The Sheep and the Goats

“‘I was a stranger and you never made me feel welcome, lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.’  Then it will be their turn to ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?’  Then he will answer, ‘In truth I tell you, in as far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.’” — Matthew 25:43-46

In this parable of the Last Judgment, Jesus states that people are to be judged by their works of mercy,  as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

In the United States today, a broken health care system separates human beings into sheep and goats as if they are cattle.  Rationing of health care does not start in some future scenario.  It is a reality today.

Previously I enjoyed the benefits of group health insurance coverage provided by an employer.  Then for the past five years I was self-employed and had to purchase an individual policy for myself.   I faithfully paid premiums to Blue Cross Blue Shield so that I could keep health insurance coverage.  The first thing I learned with it was that certain conditions I had were to be excluded from any coverage because they were “pre-existing.”

Secondly, I learned that the insurance was relatively affordable as long as I didn’t need it.  But when I did that would make the premium rates and deductibles I had to pay for increase. And finally I have learned what it is like to be deemed “unworthy” and excluded altogether from health insurance.

That is how rationing exists in the US today.  People are divided into groups of haves and have-nots.  We are a two-tiered society, where the fortunate ones have full access to health care coverage, and the others can fend for themselves.

In recent weeks I have been following the health care reform debate closely.  Thanks to the internet we have a free flow of information that cannot be controlled by the media.  On the internet citizens express their outrage at the injustice that is the American health care system of today.

There are many encouraging developments every day as people get organized and speak up for universal health care.

Americans who are denied health insurance coverage by insurers are essentially being told, “you are not worthy,”  because the insurer has deemed their condition as not profitable enough for them.   They have become second class citizens of the US who do not have equal access to health care.  See my previous blog post, The Baucus Plan and 44,000 Uninsured Deaths a Year for more on this.

Can the Congress seriously believe that we can wait until 2013 to start health care reform?  What can they be thinking?  An estimated 44,000 people are dying each year, that is 122 per day.

At a minimum we need a robust public option, or as Dr. Howard Dean has proposed, to open Medicare in 2010 to people between 55 and 65 years old who lack coverage.

We must keep the pressure on Congress to enact the sweeping health care reform we need with a robust public option.

The Public Option Is Not Dead

Things seem to be heating up in the health care debate as supporters of reform and the public option are finding their voices and getting more organized.  Many more people are speaking out now in favor of the public option.  Yesterday I signed a new petition and went on twitter.  I was quite encouraged when I did a search on #publicoption to find hundreds of tweets in support of it.

I personally am among the “medically ineligible” who has fallen through the cracks in this broken system and been brushed aside by the in$urance companies as being unworthy of coverage because I am not among the lucky ones who has coverage from a group policy.  Since I am neither independently wealthy nor old enough to go on Medicare, I must do whatever I can to take care of myself and that includes being politically active on this issue.  Yes I am passionate regarding the outcome since I am among the millions of Americans who has a personal stake in it.

Last week I received a phone call from a staff member of FamiliesUSA, a group that has been campaigning for health care reform for years and who had worked closely with Senator Ted Kennedy over the years. I do not mind telling my story if it can help to achieve health coverage.  I had posted some comments on their web form so they called me to get more information.  I have written a few more details regarding my own situation in my blog posts here, on health care and health insurance denial, as well as the financial problems caused by my illness in God’s Grace Is Sufficient.

Here are a few links to some of the more interesting commentaries from recent days.  Olbermann last week again discussed the polls showing broad support among the public for the public option with Marcos Malitsos of Daily Kos.

Another really outstanding piece was this tv ad of Kevin Schilling, a Greenfield, Iowa farmer addressing Senator Grassley and the public option. Of course farmers are another one of the groups who fall through the cracks of the system, since they are largely self employed and not covered by group insurance through their employer.

Here’s Robert Reich explaining the public option in very simple, straightforward language, as well as the urgency of pressing Congress to enact it.

Finally, here is Bill Moyers personally addressing President Obama in a very passionate way saying what many of us have been wishing we could say to President Obama and the Democrats.

Yes we the people need someone to champion this cause who will at least stand up and fight for what has been promised and left undone for too long, instead of just caving in to a compromise without even taking a stand.

Real Canadians Talking Real Health Care

Here’s a reality check about our neighbors to the north and what they actually think about their health care system (as well as ours.)

What about the public option in health care reform?

“This is a season of hope … and this is the cause of my life, new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American —north, south, east, west, young, old — will have decent quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.” — Sen. Edward Kennedy quoted on NPR 8/26/09

Why should health care reform include a public health insurance option?

A strong public insurance option can benefit all Americans, whether they choose to keep their private insurance or enroll in the public plan. It will benefit you if you have good private insurance and choose to keep it, but would like to have lower costs.

If you are a small business owner and need affordable, comprehensive coverage for you and your employees, it would give you more options.

It will be available if you lose your job and can’t afford COBRA.

The public option can give you coverage if you or a family member have a medical condition that has excluded you from insurance coverage.

It will be available for you if you work for a business that does not offer health insurance as a benefit, and you can not afford the costs of health insurance premiums.

