Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Powerless? Desperate? Insecure? Insignificant?
I have.
OFTEN.
My life is pretty unglamorous. I am a stay at home mother that often hangs around in her spit-up covered pajamas and blogs about things that are rather pointless and silly from the comfort of her home.
A lot of my life has been difficult. I have lived through some pretty horrifying things. To quote Steel Magnolias,” When it comes to suffering she is right up there with Elizabeth Taylor”. This past year in particular has been extremely hard on me and my family physically, emotionally, financially and just about any other “lly” you want to throw in.
Many of you know about my insurance woes and health problems and that the State of Utah declared my pregnancy a pre-existing condition. That we lost a 3-month-old to SIDS and that this was our first baby after 6 long years of grief and loss. That I was so sick that I pretty much became a hermit that spent all day in the fetal position in bed, throwing up endlessly into a bowl. Those and many other things have made me feel shell shocked. Scared. Tired. Powerless. Worthless.
Enter BlogHer and The White House.
I wasn’t sure how BlogHer was going to go for me this year. Even though I was determined, I wondered the whole plane ride why I was even going. I knew it would be really difficult for me.
I was right.
I made some embarrassing faux pas. I felt overwhelmed and hormonal from the delivery of my 6-week-old. I had crippling back pain, I kept throwing up for some unknown reason, I missed my baby like mad. I felt like my blog has sucked for such a long time I didn’t even feel like I deserved to be there. I felt insecure about everything from my writing to having a year filled with internet suckitude of mass proportion.
I can be rather misunderstood on the internet sometimes. I am chaotic and disorganized. I have difficulty keeping up with people and things and it has cost me. I get a surprising amount of hate mail. I was on a whole flipping hate blog for hell’s sake. I have been classified as a braggart, a snob, and the biggest cry baby on the internet. Anyone who really knows me knows these things are so far from what I am. Although, I will admit that after the “Ye Olde Snot Fest” called BlogHer and all my blog entries from this last year, I have actually earned the cry baby title.
Example?
A low point found me locked in a bathroom stall of the hotel sobbing (again) and throwing up (again). I heard the door open and a large group of woman entered.
My heart sank.
I wanted to be alone in my vomitous misery.
There was the usual banter about writing, work and politics and the rustle of purses opening to obtain lipsticks and brushes. Then one of the women started talking.
About me.
There was respect in her voice. For me. For what I do. The others joined in about how much they loved my blog and my writing. How it inspired one of them to start blogging and how they also thought I was one of the best people to hang around at the entire conference.
One woman said she would sacrifice one of her favorite cats and give up her career if she could figure out how to write like me and start a blog of her own.
It was overwhelming to me. Not because of the attention or because someone with multiple cats would give up their career to write like someone who uses the phrase “boobies are magical” on the internet far too often, but that what I do was respected by what seemed to be intelligent, successful women.
ME.
I cried some more.
And I left that bathroom feeling much better than when I went into it.
It was a turning point for me.
This huge gathering of my writing and blogging peers changed so many things for me.
My first night there, The Queen of Spain, a blogger that I totally admire, asked me if I had checked my email. My thought was, “Dude! I didn’t even know she knew who the hell I was, let alone that there was an email waiting for me in my inbox!”
It was from Elisa Camahort-Page, one of the co-founders of BlogHer and someone I completely love to bits and admire. The email invited me to a very small luncheon with Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. They wanted to hear my opinion about health care reform.
I was floored.
Staggered.
They wanted to talk to ME?
Did they know I wasn’t a political blogger? That I am just a stay at home mom with eleventyhundred credits and no college degree that can carry a decent tune and often blogs in her underwear? That I am a loud, silly dork that wants to start a movement to bring the classic middle-school insult “RENOB” back into the common vernacular? THAT I WRITE ABOUT MY TA-TAS ON THE INTERNET??
Seriously?
But it was true. They wanted me. Loralee Choate. A nobody moderate Republican from Cache Valley, Utah.
I was terrified of looking like an idiot in front of everyone and I spent all day repeating over and over to myself, “Do NOT swear! Do NOT be too loud! DO NOT SAY TA-TAS!”
I called my less-than-enthusiastic-about-my blog husband and told him what was happening.
He told me to make sure I told The White House that my husband would gladly pay every cent than have socialized health care.
I told HIM that if he wanted The White House to know that he could start his own freaking blog.
Grin.
When the time came for the luncheon, I didn’t really think that I would even say anything, but then a blogger from Mom-o-crats brought up that she felt that the GOP was spreading misinformation. That they didn’t really get what the Democrats were trying to do with health care refrom.
I timidly raised my hand and asked to respond to her as a registered Republican from Utah.
I stated that there is HUGE concern that this is a ploy and step on the path to socialized health care and government. There is no dirtier word than ’socialism’ in my state and with my family. I don’t see this plan as socialism. I also admit that I don’t start frothing at the mouth in anger and fear like many around me do when they hear that word. I don’t think a lot of them actually know what they mean when they start spouting off about socialism, but that is pure conjecture on my part.
I come from an uber conservative place, my family is very conservative and my husband is so right wing he is probably two steps away from moving to Idaho and starting his own militia.
(For the record, he is unhappy I keep saying that. He thinks I am saying that he is a racist skinhead. I’m not, I just think it’s hilarious. Yet another thing we see differently.)
Living with him and his politics can be…interesting. I wake up most mornings of my life hearing conservative talk radio or Fox News.
(Also for the record? That can lead for some weird-ass dreams, people.)
I actually consider myself more of an independent. If I didn’t want to vote the way that I do in Utah I would probably register as one. While I don’t consider myself a real conservative I do have many conservative stands and points of views.
I love charter schools, I am pro-life, I am for tort reform, I am a HUGE supporter of our military. While I think the war has turned into a huge mess I am unwilling to have a rapid pullout (as much as I despise that my loved ones have to be deployed and put in harms way). I am dismayed and alarmed at the thought of our service men and women’s bonuses, hazard pay and basic funding for them in general being decreased. I have loved ones who depend on that funding. For their families. For their very lives. Our soldiers are already so stretched thin, as are their families and loved ones. Please don’t let them down.
There are things I am liberal about. The thing I am very, very liberal on is gay marriage. I want gay marriage. Not unions, not “separate but equal”, MARRIAGE. And I express that opinion with pride. I want it as much as I want health care only I have no conflicting issues with it. I do with health care.
I deeply hope that the administration does something about both of these. Pretty please?
* Yes, the above is shameless platform plugging but if you knew that your words were going to be read by the administration (because they asked you to email it) you would TOTALLY put in a few other political issues you want tackled and you know it. ;P
I want health care reform.
I wanted it before the hell that happened to me.
I started talking to Ms. Jarrett about everything my family has been through the last year-from my insurance situation to how hurtful I found it that many in my family saw me go through so much and STILL does not want change.
It felt so GOOD to talk in front of people who mainly agreed with me. I am sickened by the behavior of some people in this debate. The horrible mud slinging and sickening signs and behavior some choose to exhibit. Thankfully, I have not experienced any of that, but I have been strongly disagreed with. Where I live when I talk about health care reform I usually feel like a small fortress surrounded by warring hostiles. You know, kind of like General Custer. Only with shorter, less attractive hair. It gets tiring to be hugely in the minority and to speak out at such personal cost.
I was grateful to have the platform to vent.
As I told my story, and as I suspected I might, I started sobbing my guts out. All the frustration, the pain, the stress, the hell just poured out of me.
The whole room was crying with me.
I expressed my anger about how broken the health system is. How ticked and sad I was that Senator Orrin Hatch pulled out of the bipartisan discussions the day before. I also may have also referred to him as “ugly-tie guy that writes cheesy music”, because I was mad and hormonal. (I regret saying it and sincerely apologize. An example of how things in this topic can get heated and you can cross the line, apologize and continue to fight to continue on with civil dialogue. Just because you fall off the wagon doesn’t mean you can’t get back on, people. )
I also may have cursed AND said “ta-tas” in that luncheon but I TOTALLY BLAME MOCHA MOMMA FOR THAT.
Heh.
As I cried I apologized all over the place for my tears because I was embarrassed.
It is deeply embarrassing to me that I am in the situation I am. That at 34 years of age I don’t own my own home yet and wonder if I ever will. That there is no “American Dream” for me. MY American Dream is to be able to GET AND AFFORD insurance and health care. To take my kids to the doctor when they are sick without getting an ulcer about where the money will come from.
It sucks a duck.
I do not want a free pass from the government. I don’t expect them to foot all medical care for everyone. I don’t want a single payer system. I don’t mind paying my reasonable share.
I do want options.
I do want change.
I want it bad.
