The Fibrochondriac

I know I don’t post much about health care reform. I should because I’m fairly rabid about following the progress of the bill.

Yesterday afternoon I was a pretty happy camper after going out for coffee with two of my most favorite people in SoCal…I had a blast and was riding a nice little high from that (Sometimes it’s amazingly easy to please me).

After I got home I put on my jammies and curled up in front of the TV with a cup of hot herbal tea. Then I watched the news.

How Ironic

The Democrats had lost Ted Kennedy’s seat in the Senate. It was theirs to keep…in the bluest of blue states. But do you see the irony in this?

The seat held by the “Lion of the Senate” Ted Kennedy, a man who thought heath care should be accessible to all, went to a republican. And the irony is in that this turn of events will probably kill any hopes of health care reform. After all, it appears that republicans platform is “just say no” to health care reform, among other things…

(if you’re wondering I have no patience for people who want to interfere in other’s relationships. I love the saying “can I vote on your marriage too?” but I digress…)

But It Was Our Bastard…

Now I realized that the health care reform bill had been bastardized to the point where it wasn’t particularly effective. But it was ALL that we had. And with the lost seat in Senate, there is no longer a filibuster-proof way to overcome the “just say no” republicans.

A few positive things: it eliminated lifetime caps on what the insurance company would pay out. We didn’t get our public option, but at least we could have had an exchange and a high-risk pool.

And the bill provided for parents to keep their children on their healthcare policy until they were (I believe the final determination was) 25 years old. This was a BRILLIANT idea. When was the last time you saw a young adult in a job with good health insurance coverage? I have a 26 year old who just now has health insurance based on her domestic partner. Better than nothing.

There were a lot of shitty things in that bill, but it was the best back room deal they could make (thanks, Lieberman) was the best the politicians could come up with.  And now…we’re back to every person for themselves…uninsured people and low-income people be damned.

And Obama?

Purely my opinion, but Obama is over his head. His extremely thin resume is showing itself. He’s not ready to run this country. I’m sure he’s a good man but as a leader he is lacking.

There is something to be said for a politician than knows the ropes and can truly and effectively work with the rest of the decision makers on Capital Hill.

I know I can’t and I won’t put all the blame on Obama, but I was hoping for So.Much.More!! Maybe in 20 years he’ll be the leader that he promised to be. But now, he just seems out of his league.

The Haves vs. The Have Nots

I truly worry about where we are heading. From Forbes, http://bit.ly/efE71

“…total spending on health care in the economy has doubled over the last 30 years to a current level of about 16% of GDP. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that this percentage will double again over the next 25 years to 31% of GDP”

Again, widening the chasm between the haves and have nots. The “haves” and the unions (don’t get me started on the unions. I used to be a rather ardent union supporter but now they are just being so unbelievably stupid and short-sighted.) have their “Cadillac health care policies” paid for, and written off as a tax deduction, by the employers.

And the rest of us? Medical expenses (premiums, co-pays and the all too common “oops that’s not covered, sorry” expense) come out of our pockets. And that puts a bigger and bigger dent in our discretionary spending. Doesn’t our economy rely on consumers blowing money? Oops. Think the politicians would take that into account? Only if their lobbyists tell them to consider it.

So what about the poor and middle class? What now? Some people would argue is the “have nots” fault for not being more aggressive in their pursuit of capitalism and the almighty dollar. I’ve seen opinion post after post that spouts that argument. I disagree. Our corporatocracy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy) has ensured that the rich keep getting richer. The poor…the good corporate capitalist says “how do we separate them from what money they do have?” By any and all means necessary… ethics and morals, not an issue.

While there are people out there with crazy entitlement expectations (let’s forget for the moment that my income comes from the VA and disability…I feel like a hypocrite when I write this. But I was a productive member of society at one time), there are many people working two and three jobs just to get rent paid and food on the table. Oh, and pay health care bills. Don’t forget about that.

