We Could Use Some Doctoring Here…..STAT.
August 9, 2007 by Enigma4ever
So HOW MANY have to be Without Healthcare for it to be a Crisis?
Apparently more than 47 million in one Country, a modern Industrial Country qualifies for some Notice. Actually in 2004 we were already up to 47 million, and some estimates last election cycle of 2006 put the number closer to 49 million. According to Maps over at the PBS website, 9.9 to 24% of each state’s total population are Uninsured and lacking healthcare. 9 Million Children in this country lack Healthcare.
So finally the Debates have decided that Healthcare is to be mentioned. It is still getting short thrift, but it is getting mentioned and last night on the MSNBC debate it got more coverage than the CNN debates. The CNN YouTube debate waited an hour and 45 minutes to discuss, and then begrudingingly gave “it” only SEVEN Minutes.Last night the retired disabled AFL-CIO steelworker really nailed it, he simply told His Story and told WHAT happened to him and how worried he is about his wife WHO HAS NO COVERAGE AND NO HEALTHCARE. He framed it right and made it simple, NO COVERAGE MEANS NO HEALTHCARE.It was striking how he got a standing ovation, and it was not because he was a Steelworker, it was because HIS story is Everybody’s Story.And we watched EACH candiate dive in to their answers with the Universal healthcare Mantras.
As a nurse , and as a nurse without Healthcare Coverage, I have a couple of points to make about this issue. First off, I know it is easier for the MSM to have Ostrich Syndrome and ignore this HUGE issue, or pretend it offends or is merely a temporary problem for Others.At Some Point they need to recognize it is MUCH more complicated than that. They need to understand that huge numbers are suffering from This Problem.It is NOT a Poor People Problem, it is a Working People Problem.And it is Killing People. Because people that have diabetes and heart problems and can not get Insurance and have been DENIED BECAUSE of their health History, that means they do not get Healthcare, even Preventive Care, and that means that they die earlier. And they die from LACK of Healthcare, and for NO Reason. We as a Country are allowing this level of Criminal Negligence, allowing Public Health to be distated by a Government that is allowing People to die.
And instead of framing the debate on Amercians Without Health Insurance, we NEED to get the MSM to frame the debate Americans WITHOUT HEALTHCARE IS A CRISIS AND WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
Now my Other Concern, so we have the candiates up there toting their mantras, and looking concerned and giving Mr.Retired some applause, but WHAT do they have Planned for America ? So I went to each of their websites, and checked WHERE they are on this Crisis, right here and right now. And to be honest, ONLY ONE was really on the ball, and NO it was NOT Hillary. ( Matter of fact Hillary is SO behind the times she is using rhetoric from over 10 years ago, and she does not recognize there is a Crisis).ALL of them NEED to be schooled, ALL of them , on ALL the issues, and the problem is that all of them seem to think that it is an Insufficient Insurance issue. ONLY one candiate recognizes that it is about NO Healthcare, and his website addresses ALL that that means, and HOW to fix it. ( Okay I will give you a clue, he KNOWS Homelessness and has slept in a car as a child). ( I wrote to ALL the other Dems and told them to go to his site, and even some that are halfway there I told them they can do BETTER, that 49 Million people VOTE.)
ALL of us, and especially Bloggers need to educate the MSM and also The Candiates WHAT No Healthcare Means, and HOW to fix it. Because right according to the PBS map Each and every state is drowning under a burden of uninsured people, and these numbers need to be better tracked. ( And I wonder do these numbers even include all the VETS and their families? we need to make sure they are counted as well, there are 98,000 collecting Disability for PTSD alone.) Atleast once a week as a mom and as a nurse I am committed to putting ONE Healthcare solution on my Blog, and sending it to the MSM and to the Candiates.
My letter this week to the Candiates: “Please go spend 2 Hours on a Friday Night in an ER and sit in the Waiting Room and listen to people’s Stories, and ask them about their Health and their Coverage. Then go back and read your Websites and Your Intentions and see if Your Goal will help them at all.” (Hint: Tax Cuts and Tax bonuses don’t mean squat when you have ER bills in the thousands for basic healthcare) And Giving out Gravel “Vouchers” like gift certificates is not going to remedy People suffering and dying everyday. And end the letter I always sign by Explaining that Until they address THIS Healthcare Crisis, and Iraq NO MORE Money for their campaign.