I am not saying that the bill is perfect, it is not. I can actually see many issues with it. (My conservative side rearing its head.) Even with my concerns I.WANT.CHANGE. It is beyond ridiculous to me that such a weathly, awesome possum nation cannot figure out a way to make sure that people get and have access to affordable health care. That you don’t lose everything you own or bankrupt your family because you became ill. That you don’t have your high-risk pregnancy declared a pre-existing condition when you were doing everything you could to make sure you were covered. It isn’t right.
I am also the very first to say that honestly I have NO IDEA how to make it happen.
Guess what, though?
It isn’t my job to figure it out.
Surely with all the resources available to us, SOMEONE can figure out how to make it happen and work.
I know that many disagree with me and I suspect (and actually hope) to see it in my comments. (Which is fine as long as it is respectful and hopefully they focus on ideas and solutions.) I am used to being disagreed with about this. I live in one of the most conservative places in the nation. I married into an extremely conservative family. A family that I love. I know, love, and respect so many people who want such very, very different things regarding this. ALL of them have good hearts and intentions.
While I confess to being on the liberal side I also understand where the right is coming from.
I just disagree with them.
After years of bickering and disagreeing with my husband, I have come to the conclusion that it comes down to the fact that we have radically different ideologies. My husband believes that it is immoral to put a gun to the head of a man and force him to pay out of his earnings for the greater good of all, where I find it much more immoral to NOT provide for those that truly cannot in the case of health care and to make it accessible and economically possible for people. He doesn’t believe that health care should be a right and I do.
He despises decisions made by “emotion”. I say why is it a bad thing to be fueled by emotion and compassion? The kicker for me is that I would like it to be emotionally fueled AND fiscally possible. This means that I end up being unhappy a lot.
As I relayed my thoughts to the room I said that if they truly do not want socialized medicine and a single payer system, and that they don’t want an over-all socialistic government then they needed to focus on trying to get that message out to conservatives.
The problem is, I don’t know how many of them would believe that.
Especially my husband.
Then Valarie Jarrett said something I love.
She said that thought many do not believe it, the President truly loves hearing ideas about solving this problem from people with differing points of view.
I chuckled and said that I would be sure to tell my husband that.
Then she said something unbelievable.
“After this meeting is over I would like you to go over to my assistant, Adam, and block out some time on Monday morning to have your husband speak with me on the phone. I would love to hear his ideas for change.”
I think that every jaw in the room was open. Mine pretty much fell all the way to China.
My uber-conservative husband was going to have a one-on-one conversation with The White House.
With one of the most politically influential people in the nation.
All because I write a little blog in my babybarf-covered pajamas.
When I told my husband that because of me he was about to have a conversation with The White House I was prouder than I can say. After we discussed what was going to happen (with emphasis that he behave himself) I added something that has been hurtful to me for years.
“You know, Jon. I know you have had problems with my blog in the past. That you consider what I do a waste of time and that it is a silly, pointless thing to do. You get this opportunity because of that blog. Because of me. I have worked hard at this. I have stuck with it for four long years. I am proud of what I do. I think it is time you were, too. I NEVER want to hear or even sense that what I do is silly. Pointless. A waste of time. Never, EVER again. It is so hurtful to me. And if you do? I will totally kick you in the testicles. And we can’t afford the health bills that would produce.”
We both laughed and as the days have gone by we have spoken about it more and worked many things out in our personal relationship, which has been wonderful and if nothing else came from this experience, I would rejoice the most for that.
And Jonathan’s phone call with Ms. Jarrett?
It totally happened. Just like she promised it would.
However, I will let him tell you THAT story himself.
Yup.
Mr. Looney Tunes will be writing a guest post on my blog. (That cracking sound you hear is hell freezing over. Just so you know.)
At the end of the day I highly doubt that anything I had to say will really change or mean anything for the greater picture.
But that lunch and conference changed everything for me.
I survived it and I stayed exactly who I am. No pretense. No false front. I showed the people in that room the real me-silliness, snotting, ta-tas and all.
And it was fine.
For the first time in a long, long time I feel worthwhile.
Capable.
Proud.
Powerful.
I am woman, hear me roar!
Now let’s go burn our bras n’ stuff.
Stumble it!
Filed under: 
Sitting here in Australia crying over this post. I don’t understand how such a powerful country doesn’t provide a healthcare system that works either. I’m lucky to live somewhere that whilst it isn’t perfect, it’s a damn sight better than yours. (No offence)
Looking forward to reading Mr LT’s post soon.
And I’m coming to BlogHer next year if I have to sell bodyparts to get there and I’m totally going to invade your personal space and hug you.
xxxxx
[...] See original here: The only thing that would have made attending a luncheon with a senior advisor to the president to h… [...]
As a Canadian, everyone knows how I feel about health care! And anyone who wants to argue with me about how “bad” the Canadian system is, just step right up. You might have to wait a wee bit longer for non-emergency procedures, but I don’t know anyone who was ever denied care or had to wait for any stretch of time when they were in need of emergency care.
But I digress… as I often do when this subject comes up. Loralee, I am SO proud of you and Mr. Looneytunes for having real dialogue with THE WHITEHOUSE (go you!) about health care and health care reform. If I see one more illiterate bumpkin holdup a sign of Obama with a Hitler mustache drawn on it, calling nationalized health care reform the same thing as a death camp, I might just loose my mind. People need to learn how to debate and discuss their opinions like adults, rather than grabbing onto catch phrases and disturbing images that just end up making them look even less intelligent than they actually are.
/ rant… point is, LOVE YOU and am so proud you took the opportunity to talk and are now shedding light on various opinions that are VALID and intelligent!
I remember how your eyes just lit up even more as you told me about your luncheon and who it was with, and how we sat there like little school girls pondering whether The President would show up, since he’d checked into the hotel across the street from us.
I’m so glad you were able to make your voice heard, and I’m sure it made an impact on Valerie, and she will keep it in mind. Dude – she’s probably talking to The POTUS about YOU. Obama probably knows your NAME. Because of this blog. You win the internet.
You go girl. You go.
RENOB!
You should be really proud of your courage to stand up and tell your story and share your opinion in a way that is constructive. I’M proud of you!
[...] to Loralee who expressed to me how nervous she was about saying TA-TAs in front of Valerie Jarrett. If you read her long-ass post today you will get a view of a real person struggling with the issues of health care [...]
I don’t know you – but I love your blog! I give you a standing ovation for speaking up for what you believe in…and getting the chance to do so because of a blog. Many women today in places like Afghanistan aren’t even allowed to learn to read and write, let alone have their voices heard by the most powerful government in the world. I applaud your job well done!
Loralee, I’ve been waiting to hear about this, and I sat here riveted by your account. At the risk of sounding 13 – that was radical!!! You move me with your utter openness, and I believe that quality is what got you the opportunity of a lifetime. You said simply what so many talking heads cannot say in any form: something has to change. We the people don’t have to know how to DO it, we just have to believe it can and should happen. I come from a Fox News fanatical family, and am the only one with liberal leanings and the willingness to even talk about a change being needed in health care. I’m so happy and proud for you, and will eagerly await Mr. LT’s account of the conversation. I heart The First Family.
Loralee –
You are a triumph! I am so happy and so proud!!! (hope that doesn’t sound strange).
I love this story – you ARE AN AMAZING person and writer!
Can’t wait for the guest post from the Mr.
Big Hugs to you Lady!
Loralee- not that you hadn’t found your voice before, but you are totally owning it now. You are breaking free of the bonds of your own self doubt. I can really ‘feel’ your turning point in this post, and that is what is inspiring to me. You are setting a fine example! I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of the WH for listing to you both. I’m proud of all of us.
Love you!
If your husband’s guest post doesn’t start off with an APOLOGY to you…then I will kick him in the testicles.
Loved reading about your experience with the While House folks.
I’m listening to the show right now….
Hola chica, just wanted to say that in the blur that is BlogHer for me, one of the crystal clear moments was finally finding you on Saturday night, so we could sit down and just talk for a while. Love you.
You have been, are now, and apparently always will be, and amazing women, Loralee. Oh, and by the way – you DO have great TaTa’s.
I can’t WAIT to finally meet you on Tuesday!!! SQUEEE!!!!
I am so glad you are working at making a change. I am with you. What is right now isn’t working, so I am glad that SOMEONE is trying to change it. I am all for healthcare reform. Oh, and I’m not a Republican….and in Utah ;)
I’m so proud of you. I’m so happy for you that you were heard, that you overheard that conversation, and that you feel good about things for once in a very long while.
And about the health care? I believe we need some kind of reform, but I don’t believe that the current bill is the answer. It actually scares the shit out of me. Where are the smartyMcSmartypants people that can figure out this stuff?
