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Dear Sen. Specter: How About Some Health Care?
This is what using your kidney looks like -- an anonymous Daily Kos diarist shared her pain. Photo used by permission.
Dear Sen. Specter:
It’s me, Brendan Skwire. You know, Mr. Sunshine.
I’ve called your office quite a few times regarding the need for a public option in health care reform, which I guess is about as good as it’s gonna get considering you and the rest of your colleagues on the Hill are too timid or too indebted to the death-by-spreadsheet health care industry to support real single payer universal health care. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and so I’m sharing a photo from a Daily Kos diary published earlier this month, This is What Losing Your Kidneys Looks Like:
This is what losing your kidney function looks like.
This is what a diabetic who didn’t have health care for a year and a half looks like.
This is what our glorious ‘uniquely American’ system of health insurance looks like….
This is what not having health care for a year and a half when you’re diabetic and have high blood pressure looks like.
This is what our American health care system looks like. It is as broken as my kidneys.
I don’t want sympathy; I want single payer universal health care. I don’t want pity; I want single payer universal health care….
I want one class of people who have health care in this country: everybody. I want no more of this stratified system where it’s determined that Joe can have care but Susan can’t because she can’t pay….
I can’t even be fully naked with my partner, do you know that? The white belt you see is what I use to support my catheter, and I have seven of them. I wear one at all times unless I am in the shower, including to bed…
It is impossible to feel sexy when I have two liters or so of dialysis fluid in my abdomen, 100% of the time unless I’ve just been through a drain cycle, and my abdomenal walls have relaxed to accomodate it, making me look like I’m pregnant. I’ve been “pregnant” since January 15, 2008. I despair of ever getting the muscle tone back, and I do not seem to be able to with that fluid held internally.
Sen. Specter, you of all people should be loudly proclaiming your support for single player health care. After all, wasn’t it the taxpayers who paid for your Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment? I called your office and no one would tell me. I left a message, but no one has called me back for a week:
As soon as members of Congress are sworn in, they may participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). The program offers an assortment of health plans from which to choose, including fee-for-service, point-of-service, and health maintenance organizations (HMOs). In addition, Congress members can also insure their spouses and their dependents.
Not only does Congress get to choose from a wide range of plans, but there’s no waiting period. Unlike many Americans who must struggle against precondition clauses or are even denied coverage because of those preconditions, Senators and Representatives are covered no matter what - effective immediately.
And here’s the best part. The government pays up to 75 percent of the premium. That government, of course, is funded by taxpayers, the same taxpayers who often cannot afford health care themselves.
That’s not just some website with an ax to grind: It’s confirmed by the US Office of Personnel Management:
The FEHB Handbook has additional information on how the Government’s share is calculated. For most employees, the Government contribution equals the lesser of
a) 72 percent of the overall weighted average; or
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1. jacksmith said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 12:10AM
“AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!
It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.
STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.
And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.
Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).
Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.
In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!
Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!
God Bless You
Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS”
2. Marcos said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 04:05AM
“Patient safety is a new health care discipline that emphasizes the reporting, analysis, and prevention of medical error that often lead to adverse health care events. The frequency and magnitude of avoidable adverse patient events was not well known until the 1990s, when multiple countries reported staggering numbers of patients harmed and killed by medical errors. Recognizing that health care errors impact 1 in every 10 patients around the world, the World Health Organization calls patient safety an endemic concern. Indeed, if you are looking for a financial support, check out: payday cash loan”
3. Steve said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 12:44PM
“Let's not tug at the heart strings with anecdotes of people struggling with health issues. Instead we need to examine the overwhelming data about government run programs. They. Don't. Work.
If you want to make a difference with health care, read up on the impact of frivolous law suits. Torte reform would guarantee lower costs, and support the strengths of the present system.
The free market system is imperfect, and insurance has it's problems, but centralizing the decision process to those self-serving, lying Democrats and Republicans in DC? That is like asking the Post Office to cater your wedding. Wrong tool for the job.”
4. brendancalling said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 01:20PM
“the only rational option is single-payer health care. if it's good enough for the senate and the house and the president and anyone else workign for the federal government, it's good enough for the rest of us.
i have some experience with the single payer system: my son and his mom are canadian. he was born in a canadian hospital (no out-of-pocket expense for us); and all his care is prompt and effective. we have never been denied service ever. same with his dental care.
what you're confusing the people who we need to legislate the program (the lying dems and republicans, neither of who i like very much) with the people who will RUN the program.
all sorts of government programs work. social security, for example, is very successful. that's why it's the third rail of politics. the federal employees health benefits program also works quite well: visit the link to see how little arlen and his pals pay for care that can never be denied.”
5. Amy said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 01:46PM
“For the first four years of my working life, I held two jobs but had no health insurance. My only medical care was at Planned Parenthood. Now that I am a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, I have very good insurance, for free. My students and their families deserve the same benefits I do. Single-Payer is the way to go, even if it costs me.”
6. kbot215 said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 02:56PM
“jacksmith = spam!”
7. brendancalling said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 03:09PM
“i think markos is the spam actually. wtf do payday loans have to do with health care??”
8. Beth said... on Jun 17, 2009 at 03:04PM
“Someone living with diabetes and kidney failure has very little to do with Single Payer Health Care. She’ll have those diseases with or without a particular delivery of health care and even without any health care. In any event, the women to whom the story refers does seem to be getting treatment, so her story does nothing to support SPHC. I’m sorry she doesn’t feel sexy, but is SPHC going to make her suddenly sexy!?!?!
Further, if you actually look at the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, you’ll notice that the options that they chose from are all private insurance companies. There’s no magic USA Insurance agency running their benefits – they use Aetna and BCBS and other privately run insurance companies. They also pay for part of the premium just like those of us who work and get benefits from our employers (like the government receives their benefits from us – their employers). They also pay co-pays when they go to the doctor, just like most of us. If they want a plan whe”