Do you have any idea what the EFFECTIVE tax rate (federal income only) for corporations is? Not the 34% per the tax code. It’s about 8%. There are various reasons for that, but to put it in perspective, our (personal…as in what this household paid in federal taxes last year) effective tax rate is closer to 17%. See a bit of a discrepancy?

And just for the record, it’s not just corporations:

“Mr Buffett said that he was taxed at 17.7 per cent on the $46 million he made last year, without trying to avoid paying higher taxes, while his secretary, who earned $60,000, was taxed at 30 per cent.”

http://preview.tinyurl.com/5w9qsa It’s nice to know Warren Buffett gives a rat’s ass. Wouldn’t it be nice if our government did too?

Small businesses can’t afford to provide health care insurance for their employees. Wages stagnate for medium (and larger) size corporations because (one of the reasons used) of health care costs. And the people who make minimum wage at McDonalds and Walmart? Fugedaboutit. We cannot continue to exist like this and those blasted republicans only answer to this? “Just say no” to any effort to fix this problem.

What’s my point?

My point is does ANYBODY else see a problem with accessibility and affordability of health care? And the ever increasing schism between the haves and have nots? And the callous indifference and lies of the people that are running this nation? This is some scary shit and how in the world are we going to fix this? I’ve got no answers…

I know I’m writing this off the cuff and not fleshing it out to make it a full and persuasive argument. I should. My only excuse is based on my previous post. But will anyone listen? Hell, it doesn’t seem like anyone even listens to Jennifer Jaff, why would they listen to me?

Jennifer Jaff?

And if you ask me who Jennifer Jaff is…boy you really haven’t been listening have you? She is the heart and soul of Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illnesses, Inc. That particular organization does what no other organization does in the entire U.S of A. They provide no-cost (yeah, I said free) legal advice and help for people with chronic illnesses.

Jennifer, in spite of being in constant hell from Crohn’s Disease and gastroparesis, is articulate, persuasive and tireless (correction: she’s tired as hell but she continues the fight. If she doesn’t…who will?) in advocating for the chronically ill.

Honestly people, she’s been in the trenches and she knows what she’s talking about. I’m pretty much in awe of the woman.

So let me share something she posted on Facebook:

“And so we lose health insurance reform to a man who posed nude in Cosmopolitan. I can’t help but feel angry at the President, his team, and the Democractic party for not selling health reform well enough to the American people. There are still people saying they’re against government take-over of health care. What government take-over? It all would have been through private insurance companies!

The lies are epidemic, and people believe them. I have no way to convince people that, although I’ve read every word of every draft and every amendment, I’m telling the truth when I say there is no government take-over. The liers win because the White House and Democratic party did not communicate effectively.

“And so we lose health insurance reform to a man who posed nude in Cosmopolitan. I can’t help but feel angry at the President, his team, and the Democractic party for not selling health reform well enough to the American people. There are still people saying they’re against government take-over of health care. What government take-over? It all would have been through private insurance companies!

The lies are epidemic, and people believe them. I have no way to convince people that, although I’ve read every word of every draft and every amendment, I’m telling the truth when I say there is no government take-over. The liers win because the White House and Democratic party did not communicate effectively.

And now, I have no answers for the people who call me who’ve lost their jobs, house, insurance, and are living in cars. Senator Kennedy used to say the dream is alive; hope endures. I’m having trouble holding onto hope today. I wish every opponent of health insurance reform had to answer my phones for one day. Then maybe they would get it.”

And now, I have no answers for the people who call me who’ve lost their jobs, house, insurance, and are living in cars. Senator Kennedy used to say the dream is alive; hope endures. I’m having trouble holding onto hope today. I wish every opponent of health insurance reform had to answer my phones for one day. Then maybe they would get it.”

And if your interested in more of what she has to say check out her blog at http://advocacyforpatients.blogspot.com/

Whew, that would be my rant for the day. Sorry if I’ve offended anybody. Okay, not really. If I pissed you off or you have questions, feel free to share your comments.