That so so amazing.
I do not know much about this health care bill so I am just going with the flow for now, but it is so refreshing to hear someone speak their mind for something they believe it. Especially without bashing the other side.
You are really an amazing woman, and I am so glad I found your blog. It has helped my put my own medical situation in perspective and realize that there are others way worse off than me.
Thank you for being such an inspiration. You may not think it, but just being here and continuing to write is such a rock to so many of your readers.
Go you!!!
The UK’s NHS isn’t great, but at least it does give you a chance at getting the healthcare you need.
Perhaps though, I’m nore of a fan of Brasil’s healthcare system. When I gave birth it was in a public hosptial (and there’s many of them) not because we couldn’t afford a private one (well, we couldn’t, but family were going to pay) but because it was the best in the city. That said, there are just as many, if not more private hospitals that will also do the job. It’s a very mix and match system but it does give you the freedom to choose whilst also making sure everyone can get care.
I am so proud of you.
I am so thrilled for you. This is a great post. I agree with you completely. But I am looking forward to reading what your husband has to say too.
ps. I’ll tell you something…I’m sad that I wasn’t able to track you down at BlogHer, because you were so on my track down list. High on it. Next year, for sure.
*insert huge admiration for your writing and your coping skills here* :)
I love that you are involved in the Larger Conversation our government is having! Your activity helps me feel like the people just might be having a say…a feeling I have never experienced before.
I question whether the right goal is “affordable health insurance”, though – perhaps “affordable health CARE” should be the true aim? Think of your car: you have insurance that’s used in case of an accident or other unpredictable disaster but you don’t whip out your insurance card to pay for a muffler change because normal maintenance is affordable. I think the whole health insurance system is too complicated and fear the administration such a system only serves to shoot the pricing (and frustrations) up higher.
Keep up the good work! Keep up your writing, too – I love reading your posts, just as they are. :)
I meant oil change – hopefully you’re not getting mufflers changed very often!
As long as you got in the word TA-TAs it was OK.
btw I would give up one of my cats to be able to write like you too
Awesome. Loved the whole thing.
Loralee, I must tell you how much I admire you as well! I started following your blog through my high school friend (Kara over at http://littleredvswolf.blogspot.com) when I very first started my blog. You inspired me to want to write better, because you have an absolute talent for keeping people enthralled no matter how long your post goes.
I agree with you a lot politically too. We need change, and there should be human equality!
Thank you for being you!
Yes, yes, yes! I’m glad that you had the opportunity to talk. I know that public crying gets very old, and I’m sorry you had to experience that. You are awesome!
I totally relate to the different politics at home. My husband and I agree on fundamental things, mostly, but when the labels go on, we identify with different sides. And it DOES feel hostile, then. It makes me tired.
First off, as usual you brought tears to me eyes.
Secondly I am similar to you. I am a registered republican, but consider myself more independent that happens to agree with a few democratic viewpoints. I have my own views on the president, but I keep them to myself…I don’t like to discuss politics with others (difficult to play nice once you break that barrier).
I have to be honest. I don’t agree with the reform as it stands, like you I see a LOT wrong with it.
But you’re right. We do need change.
3 years ago my dad was diagnosed w/ Parkinson’s. He had no job but his small business-so it was his own health care that he paid for – which covers NOTHING. So no only did he have his business bills he had to pay out the rear for medicine.
Then he got a part-time job at Dick’s and thought – finally insurance!! But, it turns out the part-time insurance there was worse than the small business insurance. They had a cap on how much THEY paid, not how much HE paid. Once they’d paid his doctor’s $1000, he was responsible for EVERYTHING. His meds are close to $2000/mo!
Now my mom finally got a full time job with GREAT health care benefits. Relief set in until…
Rejection letter. My dad’s Parkinson’s is pre-existing. They won’t cover it. They tried wavers – but the Dick’s insurance carrier wasn’t considered “major medical” so the waiver doesn’t apply.
They have been struggling for so long, trying to get their head above water. Soon my dad won’t be able to work – he’s losing control of his muscles…he can barely walk as it is.
Its heart-breaking enough that he has to go through this…but with his retirement funds growing smaller and smaller soon they will be broke again…it’s not fair. It’s painful for all of us…and there’s nothing we can do because of restrictions.
So yes. We DO need reform. But we need reform that works and does not socialize our country.
Loralee, as you know from my recent note, I’m a huge fan. Although my political views are more in line with Jonathon’s than most of your other readers, I am not some right wing kook automaton. I’m so pleased that you got to express your views with Ms. Jarrett. I believe with all my heart that the uproar over health care (see: town halls) is fueled by the genuine belief, on both sides, that NOBODY IS LISTENING! Our government is out of control and has been for a long time. George Bush 1 = Bill Clinton = George Bush 2 = Obama. Ranting without offering fact based rational alternatives is the equivalent of a 2 year old’s temper tantrum. Here is a BRIEF synopsis of my ideas. Eliminate special interest influence. Tort reform. That means chopping the lawyers off at the knees. Ask any doctor about malpractice insurance and you will get an earfull. That cost gets passed through. De-nut K street lobbyists. They do not represent us. It’s all about the money and power. ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS! Here in Arizona our health care system has been ravaged by tax-payers paying for illegal’s health care. ER does NOT = clinica. Every single unpaid medical procedure provided for an illegal could have instead helped a legal low income mother or child. Tax vice, not productivity. There is absolutely no question that smoking, heavy drinking, etc., are a lead weight on health care. Tax the shit out of it and EARMARK that money for low income, underinsured citizens. Make the insurance industry truly market driven by eliminating barriers to pooling across state lines. Corrupt, bought and paid for politicians have allowed this gouging by insurance companies. Naturopathic education. BigPharma and the AMA, in collusion with “our” representatives, have maliciously prosecuted and suppressed advances in natural health. (See: Dr. Lorraine Day) GET OFF SMALL BUSINESS’ BACK! Most health insurance coverage in this country comes from employers. Kill the small businessman=kill healthcare coverage. DO NOT FURTHER EMPOWER THE GOVERNMENT! Without exception, every problem i’ve mentioned has been caused or exacerbated by special interest driven government. I challenge you to name just one thing you think government efficiently does well besides war. (and that’s debatable) Finally, every single one of us need to hold every single one of our elected representatives accountable. Accountability is good. steve
Weighing in as another clapping Canadian. Two babies in the NICU for two months in the NICU and no one ever mentioned money. Not once. Not even in an administrative way. Not. Once.
Enough said. The mechanics are important, sure, but the point remains: until a country actually begins to concretely care for families, all the chest-puffing around family values is meaningless bunk.
Folk can argue all they like as to how it should be achieved, and I understand the current system is entrenched thanks to how much money a select few make off of things staying as they are. But you can’t look at the States and not be in complete bewilderment at the disparity between what is preached and what is actually demonstrated from one citizen to the next.
I’m so thrilled for you that you had this experience, and that your husband did too.
I’m glad you could attend. I’m glad you shared your story. But mostly I’m just glad to know such an amazing woman :)
Loralee, this is amazing! And yes, it’s all because of you and this blog! Congratulations!
Brava. While we don’t share the exact same political views, I’m in full agreement with the arguments you presented. And so proud of you for stepping up and sharing them in a real (and yes, emotional) way when given the chance.
Your voice is exceptional, your experiences both unique and all too familiar, and your strength is amazing.
I can’t wait to read your husband’s post about his call with Jarrett.
And thanks for blogging this… as someone in the room with you, I didn’t find your use of Ta-Tas at all troubling. Just wanted you to know. :-)
What an honor to have been asked! You wrote a great post and feel pretty much the same way I do about health care reform and the NEED for it. The problem is that until you have been there (your pregnancy, my multiple sclerosis- almost going bankrupt to afford medicine and treatment) you just don’t get it.
I wish people could get it before they go through hell like you and I have but I am thankful that we finally have an administration willing to look at the issue, listen to all the sides and hopefully make some large leaps in health care reform. Thanks for sharing your experience!
**stands up and applauds loudly**
I am so excited that you both were ‘heard’ by people who will listen.
I think that is amazing and just what your country needs.
As I said here http://www.canadamomsblog.com/2009/08/healthcare-from-a-socialists-perspective-draft.html I do not know what the answer is for the US.
Sarah..how is gov’t funding = socialism? Canada has national healthcare AND a CONSERVATIVE government at the moment.
Previous party before that business centered. Our ’socialist’ party hasn’t won the leadership in years!
Stephen… if the illegal immigrant issue is the problem..should that not be dealt with first? Should everyone just stop hiring illegal workers and so on? The many naysayers for healthcare reform seem to have such a hate for paying medical for people they obviously don’t want in the country.
