Of the few articles I have written in the recent past, this one has to be undoubtedly the toughest.
The reason for the difficulty in writing this article is not because of confusion on the subject, nor is it because I don’t have a strong enough opinion.
The real problem I’m having is that it requires me to share information that could, theoretically, expose friends and family who have no desire to have their very personal issues discussed.
The second problem might come in the form of critics who claim that I refused to directly say whom the people I was writing about were because I had “Made them up”. In essence calling me a fraud who makes up “sickly” phantoms to try and garner sympathy for a political cause.
So, after thinking about this story in particular for a couple of days I decided, critics be damned; I’ve got something important to say and I shall not hold my tongue, nay I shall add my voice to the growing chorus of average every-day people who support the government’s involvement into the health-care system. Those people who literally pray each and every day that our elected officials do the right thing and pass a comprehensive plan with a public option.
Having given this preface and giving away the fact that I am absolutely in full support of national health-care, or at the very least some sort of opt-in public option.
Those of you who may read this article and that have lived a privileged life, in this case meaning you’ve never known life without health-care, may be surprised to hear how the “other half” live. How the elderly have to make the painful choice between purchasing their meds or purchasing food.
The fact of the matter is that our health-care system is in ruins since the inception of the United States.
I don’t want to make this a long article, short and to the point will work best in this scenario as it is important that those who need to know actually get to know. They need to know what Americans are faced with, day in and day out. That our cries for mercy are not based in Democrat vs Republican or vice-versa and that as much as certain entities would love to politicize this it is simply not a party vs party problem. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH! Nobody should be allowed to trivialize any persons life for cheap political gain.
So you ask, what is in it for me that I should be so passionate on this subject? Why get so worked up over a problem that doesn’t even touch your life. You, Mister left-wing Internet wannabe reporter, what is your stake in all this?
My stake in all this is that it pains me to see friends and family suffering immensely due to not being able to pay for health insurance.
You see, I’m one of the lucky few in that I have health insurance and ironically enough my insurance is through the Government.
Nevertheless I know so many people who suffer needlessly. An example of this is a friend or family member who has been using the same 3 Foley Catheters for the past two years because he/she can’t afford to visit their doctor in order to get a prescription for these catheters. It doesn’t matter anyway because even with a freshly written Rx in hand, you still need money to pay for those catheters and this person is poor. Like so many other people in this country, he/she lives from day to day attempting to do the best they can with the most limited resources.
To think that this person is an American War Veteran, that he/she risked their life for you and me and yet this person, to whom we owe so much, has to boil those little rubber catheters so as to kill the bacteria. I’ve seen this persons collection of Foley Catheters, they are a pinkish color, made of rubber, or latex; it’s hard to tell.
These very old catheters should have been replaced a very long time ago; as a matter of fact they are a one time use product. Yet this person has been sterilizing these things far beyond their expected shelf and usability date.
How about another person with whom I am close, a full fledged Diabetic who can’t follow the doctors instructions on using his/her insulin because he/she has to make the medication last longer. Disabled and having lost the ability to work due to diabetic nerve pain and the slow but constant progression into blindness.
I could go on with this list but I don’t think that is necessary. I don’t wish to exploit anyone’s illness ever and although I didn’t give their names or even their gender, I still feel bad for having used their situations for this article. I would have felt much worse if I had let that stop me from joining all the other voices from across this great land of ours as we collectively scream for help and relief.
Senators & Congressmen, this is not a political issue and it certainly isn’t an issue that should be used to score political points. We are talking about people, American Citizens who are suffering on a daily basis. How can this be, how can this be happening in the United States?
We Americans are the supporters of life; it says that we are supporters of life right there in the Constitution. I just don’t understand how you can play a game of politics over the corpse of a fellow American; a fellow American that died of a simple and entirely treatable disease.
Ladies & Gentlemen, listen closely please, people are dying from treatable diseases everyday and yet they often have two disasters going against them. The first being the disease in question and the second being a lack of resources and money, a situation where the person has to choose between eating or buying their medication. Also, this is the fate of many Americans and a large portion of these people are American War Veterans who fought for you, who died for you and that they deserve better than this.
So what do I get out of the proposed national health-care plan?
I get the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that the people I care about actually get the medical attention and help that they desperately need. It would mean the end of having to decide between going to see a doctor and buying the necessities of life, such as food for instance.
It goes beyond that though, I hope to one day have my own family and I would like to believe that they will be taken care of even if something were to happen to me.
Finally, it would mean that average folks could have a choice in switching jobs or looking for more lucrative opportunities as they would no longer be shackled to their current employer by the healthcare he/she/it offers.
I guess in a way, you could almost call it the freeing of the modern day slaves in every way imaginable.
by Robert Korczak
robertkorczak.com