The public option health care system will bring down costs through competition, instead of bankrupting the nation with costs that are twice as high as any other advanced country in the world.

The provision of a public option through the federal government is the best way to accomplish the goal of universal coverage. A public option provided through cooperatives seem less likely to work.  Health care cooperatives don’t have a  strong track record of success. There are only a couple of them presently in operation.

Years ago I lived in a rural area of Northern Wisconsin, and a health care cooperative was formed to bring a medical clinic into our small town.  It struggled to get off the ground and only lasted two years before it closed down.

Trying to start many cooperatives on a national scale would result in a patchwork hodgepodge of different systems.  Some could succeed, but others might not.  The cooperative option would be a risky experiment.

Providing health care is an urgent need that calls for a comprehensive solution.  The public option to be provided nationally through a government funded and administered program such as Medicare is the only solution that has any hope of working to achieve the goals to bring down costs and provide universal coverage.

Five Reasons For Health Care Reform

Shocking Health Care Facts in the US part 2:

Here are five important reasons why we urgently need health care reform in the United States at the present time.

1. Health care should be available to everyone. But presently it is not. This is because some people are excluded from insurance coverage because they have “pre-existing conditions.”  Perhaps they were covered in a group policy which they lost when they lost their job or moved to another state.  Others have lost their insurance when they lost their job, and do not have enough income to purchase a policy under COBRA, or they work for an employer who do not offer health insurance as an employee benefit.

The present system of excluding persons from insurance coverage due to their health history or lack of money to pay is a form a rationing health care.  Presently 49 million Americans do not have health insurance coverage.  Health care is a human right, and most developed nations provide coverage for their citizens.

2. Americans deserve a choice. Health insurance is controlled by the private insurance industry, who set the rates and policies in order to maximize their profits.  Offering a public option would create competition and drive down the cost of health care premiums.

Insurance companies will no longer be able to refuse coverage to anyone due to pre-existing conditions, or charge more based on gender or health status, or limit the amount of coverage you can get in a year or a lifetime.  Insurers will be required to renew policies as long as the
premiums are being paid, and they will not be allowed to charge more than 10% of income for out-of-pocket expenses per year.

3. Health care should be affordable. Health care presently is not affordable for many working people or unemployed people who do not qualify for medicaid.  Because they cannot afford to purchase health insurance, they are forced to go without preventive care, and postpone going to the doctor until they develop a serious condition.  They then are forced to seek help at the hospital emergency room, which helps to drive up the cost of health care for those with insurance.

4. Having health care reform will increase our peace of mind. Health care reform will include preventive services such as routine mammograms, mental health services, oral health & vision services for children.  It will extend the age of children covered in family policies from 22 to 26 years, giving young adults time to get established without having to buy their own coverage.

5.  We can’t afford to do nothing. Presently the high cost of health care in the United States is becoming unmanageable.  It is a leading cause of personal bankruptcy filings and home foreclosures, as well as an uncontrolled cost for employers in both the public and private sectors.

Continuing to neglect this critical problem and kick the can down the road is simply no longer an option.

The Power of One

Went to a farmer’s market today and it was nice to see folks out with petitions supporting the health care reform proposals currently in Congress. I signed one petition in support of President Obama’s principles. Last week I also sent an email to my Congressman, will have to get to the two Senators next.

On the tv news tonight there was a story about thousands of people in Los Angeles desperately trying to get in to a free  health and dental clinic run by volunteers for people with no insurance.   But many were turned away.

The sponsoring group had previously run clinics in third world countries and then in rural ares of the US.  The US isn’t a third-world country, yet when it comes to health care, we are lagging far behind other devoloped countries which have found ways to provide services for their citizens.

I am only one, but I am one.

Comparing Health Care Reform Proposals

Need help sorting through the various health care proposals being considered by Congress? Frustrated, scared or worried about what it all might mean?

To get information regarding the various proposals, try this website provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals

health insurance denial

I just received the official letter that my application for a health insurance policy is denied due to the underwriter’s determination that I am “medically ineligible.”

So now I have joined the ranks of the uninsured.

Recently I moved to a different state.  Because I am self-employed I have carried my own coverage.  Since my policy was based on using preferred providers PPO, I could not continue the policy once I moved.

I had more or less expected this would be the result, since last year I had a lumpectomy for breast cancer and radiation treatments.  Actually keeping the policy I had at the time was a struggle.   Before I received my diagnosis, my business income had declined due to the recession and some marketing problems.  Due to the treatments I lost more time at work, resulting in further loss of income.

Last winter I found myself forced to choose between paying my mortgage and the health insurance premium.  I opted to pay the health insurance, but once I got behind on the mortgage I was unable to catch up.  The payments I was behing on quickly added up and I went into default and eventually received a foreclosure notice.

By the grace of God I was able to sell my condo before the foreclosure started and make my move to this new location, but that’s a different story.

For now I have found a place to go for health care where I can get the follow-up mammograms I need, as well as any other care.  It is a community clinic that has a mission to see that noone is denied health care.

But the larger question to me is how it is possible in this country at this time to deny anyone medical coverage due to a pre-existing condition?

My hope has been that this must change.  I want to add my voice to that movement for change.