Again, for me I would never want my health to lie in the hands of big business.but the US has such a distrust of their government that they feel safer with corporate greed than political greed..yet…there doesn’t seem to be much fight for changing how the government is run either.
I wish your country luck in this HUGE deal you are all facing…from an outsiders point of view it seems very overwhelming.
I love all of you. Mainly I love that I am hearing from both sides of the aisle on this (although I know that it is easier to stand up and state your point of views to a bunch of “friendlies”.)
My hope is that you don’t feel afraid to speak up. Even if you absolutely disagree with me.
If you do…what is your solution?
I think that tort reform would go a long way in making health care more affordable.(And for the record I am not expecting free health care. I do not mind paying a fair share. What I DO mind is the mind blowing medical costs and the ABILITY to even be accepted into an insurance program.)
Thank you thank you thank you for commenting. Usually I am not too tied up in my comments but I admit I am watching these like a hawk. I cop to being human and wanting reaction from what is probably one of the coolest things I will ever get to experience.
So THANKS again.
Plus, you read the whole damn thing.
WOW.
You deserve a cookie.
:)
Love this so much. That you got to talk to the White House, that your voice was heard, that your husband has had to relinquish all claims on the phrase “silly blog.” But what really gets me is the moment in the bathroom when you first started to see yourself as others see you, with gentle, loving eyes. Gorgeous post on so many layers.
I just fear it will be even more screwed up than the current state-run healthcare that’s available.
[...] The only thing that would have made attending a luncheon with a senior advisor to the president to h… loraleeslooneytunes.com/2009/08/20/health-care-reformthe-white-house-blogher-and-me – cached page Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Powerless? Desperate? Insecure? Insignificant? I have. OFTEN. My life is pretty unglamorous. I am a stay at home mother — From the page [...]
Wow. You make me want to hug a conservative :)
This is awesome! I’m jealous, and proud. Let’s hope we can get this all fixed in a way that most people will be happy about, in the end.
Doesn’t matter how wealthy you are, if insurance companies decide you’re not worth the gamble, you’re on your own. Everything will be the same except we, as a people, will be as big a pool of paying insurees as we want to be, and the insurer (us) won’t be trying to squeeze insane profits out of us.
You reeled me in today from Twitter.. If I read nothing else well this is it…
I don’t give my views I don’t ever do that.. And its becsuse my views don’t stay in my head long enough.. I write a blog about my book store and my life at the time… My husband and I talk about what is going on around us and then I loose it… somethings just don’t stick around…in my head that is… (old age setting in..) but I am passing you on to my daughter @weatherangel she loves things like this Thanks for keeping me reading … I don’t always finish.. I give up but you keeps my mind going…
I am in my early thirties. I hope that, by the end of this year, I can officially add the moniker “Cancer Survivor” to my life resume. Because I am fortunate to have a job with excellent benefits, the hell I have endured the past three months (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, etc.) has been made bearable by having insurance to assist with the financial burden. Without that, I cannot imagine where my family and I would be.
Coming from that standpoint, all I can say is, “Thank you. Thank you for writing this.”
Namaste.
You are awesome. You inspire me. Your writing inspires me. Everything you overheard in that bathroom was so true.
And I’m so glad you got the opportunity to speak at that meeting. Your story symbolizes what is wrong with our health care system for me.
We have insurance, but I have a daughter with health problems and even our co-pays cripple our budget. I have put off taking her to the cardiologist because I *know* I don’t have a spare $600 for the bill. (I will add that I also never put her in danger and I will take on whatever debt necessary to keep her healthy, but I decided on my own that she could see the cardiologist every 2 years instead of every 1. Until something is urgent, it will stay that way.)
Insurance based on employment makes no sense. And pre-existing condition exclusions are complete bullshit. And someone needs to place caps on out-of-pocket spending per year, because I know people WITH insurance whose out-of-pocket expenses are greater than their annual income. THAT is ridiculous.
If it weren’t for my daughter, I might be in favor of socialized medicine, although that is NOT what this administration is proposing. For me, for right now anyway, there needs to be serious oversight and limitations on insurance companies and their exclusions and co-pay distribution. And a much greater safety net for those with no insurance.
Brava for ‘lil spitup covered you and your blog about boobs!
Yeah, I can’t wait to hear your hubby’s take on the whole situation too. I feel for you guys and your situation. I was in a similar one for a while with my first born twelve years ago–no insurance plus a 3 month premature baby to boot! And I agree that something has to be done, but I really don’t think this bill is the answer. I hope it doesn’t pass. But I do think it has been good at opening the discussion on healthcare in this country which maybe, just maybe will bring about a better solution than the currently proposed one.
Two salient points to this comment I feel compelled to make.
You have always been worthwhile my friend. Otherwise I’d never be your friend. I don’t do useless.
Wink.
And secondly, I will pay you MONEY to have your husband call me and talk healthcare.
This from the chick who lives in Canada and has socialized medicine. This from a chick who’s husband helps pay for everyone’s health care with each and every dollar he makes.
(I would to but I totally just suck off his income like a leech.)
Great post. Glad you wrote it.
you, my dear- are a rockstar.
I’ve worked in and around healthcare for 30 years…so yes, you can call me Grandma! Multiple times during a work day, I’ve experienced these stories, these diagnoses, these traumas. I’ve been there for births, tests, counseling, surgeries, chemotherapy, days to months of rehab, life and death.
With very few exceptions, my healthcare colleagues and I signed up to be in direct service to other human beings only to be more and more distanced from our patients/clients in a deeply fragmented, bizarrely expensive system. And no surprise to me, we too often have to settle for less than desirable healthcare insurance coverage and access.
So why am I bothering to write, to comment on your post? I have my medical stories of friends and family members….but here’s the real deal. Despite my experience and knowing lots of fine healthcare providers that I can see, *all of us* are one heartbeat away from an illness, a devastating trauma or diagnosis, profound emotional loss, etc. Every single one of us deserves access to the very best in healthcare and accompanying dignity.
I burst into tears reading your post — now I dry my eyes, join the standing and applauding ranks *and* raise my voice with those speaking up, speaking out, speaking for the imperative of affordability and full access to care/treatment in this healthcare conversation.
Ah, Utah. The state that proclaims to love it’s children to your while cutting the medicaid benefits needed to keep them alive behind your back.
I live in Utah too. I have a medically fragile child with special needs that we have been trying to keep alive for the last 4.5 years.
Despite our IHC based insurance that won’t pay for any of the outrageously expensive formulas, or the vent that keeps Parker’s heart from wearing itself out, or any shots, and just a wee portion of the oxygen supplies he needs.
Our private insurance for Parker runs out soon. He’s on Medicaid now via the Travis C Waiver. But that waiver is now dumping trached kids right and left.
When our private insurance runs out, and if Medicaid decides that Parker has spent enough time on the waiver, what then?
I don’t have a clue in hell.
I’ve had local reps in my home trying to explain to them the state of health care in Utah.
If I had crossed the border illegally and then given birth our family could receive WIC, and the regular version of Medicaid.
But being citizens who have for generations paid our taxes, we’ll we’re screwed.
I can honestly say that I not only understand, but feel your pain.
Tammy and Parker
http://www.prayingforparker.com
@ParkerMama on Twitter
Oh, LL, I love you. And I love that Jonathan can no longer say a bad word about this blog.
I think/talk increasingly less about politics because I just don’t have the passion for it. I can’t argue on and on until I win a point, so I’ve given up. That said, this medical debate is really important. I’m just living here, so I don’t get involved, but you have my support, for whatever it’s worth. This just shouldn’t happen in a country so rich.
So, so proud of you. SO PROUD.
And am proud to call you “Friend”
You rock the casbah.
just…. wow, that’s all
You made me cry, beesh. XOXOXOXOXOXO
Michelle: I told you that you do not have to agree with me. I truely mean that. Very few in my state and my own family do, either. So, if reading this helps you solidify your own political beliefs, that is great.
Hearing so much Fox News has made me realize where I am a conservative and where I am not.
Hug all the conservatives you want. Hell, I’ll join you. My husband gives excellent hugs. And backrubs :)
p.s. I listened to the radio interview after my first comment. After listening to Jonathon succinctly and intelligently articulate so many things I agree with, and also framing it around his comment that he doesn’t have enough guns “yet”……. I think I might have a little man crush. Don’t tell my wife. steve
I found your blog through a retweet from Queen of Spain. And I love it! I love your honesty and your vulnerability.
Having grown up in Southeastern Idaho I understand some of what you have to deal with with your family. It’s not easy to take an independent stand on any issue in that culture, so I salute you for standing your ground and speaking your truth.
