up almost $50K in debt when it was over. I am against government run health care. I made choices during my treatment. Choices that allowed me to now have a four old. The debt was horrible and it took me years of working two jobs to pay off, but it was worth every dime and every extra hour I worked. There is no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t be here if I lived in Canada or the UK. I wouldn’t have been able to make the choices about the type of treatment that I received. They would have removed my ovaries and been done with it.
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just a conservative girl,
There is no question that what you went through was a terrible ordeal. No one can minimize that. I don’t think any of us want what the U.K. or Canada have in their form of health care. We need our own plan, tailored for Americans and learning from the mistakes of other countries.
Having been an Investigator for over ten years, I know first-hand that insurance companies here are absurdly powerful, primarily due to their lobbying efforts. One company which I investigated was so powerful, that as my investigation went up the chain of command, I was told “to back off.” That’s all I can say about that.
The report released recently by AHIP was flawed and deceptive. That lobby has invested millions to oppose HCR by scaring voters such as senior citizens. The AHIP only looked at parts of the health care reform package then created spin through misleading reports.
It is my belief that Republicans want to stop HCR only to damage Obama, not because they want to address perceived flaws in it. Well, they probably dislike a tax on the rich, but that’s hardly news. The other reason Repubs. don’t want this is their collusion with these insurance companies and lobbyists. Many pockets have been lined.
If there were HCR it is my understanding that you would not have been faced with unobtainable costs for prescriptions. Don’t forget, pharmaceutical companies are also powerful lobbyists with a vested interest in the status quo.
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As a fifty something Englishman,I watch with interest the debate in America,regarding healthcare reform.Before the second world war our people lived in fear of illness much as Americans do today.The first election after the war saw Winston Churchill defeated,not because the people didn’t love him,but because they were sick of war and wanted social change,as expressed by the Labour Party.What we wanted and what we got,was The National Health Service.I was born in 1953 at the end of rationing.I was by right given vaccination against polio,measles and much else that my parents did not receive.On the rare occasions I have been sick,I just go to my local doctor,without having to worry that it is going to cost me money.Our health service costs around £9 billion a year.Our people live longer than Americans.We have specialist hospitals in many fields,including Great Almond Street which cares for children.Wonderful heart and cancer hospitals that are the leaders in their field.I as a tax payer pay 5% of my annual income into this system.
I read recently of an American rightwing politician who said that the NHS was profligate in it’s spending and inefficient.No doubt this man can afford private healthcare.
In my country a tramp will receive the same attention as a millionaire.
My 87 year old Dad does not live in fear of his life.
Yes national health care costs alot of money,but having a sick population who are terrified of illness is worse.
So called Christians in America want to study the teachings of Jesus and stop supporting financial corporations who benefit from the status quo.
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Simon,
It is refreshing to actually hear from an Englishman who can rightfully tell us about your system. We are hearing many stories through media and political bias about your NHS.
“In my country a tramp will receive the same attention as a millionaire.
My 87 year old Dad does not live in fear of his life.” Those are cogent points, Simon. Our country is supposed to be about equality. That should certainly be considered in health care reform. No one in a wealthy country should have to do without health care, be denied due to pre-existing conditions, nor live in fear as they age.
Thank you so much for enlightening us.
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Many of the police officers who patrol the most dangerous, and least desirable towns in america are without adequate health coverage. They are typically working for poverished boroughs, which are struggling to pay their salary – let alone be in a position to provide health care.
As I’ve come to learn, many a police officer in training accept these lower paying – yet seemingly more dangerous – positions…. so that they can gain the experience to hopefully advance onto a more prosperous town to protect.
Sure, if they get injured on the job, workers comp… but, what about their wives, their families? Many are able to opt onto their spouses coverage – or go without.
Too many of those who are there to serve and protect us….. are not properly protected.
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As the other commenter from California said, I think that the real key is competition across state lines. A small business owner here told me that she had a choice of 6 insurance companies when she was looking to cover her small staff. how can the most populous state offer 6 choices?
I would like to see these changes take place before we talk about any government option. I hear people constantly say that we need a government option to ensure competition, but I think that we need to have competition between the existing companies before we start saying that we need a government option as part of the mix.
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Tina T,
I agree with you that competition is the key to health care reform. What you are seeing in California with only six choices, goes back to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. These mega insurance companies, along with pharmaceutical companies, need to be broken up because at the moment, they rule and inhibit competition. At this point, I am not even sure that a “public option” is still on the table. That worries me because it means there will still be those who fall through the cracks and have no coverage at all.
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