Because what I worry about is that apparently the Cemetaries have to be fuller and Cemetary Plot sales up before Someone recognizes that America has a Fillblown Crisis and there is not enough shame to justify That. As a Nurse , we too take a Oath to “DO NO HARM”. Maybe it is time that we make our Elected in DC take the Same Oath.
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Great post! I’m somewhat left in a world of confusion when it comes to health care and our country.
We have those that say it is wrong to abort a baby, but they refuse to help the poor children and babies when they are brought into this world.
There are those that we elect to do the will of the people and we even cover the health of them and their families with our tax dollars. Then they are the one’s who can’t see fit to come up with a bill that will insure that all Americans are given the same type of health that they receive.
What kind of people are we when we prefer to just look out for ourselves and forget about those that can’t afford the type of health care that they can.
By you being a Nurse, I know that you see more death and sadness from people that I or any other average American see. But even though we don’t see it, we know that people are in need of a good health plan. If not the average America, then what about the children and the elderly.
We need to take care of every American that can not provide their own health care. Its a given in a huge industrialized nation such as the U.S.
We are the ONLY big industrialized nation that does not. That is beyond pathetic!
I say this, not only because I do not have health care, but because its inhuman not to care for your fellow countrymen and women. People should not have to die simply because they can’t afford to see a doctor.
Enigma, this issue is closest to my heart. I’m 58, will be 59 in October. The cost of my insurance premium increased this year; our accountant at work suggested I switch from the PPO to the HMO but none of my doctors are part of the HMO. So I stayed where I was. My prescription meds cost me $300 per month - that’s a $50 co pay per each prescription. And I’m one of the “lucky” ones, eh?
This is not a White/Black issue. This is not a Republican/Democrat issue. This is an issue about caring for each other. However, our elected officials have the best health care coverage there is; they are sheltered from the realities of the issue and so hide behind rhetoric.
Socialized medicine is NOT perfect. It is not; nor do I think that Michael Moore’s film, SiCKO, suggested that it is perfect. But what he showed was that it works a lot better than our system works.
What prevents fixing this problem? Greed. That’s all.
DivaJood, the point to Sicko, for me, was those that have insurance used to be the lucky ones..not anymore. The insurance companies have found ways to screw all their insured and thus make more money for their shareholders and themselves in huge bonuses.
Medicare and the VA are both socialized medicine. We know they work, but the systems do need tweeking. Its all a matter of putting the people ahead of profits. Saying the government shouldn’t run health care is fuckwitted at best..All other industrialized nations do it..and it works better than our current system.
First off, I am having Huge Thunderstorms- so if I am not here, it is because all day has been hit or miss whether I can get online ;-(
Let’s talk, Dusty and Diva: What kind of people are we that can not think of others, maybe it is greed, shortsightedness, I am not sure What is the Cause, Right now Some Segments of OUR Country are getting Excellent Healthcare- the Government Employees are basically getting the Best Socialized Medicine and Care that OUR taxes are paying for- so quite simply WHY is this not being offered to Everyone? And yes, I am a nurse, and I have to say I am furious with AMA and the National Nurse organizations for NOT taking Some Kind Of Stand on this issue, they should and must,….and yet the Silence persists…Middle America, esp Middle Workingclass America is the one bearing the Brunt of this, caring for children and elderly and paying out of pocket for meds and care….All of this so Health Insurance CEO’s make $600,000 to 1.4 Million a year….This is a System Crippled by Greed and Corruption.
Why don’t I have Health Insurance ? Not because I am lazy or lack preparedness skills, but because I have a family history of Breast Cancer, and because I have a Cardiac History- I was Turned Down BY 14 Companies, because of my history- that is Wrong on so many levels….and I earn “too much” for any sort of assistance….This is wrong also…and as you can see by the stories above- it is a Broken System….But all of us need to be educated about WHY and HOW it is broken….
And Yes, VA , and Medicare, and Medicaid, and even what the DC Folks is indeed Socialized Medicine…and yes, it needs Improvement, but it should be a RIGHT that is offered to ALL…period.