I’m truly sorry to hear about all the health and other tragedies you’ve had to deal with recently. I too support your call for comprehensive health care reform, even if we have go “socialist” to do it.
Blessings,
Abby
p.p.s. I don’t know what’s up with the sts’s and stp’s…just glad it’s not an std
I *love* hearing you roar!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I need health care reform to happen in the US, my family all live there and hearing their stories breaks my heart. My Dad has diabetes and excellent health insurance and he can just about cover the medication costs thanks to mail order pharmacies. My sister has Interstitial Cystitis and has been approved for Medicare but for some reason they decided it shouldn’t kick in until February so as of the end of September she won’t have health insurance. She’ll have to pay for all her doctors and medications out of pocket.
We all have stories though, and they’re all scary and sad.
I moved to the UK 10 years ago and I adore the NHS. I’m certain I would be dead and/or broke without it.
Of course, I’m a filthy socialist. :D
Thank you SO MUCH for speaking up about our desperate need for healthcare reform. Your blog is fantastic, and I’d be right behind you in line to kick some testicles if someone said it was anything less.
wow, wow, WOW! this is one of the best pieces of literature I have read in a very, very long time.
thanks for having the courage and the guts to be so vulnerable and so honest. wow…
BOOYAH. With every amazing blog post I read about healthcare reform it helps me understand more and more why we need it and just how badly we need it. You are a rock star.
I am so happy and proud for you. It hurts my heart to know how much physical, emotional and mental pain you’ve been dealing with. I am in awe of your writing and I would give up all my cats, too, for a chance to have your talent. Mr L should be so proud of you and this little bloggy thing you do ;-D You have helped shape the view of the White House on health care reform! And THAT! WOW! That is pretty amazing and so are YOU!
I’m up against a dozen deadlines here at work and I have to leave early today to pick up my kid because my wife is out of town and I have ABCDEFG things to do. But I clicked over. And I read this. All of it. And I’m glad I did. I’m proud to consider the author of this post my friend.
Such a frakking good post, Loralee.
And NOT just because I agree with you that health care is a right, but because we’re all moderates, we all pick and choose, we ALL live with family, friends, and neighbors that believe the opposite that we do, but that we all want good things. Sometimes we forget to have the conversation.
Yahoo!
1. Custer did have nice hair. He was a shithead, but man, his hair was nice. (Had a v. strange moment with an ex where he looked like Custer in bed. Kind of glad it didn’t work out, ’cause that shit was STRANGE.)
2. It’ll be awesome to hear from Jon.
3. ROCK ON with feeling so good about yourself! You’re awesome, and we shouldn’t be the only ones who get to see that.
4. Major kudos to you for sticking to your guns the way that you do. I HATE confrontation, so often clam up when I’d be the lone lefty in a conversation, so I deeply respect your willingness to be the only voice on your own side.
5. Health care – we NEED meaningful reform. I’ve got stepbrothers whose job choices are severely restricted b/c they *need* healthcare for their Type I diabetes and can only get the $1200/month limited option from the state if they try to get individual insurance. My aunt is interested in leaving MA, but as a cancer survivor (of a type prone to relapse) and a consultant, isn’t sure if she’d be able to get *any* coverage in any other state.
I don’t mind the idea of socialized healthcare, b/c I think that having a governmental option is the best way to avoid the problems that are inherent in a profit-seeking insurance model. (all this talk of rationing? Ins. companies TOTALLY ration care! And a lot of it is less examined than the British & Canadian systems.)
However, keeping a private insurance market helps to avoid problems that arise from a purely governmental model – havng a safety net that isn’t conscripted by humungous policy concerns.
Awesomeness. I am so proud.
The healthcare issue is something that affects most of us to some degree or another. And I think most will agree that we need CHANGE here. Which is the bottom line, really. We may not always agree on what the best plan is, but… damn, someone do something already.
I just want to say that I just discovered you recently, but your blog has already made it into my list of top favorites. You ARE awesome. And successful.
I’m not going to argue politics, but I DO agree that our healthcare system needs CHANGE!!!
Job well done!!
I’m curious what your husband thinks of education?
Isn’t it by design a “socialist” policy?
Children go to school, in fact are required to by law, and they or their parents/guardians don’t have to pay for it.
ALL taxpayers pay for it. Taxpayers who don’t have children, taxpayers who only have one child while others have 6, taxpayers whose children left the system decades ago.
Hmmmmm…
I have tried to listen to the radio program the both of you did a couple weeks ago several times but it is not up yet – admittedly I stopped checking about a week ago. Maybe I’ll go do that now!!!
I met you at b’fast on 1st day and heard your story, talked about prop 8, utah and life in general before you met w/obama team. So, great to read your post and follow you on twitter. your awesome!
Dear Loralees-
I just finished reading your amazing post and all of the responses that you have received so far. Wow! I was deeply touched by every word. Your courage and honesty is such an perfect example of how real change can and WILL happen. One on one conversations across the country, between people willing to be painfully honest with one another.
I was moved by your story when we met in Chicago and I have thought of you often. You wonder if I mentioned you to President Obama? Of course I did! The very same day we met. He responded nobody should have to go through what you went through and that making sure that others do not face what you had to face is what this is all about.
This may surprise you, but I also really enjoyed my chat with your husband. He had clearly given the subject a lot of thought, and in the end, we agreed on far more than either of us expected.
And that’s the whole point-People who think they will disagree with one another being willing to have an honest dialogue and really listen to all ideas for making our health care system better-really better for everyone.
I’ll looking forward to reading your husband’s reaction to our conversation tomorrow.
I hope you’ll stay in touch and come visit me at the White House. You have an open invitation.
Please keep blogging!
Valerie Jarrett
[...] This post was Twitted by QueenofSpain [...]
This is a most incredible post. The fact that Valerie Jarrett was here (and, um…zomg) is only the icing on the cake.
I am just in love with the idea that from dialogue can come agreement and from that can come change at the highest possible levels. Can’t wait to read the next post.
Loralee~
First, so bummed I didn’t get to meet up with you last weekend in San Francisco. We always have last year. ;)
You and I talked politics then, and found we pretty much agree on stuff. Like you, I agree that something needs to be done with our healthcare system…but I do disagree that we are the only nation not providing health care for our citizens.
Let’s look at the numbers…the CBO said that of the 50 (ish) million uninsured in the country, 1/3 are eligible for Medicaid but aren’t signed up. That problem can be solved without a NEW government healthcare option.
The CBO also said that 30% of the uninsured declined healthcare from their employer, and 20% are not US citizens.
That leaves about 10 million US citizens who are chronically uninsured. Unable to afford it, or w/ preexisting conditions that make it either unaffordable or cost prohibitive, or probably a host of other different reasons. But it’s a far cry from the number of 50 mill that’s bandied about, and I really don’t think we need a complete overhaul of the system to address these different issues.
Like you mentioned, tort reform is huge…I wonder why it isn’t addressed in these bills before us? Up to 25% of every health care dollar spent in the US is attributable in some way to malpractice costs (from exorbitant malpractice insurance costs to defensive medicine). I saw it when I was in medicine, and that was ten years ago now (GAH!).
I hear the administration often speak of needing a public option to “compete” with insurance companies. BUT, the federal government presently prohibits us from purchasing insurance from other states. When I moved to CA from MI I had to select a new policy, even though my husband was working for the same company. What if at THAT point I had a pre-existing condition? Due to federal law I couldn’t have kept the insurance I had, and getting new insurance might have been difficult if not impossible. In other words, some of those who are presently chronically uninsured are so because of existing federal law. Portability would not only solve that problem, but it would also create the competition the administration keeps reminding us we need.
Co-ops are also presently not allowed due to anti-trust laws. How freaking awesome would it be if MommyBloggers (okay, and Daddy) could ban together and create our own health care insurance?
For the record, my family is now applying for individual health care insurance (new job in a small company means no employer health insurance). I’ve had a few minor health issues, and I’m sweating bullets…I don’t know if I will be declined, and if not what my premiums will be. I get the problem.
PS: I just have to say that I found it EXTREMELY disappointing that BlogHer had this amazingly awesome opportunity to have a healthcare discussion with Valerie Jarrett and elected not to include any conservative viewpoints…not even one of their own political writers who was at the convention. Ms. Jarrett shouldn’t have had to look beyond that room to find alternative perspectives.
PPS: But HUMUNGOUS kudos to her for doing so.
PPPS: It is annoying I’m copying this from you?
PPPPS: LOVE you! xoxox
[...] wrong with our health care system. I just wanted to write my post here to encourage you to go read her post, and see a real example of how we can all benefit from real conversations where we try to see [...]
I’m cheering for you. Standing up on my couch and cheering for you. Because I think this is what blogging is all about. Finding your voice.
