My oldest daughter loves sports. And she loves to socialize and be part of a group. When she was growing up she played soccer. She got to play sports and hang out with her teammates. Those were good times.
I think she was in 6th grade when she got picked up for a “select” soccer team. Select is a bit more sophisticated than just kickin’ the ball around at recreational levels. Select teams have real coaches that teach real strategies and tactics and they travel around the countryside to play other select teams. These teams have real uniforms, with matching gear bags! Select ball costs real money.
I loved the intense dedication “T” (short for Teresa) had for soccer. She had a passion for the game and was in her element being part of a team. So I scrounged up the real money for her to play on this select team.
There were times when we were traveling to games or tournaments that she and I would sleep in my van and borrow someone’s hotel room shower. We played select ball on the cheap. But she didn’t care, she loved playing. I enjoyed being a soccer mom and yelling at the top of my lungs from the sidelines, cheering her on. Good times!
T loved to play ”sweeper”; working with the goalie to keep the opponent from scoring. She was almighty fierce in that position. It doesn’t surprise me that she blew out her knee at a game. She was never one to shy away from physical contact and she was a fierce competitor.
At that time in our lives, the early 1990s, we were pretty poor. Teresa’s dad died in a motorcycle accident when she was two years old. He had been in the military and we were lucky enough to be covered by Tricare after he died.
Up until the time that T blew out her knee I never really even thought about health care or insurance. After we got her hauled off the field I took her to the emergency room. The knee was blown up like a balloon. After all the x-rays and tests were done, she needed to see an orthopedic surgeon. I couldn’t get her in on the military base because we weren’t active duty (we were now classified as retirees) and there were no doctors in the area that accepted Tricare.
At that time Tricare paid less for medical care than the welfare programs were paying! The only way I could get her in for a consult was to pay cash up front and then send a claim to Tricare. I barely had the money for the consult, but the surgery was seriously beyond my means.
I was stunned by this. It was my responsibility to take care of my daughter, just like I’d always done, and I had no way of doing it. At least I could afford the crutches that she hobbled around on, but that was not a permanent fix. Eventually we found our way to Shriners Hospital for Children, which provided free care. Thank goodness! But that incident is still vivid in my mind.
This was right about the time that President Clinton was trying to pass health care reform legislation, so for the first time in my life I read the newspaper intently! I actually wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper (I think I still have the clipping around here…somewhere…) and I wrote the people that were supposed to be representing me in Congress. This was just wrong. She was the daughter of a military man and could not get adequate health care when she needed it. So very wrong.
It’s hard to believe we’re still fighting the same battle for health care we were fighting sixteen years ago. I know this is coming out of left field, but why is it so easy to go to war and so very hard to provide adequate health care for all?
So I’m watching the battle rage on over making changes to the way health care is run in this country. The lies and the misinformation disturbs me.
Rumors are being spread that people won’t get to keep “their” doctors, that they’ll have to pay more taxes, that care will be “rationed” (as if insurance companies don’t already do that?) and other insanities.
I am really worried that congress will wimp out and not pass any legislation to help us deal with health care and health care insurance.
In a guest post on FibroHaven, I wrote about watching protestors in Indianapolis holding up signs reading “Don’t take my Medicare from me!” and “No free health care!”.
Did the people holding these signs actually believe that this was the plan on the table or were they paid to start these protests to make us believe the lies? Either answer is scary!
Our representatives are seeing are people disrupting town halls, hanging their representatives in effigy (is this off the wall or what?) and being extremely vocal about the fact that they don’t want any changes made to their health care.
Our representatives are not seeing those of us that are concerned but don’t carry a sign or striking matches. Don’t you just wonder if this might effect the way congress crafts this legislation and the way they vote on it? I do.
I’m paying attention and watching what is going on. The White House has put up a website explaining health care reform: http://healthreform.gov/index.html and AARP has posted information as well. But my favorite reading comes from my advocate (yeah, she’s mine! Have I mentioned that I have my disability retirement because of this lady?) Jennifer Jaff. She throws down and makes for some fascinating, thought-provoking reading.
I’ve been telling Congress what I think by using this link: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
In this case, I vote early and I vote often! If you’re wondering what you would say…what are your concerns about health care?
- The constant increases in insurance premiums and co-pays?
- The fact that your doctors can’t prescribe you drugs that they think might help because insurance doesn’t cover them?
- Or do you have fledgling young adults that are old enough not to be covered by your insurance policy…but can only find jobs that don’t provide healthcare?
Those are all things I’ve brought up to my legislators.
AARP has a boilerplate message you can send:
I am frustrated by the myths being spread by special interest groups who are trying to block progress on health reform and I urge you to respond to these scare tactics with the facts about health reform.
Please tell your constituents the truth: health reform plans currently being debated in Congress would not hurt Medicare. Plans for health reform would not be socialized medicine, would not ration health care, and would not be a government takeover.
The fact is with so many people looking at health care premiums nearly doubling in the next 10 years, the time for action on health reform is now.
Please do not let the myths and scare tactics of special interests get in the way of ensuring that everyone has access to their choice of health care plans they can afford. I urge you to commit to working on a bipartisan basis to pass legislation that will provide all Americans with access to affordable health coverage and strengthen Medicare and improve long-term services.
It’s a good place to start, but including your story not only makes it more interesting…it’s somewhat cathartic. Whatever works.