Okay thunder is starting up and lightening flashes…so I don’t know when I will be back on…sorry to rant…but I think it is as big a Crisis as Iraq….and interwoven with Iraq at this point….more later…
Just think of the wasted money for Iraq and Afghanistan (thank you Halliburton and Blackwater…& others)…that could go for Health Care. It could go to a plethora of things…but health care for all would certainly be a wonderful thing.
When I said above “what kind of people are we”, I sound angry- and I should not have said WE….I should say THEY,…THEY in DC…They need to start thinking about US, the WE in WE THE PEOPLE….
I don’t know when I will be back online…it is bad here weather wise…
okay, so yesterday I had to clean my basement cuz it flooded here…and now we have tornado warnings…dark sky…and I really don’t want to go in the basement….yuck…okay going to go pack goodies for the emergency Bag…( I went and got more butterfingers and dog food for the bag- and new flashlight…)….hmmm, I should have gotten more chocolate….gonna be a long night….
enigma
Healthcare is in major crisis along with everything else average Americans rely on for survival. I have done innumerable stories on this liks the hospitals dumping the homeless on sziod row.
Not only has food stamp use gone up by a third since Bush took office but you see the way everything else has gone for the average American while Bush says his economy is great.
It is but our economy the one he refuses to acknowledge because he needs to make the separation between the haves and the have nots a little more pronounced for his new society is going to get a lot worse.
I did a story a couple years back after waiting six hours in the ER and getting stitched without novacaine that we are screwed if there is a real crisis. We have a lack of equipment and staff on a good day. We could never deal with a crisis. That too will get a lot worse. This downward slide will not be stoppped. Bush has merely sped up the natural cycle of the life of our civilization.
You are my first comment. I have a new computer and just got on verizon so I am slow and figuring things out but I’ll be around.
I hope things are OK for you in the storms.
Here in Georgia, we have a Hospital that services the poor and uninsured. I found out that it was going under because of poor management. If that Hospital is no longer around for the needy, I do not know what the poor and uninsured will do.
It’s just crazy that our country can be so insensitive to the health of our people. STAY SAFE!
In order for there to be a healthcare crisis in America, the wealthy elite will have to lose their highly covered healthcare.
Then there will be a major crisis!
Okay…got throught the storms and mess….Now back to the matter at hand…
Larry: Now about it would have to effect the rich…I think that is true in a way…People have said that if Katrina had hit the Rich Golf Communities in Florida- maybe things would have been so different…Until it bites their lives and hurts their loved ones maybe that is the reality of it- and I don’t think it is just the rich- the DC folks that we elected conduct themselves like Rich Elite….
Let’s Talk: There are many clinics and hospitals that take care of the impoverished…but over the past 6 years many have lost federal funding and State services…so down they go…and yes, 1000’s will have nowhere to go….The VA system is also suffering- with VETS having to travel hundreds of miles for basic care because of closures….
Jim: So we are facing this crisis to get worse before it gets better, and the ER’s around the country are flooded and not able to provide good emergent care, because they are providing basic care that should be provided at a day clinic…
Thanks all for giving this some thought…and your insights…and I am so sorry to the commenters above- many are in similiar straights …..no one has the healthcare they deserve or need…
Thats why we as Americans must make this issue as important as the war E4E..because it’s life and death as well as our soldiers and what they face.
The war is a paramount subject…but health care for our nation is one of the highest priorities just underneath it. We cannot be a nation at odds with other nations…if we are at odds with ourselves. And that is a problem for the government to figure out…and quickly. In a way…why fight for a government that cares little if nothing for its citizenry. For all the basic rights we are denied…and we all know there will be more before George is over his tantrums…why give our all just to keep receiving less. We are reduced nearly to serfdom these days. I’m exaggerating of course to make a point…but you get my drift.
Yes, I agree that war is the primary issue of this country and health care is at the top of the list too. A country such as ours should have health care for all Americans. We need to elect officials that will work towards those two agendas.. ending the war and health care for all Americans. Let’s make it OUR agenda to get those officials in office!
Sadly with all the VETS returning with such illness, wounds and of course PTSD,( the numbers are over 100,000 with PTSD disability claims alone, I rechecked the numbers today)….and yes, what Susie above said- Ending the War and Leaders that have genuine Concern for Americans…and What this Country NEEDS….on all levels…thanks for all the thoughtful responses….