I missed BlogHer this year and consequently the Valerie Jarrett meeting, but I heard all about your story and Ms. Jarrett’s offer to speak with your husband from some of the MOMocrats. Amazing. And you made it happen. Go, you!
I’ll be waiting on pins and needles for your husband’s guest post. And even if Valerie Jarrett didn’t win him over, it’s still a victory. Because a few more people had their voices heard. Because of you.
I turned on my phone after doing a radio show today to a dozen texts that Valarie commented on my blog.
And that I am invited to the White House. (And seriously? I am so taking her up on it some day I don’t know how I’ll afford it but “If I have to lie, cheat or steal I will never go hungry again!!!” Oh, sorry. Sometimes I channel my inner-Scarlett when I’m all riled up!)
And that I am linked on the main White House page.
Yes. I AM CRYING AGAIN.
In shock, in joy, in OMG I HAVE AN INVITE TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAS HEARD MY STORY.
I can hardley breathe.
I am so overwhelmed and so, so grateful.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And to everyone: Blog, speak up, come together, listen, be respectful, come up with ideas and PLEASE TRY TO MAKE SOME KIND OF CHANGE HAPPEN!!!
I’m off to A: call everyone I know on the earth and B: ya know…cry some more. (I have a reputation to uphold after all!)
I will be back to continue reading and commenting. Love you all. And your opinions. Even the ones that differ. Honest.
xoxoxo
I read one of the comments above and I had to say something about tort reform. (Yeah, yeah, I have a vested interest. Although I am NOT a personal injury attorney. I do contracts.) As far as I know, most states already have safeguards in place to avoid overly burdensome lawsuits on doctors and other providers. For instance, in my own state, Virginia, medical malpractice claims are required to first go through a board of medical professionals. I’m certainly not a legal expert on insurance claims, but it’s my understanding that most states have something similar. And if they don’t, they should.
I think that insurance companies have done a fantastic job of pointing the finger at lawyers for rapidly increasing malpractice premiums. But insurance premiums also rise whenever insurance companies fail to make money on their investments. In other words, you can’t just blame the lawyers.
I went looking for something to give everyone other than my opinion and a quick Google search turned up this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/02/eveningnews/consumer/main610102.shtml
So, let’s not kill all the lawyers first, okay? Or even chop them off at the knees. Some of them may be ambulance chasers, but the vast majority are providing an invaluable service for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to navigate our legal system.
I remember we talked about this at the Mamapop party. Can you believe this is happening? So proud of you.
love you.
Has anyone watched Sicko, if they haven’t they should, it had me sobbing and I was completely NOT prepared for that.
Wow?! Do I get to follow Ms. Jarrett!? Awesome! Admittedly, I’m one of your family members that feels similarly to your other family members, but yes, change is important. Loved your post, and I still love you! Can’t wait to hear from Jonathan tomorrow!
YAY for YOU! I am so freaking proud of you! I may cry too!
Amazing, amazing post. I am so proud of you. Proud of you getting to go, going and being yourself. For speaking your mind and telling your story. Good for you. No. Great for you. And great for all of us, who aren’t heard but want to be. Who are as concerned as you are about health care reform, but don’t have the answers, either. And who are horrified by the misinformation being spread across the internet and some mainstream media. Keep going! And, yah, let’s totally go burn our bras or something. Or do a Norma Rae. Sounds great.
I don’t even know what to say about this situation you find yourself in, except it is AMAZING. I’ve read your blog for a year or two now, and watching this latest part of your story unfold is just unbelievable. I think your new slogan should be, “Boobies are magical and so is the internet!”
I am so friggin inspired by you. Keep it up. I’ll burn a bra (and an effigy of Rush Limbaugh) in your honor.
Great post, I just wanted to correct one thing. In your discussion of your conservative values you mention that you are a supporter of the military and their benefits. Fabulous! So am I and I’m a liberal. We need to get away from the idea that conservatives somehow support the military more than liberals because it’s not true and there is ample proof–particularly when it comes to funding for veterans, hazard pay etc which the GOP cut during Bush’s administration.
My liberal family is full of people in uniform. We serve and are patriotic and supportive of the military because we are AMERICANS.
I find it amazing that people would rather keep paying Insurance companies so much money every month, so they [the Insurance companies] can get richer, than to have a public option. If you think about it this propaganda about pulling the plug on grandma is already happening but it’s the insurance companies that are doing it, after Grandma has paid them sometimes 1,000’s of dollars a year for years. They keep the money, refuse to pay for certain procedures and she dies. leaving them awhole lot richer.
[...] This post was Twitted by EAWake [...]
Loralee — this post rocked. You bridged the political divide in a way that no one from either “side” really can.
And your hair? It totally rocked too. :-)
Thanks so much for this post. I like others who have commented am a former employee of several hospitals and clinics and 2 health insurance companies. I am also now self employed and was barely able to get health insurance after being rejected by all major carriers for something as insignificant as migraines. I know someone who was rejected for tennis elbow for crying out loud.
I do have coverage now from an astute broker who rolled me into a program when my COBRA ran out and it is only 500+ a month. I say “only” slightly tongue in cheek. I would othewise be paying 700 a month with waivers to not cover migraine meds. So 700 a month for insurance. Can I stay in business with this kind of bill? Even 500? Not really. I am going to have to go back to working for someone else here soon. So how is that good for the American dream? And then when I do get a job, will I have medical benefits? Who knows!
I also have to ask, if healthcare is a privilege rather than a right, why are all of you screaming at your reps at those townhall meeting?. Because heatlhcare is a right people. When we live in a society as rich as our, it is a right. Otherwise we are just animals. Do you have a right to have the fire department put your house out when it is up in flames? Do you have a right to drive on safe roads? And since so many who are opposed to socialism are so fond of quoting Jesus, I say to you, whose feet did He wash? Some rich guy’s? No.There is a lesson there that so many have missed. We are supposed to care for each other. That doesn’t mean we tolerate free loading but when those of us in society are trying so hard to be productive but still must struggle with healthcare, we are all eventually going to be paying for it financially as well as morally.
Now for those of you who haven’t spent much time in a hospital, picture this: Some one’s son, a 26 year old young man lays in a gurney in front of you completely unresponsive and will never wake back up. Why? Because he had a non-cancerous growth in his brain that could have been surgically removed but never went in because he couldn’t pay to see a doctor. He didn’t have health insurance. Tragic. I have seen it. Next one: Picture seeing the same people come into your clinic to get painful and expensive procedures to keep their dialysis shunts open because their kidneys have failed. Why? Because they couldn’t afford the blood pressure medication that would have prevented that. These people above will have expensive medical care for the rest of their lives at the expense of all of us. It didn’t have to happen. They could have had covered preventative care. Aside from the tragedy and human toll of these medical conditions, it is dumb simple math. Preventative healthcare may just actually cost us less in the long run. But as long as insurance companies are allowed to cherry pick who they cover, many of us will go without.
I could go on because I have seen this issue from so many different angles but will stop. I just feel that there is such a lack of empathy and understanding of what this all means on the part of those opposing healthcare reform from hyped up misinformation. Can we all please do better than our respective political machines and the media and try to have a real dialogue on this?
@Christine
Hey, lady. I got your DM. No, you did not upset me. You are my friend first and foremost. Plus, I respect your opinions and admire them.
If I had my way NO ONE would be uninsured or denied affordable health care. For me it is really an issue that goes beyond country boundaries.
Insurance thorugh co-op’s is an interesting idea. I know that when my husband had his first business we went through and employee leasing service that combined enough small businesses to form a group plan.
But the service was really costly on top of the premiums. And how sad is it that we have to do that in the first place really?
I will agree with you, and not to bash BlogHer in any way, but it would have been good to have some conservatives in the room.
(I do not pretend to be one)
But honestly? More than anything I find myself irritated with the far left and right because they tend to be very rigid. I think that everyone is going to have flexibility and bend and compromise to make this change happen.
Naive and totally cliche sounding but we need to come together on this because something has GOT to change.
I am one of your newest and now, most enthusiastic fans. Your honesty, eloquence and incredible journey are testament that sometimes, when you least expect it, the universe smiles on you. I’m so very proud of you, and thrilled beyond measure that your issue was put directly in front of President Obama. I’m also impressed that your husband had a good chat with Ms. Jarrett. Brava!
Beautifully said, Lor. So much so that I forgive you for saying “heaving bosoms” on air today. :)
I grew up having to decide if I felt sick enough to tell my parents, because I knew we couldn’t afford to go to the Dr. Pricing have skyrocketed since then and I can’t imagine the fear of having a single visit for a sick kid, not including testing, or prescriptions, mean that you couldn’t pay your mortgage, or for groceries, or any other necessity.
