Affordable Care Act

Blog post #350 of 365

Affordable my butt!

I want universal healthcare. I do but I want everyone regardless of income to have the ability to see a doctor for free. I think healthcare and education should be available. It is just that simple. And you say how will this be funded well I can imagine a myriad of possibilities but I don't trust the government to figure it out. I mean it closed down for budget reasons and opened with no resolution to the problems. In fact I believe the ACA still isn't funded at all either.

By universal healthcare I mean a yearly visit to have preventative care and renewal or supply of prescriptions for the year. Then if needed visits for problems that arise. If you want more than that then you can buy more private coverage. It seems simple. That is the way most universal care countries work. (At least from what I have heard and read about.)

What Washington did was put a couple of needed lines in a load of crap and pass it off as success. I do agree nobody should be denied for a 'preexisting' condition but that is the only thing I can be happy about in this healthcare mess.

I have a friend who I adore who put a rant on FB. I copied it for the 3 or 4 blog readers who stop by partially because I understand her feelings, I can relate to her predicament and in part because nobody ever comments here and I know if I re-posted to FB my friends with political agendas would have a war much like hers did.

The first part posted Early Monday (10/28) morning went like this!
Dear Mr. President:
I watched your news conferences over the past week about the "Affordable Health Care Act," and I distinctly heard you say the following:
"If you have insurance through your employer now, you will keep that same insurance..."
Oh, really? That is amazing, since we just received our notice of re-enrollment, and the insurance company is different, offers less for more, has a higher annual deductible, and no longer offers an HMO. At all. It's PPO or nothing. 
Do you have any idea how much 20% of ANY single hospitalization is? Any idea at all? No, I think not, considering you and Congress are not subject to any of the same obligatory "benefits" that the rest of us are. 
YOU
LIED.
AGAIN.
(Oh, why am I not surprised?)
First thing - when Americans were clamoring for Universal Health Care, that's what they wanted. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. (See: France, Canada, the UK, Uruguay, Argentina, etc.) Not this sham of a tax increase disguised as "affordable" health care.

One time - just ONE time - that Jonathan (Special needs son) has to be hospitalized and is denied because we can't fork over $2500 up front, and I will be on your front lawn (which we, the People, own) with my legally-owned and registered weapon of choice. Want the NSA to come after me for posting that? Go ahead. I'm a MOTHER. I can take on the whole lot of you conniving, lying, "entitled" anuses. All at once. You don't scare me. I've given birth. I've given rescue meds for unstoppable seizures. Together, my husband, daughter and I have literally gotten people fired from hospitals. No one is safe from an infuriated mother. Not you, not your cronies, not your deep-pocketed backers.

Just once, I dare you - DARE YOU - to speak the truth and back it up factually.

I appreciate her passion. I know her well enough to know she can't afford a trip to Washington and if she did manage to get there she would do it is a peaceful and yet ever more powerful way than to arm herself and sit on the white house lawn.

After a slew of bickering comments by her, I sure well meaning, friends with a political agenda she posted this:

Well, well, WELL
I knew I'd probably come to FB today to find a brawl going on here - but I'm impressed that there isn't a real knock-down, drag-out fight. My friends are good people who want to express their opinions... I like that.
Whether you agree with me or not, I'm fine with that. 
This is how the ACA is affecting US, personally. And I've gone to the website - and since Luis's employer picks up part of the cost, the insurance through his work is still cheaper to obtain than any of the ACA websites offer. (Mind you, you can get cheaper coverage - but the annual deductible can be as high as $13,000.)
I'm a ticked off mom, and do not like to see the government conspiring with the medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies in order to keep offering overpriced services - at a higher price to me.
When I think of all of the new paperwork that will bog down pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, etc. because of this lovely plan, I feel even worse about it. Think of a small-town pharmacy - owned and operated by an individual who has worked his or her whole life to make a success of his or her business while serving the public honorably. How many of them are going to either go broke having to hire extra people just to deal with the paperwork, or going nuts trying to explain why necessary medications now cost the patient more - if that's not counter-productive, I don't know what is.
And Marc, you can always speak your mind to me! I agree - my 9mm wouldn't stand a chance against a "good" weapon. I'll just have to go in armed to the teeth with Angels and words. Sometimes, the simpler things are more powerful. 

I totally agree with her. Up to this point it has caused more problems than good. My son's hours were cut way back so the company he worked for wouldn't have to offer him healthcare coverage I know they can't really afford.  Now he has multiple jobs and still can't afford the ACA! I know it isn't just my son. I know many Americans are more frustrated than ever. The only people I know who are happy with the ACA are those who can afford to go to the doctor or who have coverage through work that hasn't gone so high it is out of range for their income. In short the well off or upper middle class and above. Oh you thought there were no class differences in the state just drive around a metropolitan city and you'll see upper class neighborhoods and the 'hood.'

Her next post made me realize why we are such good friends. I copied it so maybe you would further understand our friendship.

OKay, rant over.
Back to my usual self. 
Not that I'm not still upset - just that Monday is too fine a day to spend the whole time angry. Plus, I have a short attention span - I always end up finding something to giggle about or "awww" over before long...


Oh K, I hope you found your giggles and your awww quickly.