We need people who work at all levels, we need artists, and teachers, CEO’s and the guy who flips burgers at McDonald’s. Since we need all of this to make our economy work, we shouldn’t have a system that limits something as basic and health care to just the privileged.
If you invest in health care for everyone, you may end up paying less down the road, either in ER visits, or chronic illnesses that could have been prevented. It isn’t about just the money you pay in now, but what you get out of it in the long run. It is worth it.
That was beautiful.
Well said. Thank you so so much. And man, I think it’s great you say ta-tas!
My mother and I had hard words about my opinions and this post of mine today as I was rushing out the door to do a radio show (http://kvnuforthepeople.com) and it hurt and made me profoundly sad. Some of my harshest comments didn’t come from you all but from my own family.
But?
I called my mom. I told her what was happening here. Because of this little blog of mine. And? SHE IS PROUD OF ME. It means everything to me. (you got it. MORE CRYING. hee hee hee)
@jasonthe
OMG. I AM SO SORRY I SAID THAT.
Ok, it IS Senator Butters and MAN, does he bring it on himself, but I really wish I had come up with better terminology on air.
I am beginning to think I may need some therapy for this obsession with bosoms. ;P
Myrathelynx: I sincerely apologize. I DO realize that many, many, many liberals are supporters of the military and shame on me for falling back on the general sterotype.
I just know that funding suffered horribly during Clinton’s administrations and one of my dearest loved ones has heard rumors that his bonus to re-up is being cut as of October.
The man is deploying as a reservist (again) in October and has four little ones and a wife he is leaving behind like so many do. He NEEDS funding for them to get by and there is huge mistrust from many service people about how this administration is going to treat them.
Again, I apologize for the stero-typing. I am grateful that you are as invested in supporting our military as I am.
Sorry, It’s me again, THE PEST. Couple things. First. YOU AND JONATHON WILL GO VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE! What an opportunity! I’m announcing “The Choates Go to Washington” official fundraiser. I’m going to get an account going first thing in the morning at my bank. Anyone wishing to contribute for travel costs for Loralee, Jonathon and the boys to represent us in Washington, AT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!! can email me at slarnold@frontiernet.net Loralee, would you and Jonathon please represent me in Washington D.C.? The rarest of opportunities MUST be seized! I trust both of you. I mean, honestly, how can this be passed up? The mantle of responsible representation often falls indiscriminately upon the shoulders of the unsuspecting. True character reveals itself when the previously unsuspecting, lean willingly into the yoke. You can do this! Positions are now available for associate “The Choates Go to Washington” official fundraiser helpers. Sandi? Tanis? Loralee, CARPE DIEM! steve
p.s. Christine, on a rational intellectual basis, you rock.
Ohmygosh! To think that until today I didn’t even know you. And now I already love you! What a great post, a great story, and even though I’m sure we would disagree on a lot (I consider myself a screaming liberal) we agree on so much that is important. I’m so happy to have found your blog! /addtoGoogleReader /follow ;)
Loralee, I can’t tell you enough how much it meant to me to run into you before I ran into anyone else in Chicago. And luckily I caught you before I spiraled into a massive meltdown for the entire weekend.
A huge chunk of my family’s income goes to paying for the insurance that we have. We make it work, although it sucks. I’d gladly continue paying that amount to know that every child had health care as an option.
But shit needs to get fixed.
My health care story is this, and not a very dramatic one, but a frustrating one:
My son has a life threatening peanut allergy. He has to have an epi-pen, which means I carry one, my husband carries one, my mother carries one, and his school carries on.
United Health care will not cover my son’s prescription for an epi-pen. I have to pay a hundred dollars for EACH pen.
This is because we’re not using a generic brand. A brand that does not make a pediatric epi-pen. So until he weighs enough for an adult dose, I’m shit out of luck.
We pay around $450 a month for our family’s coverage, which isn’t the very end of the world–but dude, maybe cover the medicine my son needs to survive in an emergency?
I have nothing really earth shattering to say except that I am so glad that you were able to have your voice heard AND also, that you were able to hear those ladies in the bathroom. Just WOW.
Go YOU.
I am from Utah and I have to say that if the local daily papers and news shows do not catch up on this? THEY ARE MORONS.
I don’t have much faith in them anyway but THIS IS A STORY!
I don’t have a blog but I hope ALL UTAH BLOGGERS BLOG ABOUT THIS. YOU HAVE GREATNESS IN YOUR MIDST PEOPLE!
LORALEE RAWKS THE HOUSE!!!!!
[...] wrong with our health care system. I just wanted to write my post here to encourage you to go read her post, and see a real example of how we can all benefit from real conversations where we try to see [...]
As a Canadian who has wicked high taxes, I wouldn’t take a tax break if it meant my fellow Canadians could not access adequate health care. I say adequate because the system has some flaws. I heard most of what you discussed on the radio show, but you wrote it so eloquently. *wipes eyes* I didn’t know Valerie Jarret from Shinola until you mentioned her on the show, but this I am totally impressed with: You have a president who cares about the people in his country. That? Is pure gold, and I wish I could say the same about our leaders.
Also, I pray that soon the day will come that you need nobody at all to validate you. That you are worthwhile in your own eyes, no matter who says nay or yeah.
You are in my heart.
ZOMG, Loralee! YOU ARE GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!! (You can totally stay at my house, unless you are sleeping in Lincoln’s Bedroom, or something.)
And some of these stories just make me ill. A pediatric epi-pen for GOD’S SAKE?? Gah!
Thank you for sharing. I just found your Blog by happening to read an entry by Ms. Jarrett. Wow! What a long hard road you folks have traveled in trying to get good health care without it breaking the bank. When I was a young father, I asked an insurance rep. why it only covered $250.00 for pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care. His response: “Pregnancy is not an illness or an accident. Be thankful you get that!” That was in 1960 and we were in the first six-months of an annual salary of $3,200.00. That was then, and Now is Now and the best investment is to buy shares in a company that covers medical insurance (TIC). Yes, Reform is long-overdue and I’m a rock-solid Democrat and if this congress doesn’t hear and respond my representative will have a day of reckoning at the polls in 2010.
i know exactly how you felt being uninsured and pregnant- the first time i became pregnant, i did not have health insurance that had maternity coverage. i ended up having a miscarriage, which resulted in hospitalization and a five-figure hospital bill. but before that, i tried every insurance company i could think of and literally got laughed at when i told the sales rep that i was pregnant.
being desperate, i signed up for one of those ridiculous ‘maternity discount cards’, which is a terrible scam! they would not cancel it until they had received and processed proof that i had lost the baby. the card paid for nothing, but ended up adding another thousand dollars to my bills and a really bitter taste in my mouth.
it was by far, the most frustrating part of my life.
by the next time i got pregnant, bill richardson had set up a wonderful public health care system for new mexico, including a maternity-only plan for people like me who had (worthless) insurance. it was wonderful, i’ve had insurance from every major company and the state insurance was much, much better. i can’t say enough about how happy i am with richardson’s healthcare here.
i did have to do a lot of work to get it and the premiums are as high as i would be paying with a private company, maybe higher. i don’t mind paying it, knowing that i have solid, solid coverage. it wasn’t a handout, it’s just like any other insurance but nobody’s making money off of it. i was very opposed to nationalized healthcare until i went though this ordeal and now i strongly support it, if a national system could work as well as our state system here.
very cool post, loralee. you amaze me all the time.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. As a Canadian, the more I hear about the American system, the more grateful I am for the Canadian one.
Our system isn’t perfect. There are long waits in ERs, and many other problems to be found. But when you get down to the fundamentals, no one in Canada is being ridiculously financially burdened by health care.
I don’t know anyone that’s been burdened by 5 or 6 figure health care bills. The last time I got a prescription, it was free. I realize it’s not actually “free” per se, because I pay the taxes. But personally, I have no problem seeing my taxes go to keeping Canadians healthy, because I know when the time comes, the system will be there for me and my loved ones.
If that makes me a socialist, so be it. I think necessary health care is a right, not a privilege. I hope one day, Americans will get to experience that too.
I have a few ideas:
We could model our system more like the Dutch and the Germans: they have private insurance that you get through your employer, like we do, but the premiums aren’t as high as ours. That private insurance supplements a public health option that covers everyone.
All insurance companies are REQUIRED to cover ANY applicants. All hospitals are REQUIRED to take ANY insurance.
There are no such things are “pre-existing conditions” because an insurance company is required to take you.
The government helps control the cost of medications because they negotiate prices with the drug companies through the public option.
Frankly, one of the giant screw-ups of our last government was the prohibition on medicare negotiation drug prices. Are you kidding me? The largest purchaser of drugs in the country isn’t ALLOWED to negotiate prices? Do you know how much tax money would be saved?
What KILLS me, absolutely KILLS me, is that we pay more than ANY OTHER industrialized country in the world for our health care, we pay so stinking much, and we live in absolute fear of getting sick.
I don’t understand how people can freak out about government “controlling” more of health care because health care controls us already–you can’t change jobs without worrying about insurance, you can’t make any serious life adjustments without worrying about insurance, the free flow of labor is hamstrung by how insurance doesn’t work.
I work for a small business, the amount that we pay for employees to be covered is STAGGERING. Small businesses are about to revolt because covering people, because it’s the right and honest thing to do, has become almost prohibitive. (Rumor has it that our last insurance company dropped us because we “had to many babies.”)
We need insurance that covers across states, we need portable insurance. How about an insurance marketplace where we can choose openly without restrictions?
***And for the record, I lived under socialized medicine as a child–and it was absolutely fantastic. My mother had two babies under socialized medicine. They INSISTED that she stay in the hospital for two weeks to make sure she and the babies were well taken care of. She had a private room with down quilts overlooking a lake.
I know we’ll never have socialized medicine in the US (no matter how many people are freaking out that this health proposal is socialism, it’s not,) but what we currently live with is BARBARIC.
Wow! How exciting is this. I’m on bloggy holiday in the stix (Canadian stix), but I had to hold my blackberry up to the window and read, and now comment.Bravo! And congratulations! Oh, and it was FABULOUS to meet you at Blogher – even though I was wearing the same shirt both times. I’m a terrible packer…. Great, great post!
Since you asked on Twitter for comments (and the White House is reading this), I just want to give my two cents on this.
We have fairly decent health insurance (thank God!). With COBRA, it would cost us over $1500 a month if my husband ever lost his job. This is more than my freaking mortgage. That’s my first problem. My second problem is that due to condition my daughter has, she is now uninsurable. If we ever had to get insurance on our own, no one would cover us (I know cuz I’ve checked).
What kills me now is that my son had an abnormal febral seizure in April. My MIL was watching him and called an ambulance (which we have been told to do again if it happens again). I just got the EOB from my insurance. Guess what? They are not covering one red cent for it. Since they dont’ contract with any ambulance services in IL (and they based out of IL so figure that out), they are applying a portion of it to my $1000 deductible. But whatever they decide they aren’t going to cover, they don’t have to and I still owe it. Nice, how that works, huh? Say hello to a $864 bill on top of the early intervention speech therapist I have to pay out of pocket for since my insurance doesn’t pay for that either.
p.p.s. I’m a liberal Mormon
p.p.p.s. Who loves my friends and family in uniform
p.p.p.p.s. And I love to have honest conversations about issues like these because we’re all closer than we think.
p.p.p.p.p.s. You’re awesome. I hope you get to do it in the Lincoln bedroom.
@Azucar I love your comment so much I want to make out with it and have little health care reform babies with it.
Some really good things to think about.
And? Liberal Mormon. I love you. In a totally platonic way of course. :P
@Candice: Well…The Standard Examiner has already contacted me for an interview, which is cool. I haven’t responded yet because I am having too much fun reading the tweets comments and emails.
@Cheaty. I LOVED that purple shirt. Seriously, if you remember where you bought it? Email me.
(Sorry, I know it’s off topic but dood…you all should have seen that shirt. I loved it.)
I just read your post about your child that died.
WOW.
WOW.
WOW.
I think people who say “I am crying reading this” are usually full of shit but THAT POST? SO raw, so painful SO REAL.I AM CRYING. HONEST.
I am so so SO sorry for your loss of that baby.
And for the Standard Examiner. Well that is a start. Kudos to Odgen of all places for being the first horse out of the gate. Good for them!
I hope others follow suit because really, this is a story that needs to be heard.
I just hope you do not get a lot of hate about it. I sometimes fear for people with liberal leanings in this state.
I am in love with you — husband aside. I hope my best friend reads this because I am tired of the “blah, blah it’s socialism blah, blah, blah. I’m trying to say it’s not about politics. It’s about being the compassionate loving human being Jesus want us to be.
Thank you. It’s been my pleasure to read this and good luck.
IF ANYONE HAS NOT PLEASE READ THE POST LORALEE WROTE ABOUT HER BABY DYING CALLED “TRAUMA”.
She linked to it in the post above.
YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME PEOPLE. In a good way though.
SOBBING.
congrats for getting linked to from whitehouse.gov. uber exciting, eh?
i’m laughing at haley and her mentioning that she was wearing the same shirt both times she met you. that is exactly the sort of shit i would remember and worry about for years.
i’m torn by the healthcare issue. i think government intervention is a bad thing. i think nationwide healthcare is a huge mistake. i would MUCH rather support STATEwide health care. funded by the state. what is good for utah is probably not good for new jersey. and vice versa. we don’t have nearly the same amount of crack whores as new jersey does. (no offense to new jersey!!)
i don’t want people to suffer or to go without proper care. i don’t want people to have to choose between death or bankruptcy. but on a national level, a one size fits all health care plan is a mistake.
at least that’s how i feel today. :)
I love you Jess.
Here is the thing I worry about it being left to the state. I worry that many would still be screwed because Utah is an uber conservative state and pardon for saying but, um, they aren’t really into the whole “public health option”, you know? So that is a big worry for me but I DO see what you are saying and don’t really object…yet. And honestly, I wouldn’t be adverse to a state run program with a federal mandate that they MUST provide one. (That doesn’t suck total ass)
Dude, you need to get your heiny into the KVNU chatroom when I’m on. Or better, come on with Jon and I sometime. HEHEHEHE.
I am an independent, because I truly almost always see and understand both sides of the argument, whatever the argument may be. And I worked for a major insurance carrier for 4 years, but have been out of the industry for 8. Now I work for the government. I am also a taxpayer, a military wife, a mother, and a US Citizen.
Insurance in this country is currently a business. If you own a business, your goal is to make money. Most of us want to also do the right thing. But if doing the right thing means you go out of business, that you can’t keep making money, you may do the almost right thing instead. Government has grown bigger, and there are definitely government jobs that could be eliminated, but we create the need for these jobs. We have allowed politics to corrupt the government to the point that there is too much mistrust. This causes too much red, black, yellow and green tape that has to be completed in order to keep people honest. This adds time and money to everything.
We need healthcare reform. We also need government reform. I don’t know what “THE” answer is, but I know that it probably really isn’t going to happen with just the politicians working on it.
On another note, I love that you said awesome opossum. I tell my son to have an awesome opossum day every day :)
And you are awesome. I’m glad you were able to have this experience.
You’re a rockstar. I’m SO happy for you. No one deserves the recognition more than you.
xoxo
Congrats. I found this from the whitehouse blog. I’m not a regular reader but I will come back to see what your hubby writes. I’m a small business owner and I support Obama and the need for health care reform.
I wish we could stop talking about IF and start talking about specifically WHAT we will change.
I can’t believe this made Whitehouse.gov! (As in it’s amazing that a normal blogger is highlighted there, not that you’re not deserving or whatever.) Congratulations!! That is SO AWESOME!!
Linked from the White House – holy crap, my friend – you are AWESOME!!! Seriously, I read this earlier and didn’t get to comment, but now I do and I find a link?! WOW.
You so deserve this recognition, and I am so proud that you’ve been given it. Finally, a wee bit of a silver lining!
Honest – this brought tears to my eyes. You rock.
I have been reading since you announced your pregnancy and if what I’ve been reading is what you think is crap, then I really wonder how incredibly awesome the good is (and I’m going back and reading the archives you tell me not to!)
You are my hero. As someone with some chronic health issues, no job and no insurance, I thank you. As the mother of an autistic child who doesn’t have health insurance because I have no job, I especially thank you. For speaking up. For being real, for not thinking a blog should only be about puppies and rainbows.
I’m on the other side of the political spectrum, a moderate democrat. We agree on more than you realize. Something NEEDS to change.
No one should be in the position I was two years ago, deciding whether to pay my mortgage or shell out the 1300 a month for my son’s medications. The medications won, so I am no longer a homeowner.
Your ‘little blog’ as you call it, has started a dialogue with the White House. It is most definitely significant.
You ROCK, Loralee!
I had to add to the comment about military from other comments. there is definite mistrust of the current administration because of Clinton’s legacy. He brought our military low, and we were woefully unprepared when we were called to war. Our soldiers went to war with subpar equipment, inadequate training, and nowhere near enough troops. I’m not debating the need to go to war, but If we are sending our fellow country men and women into harms way, we darn well better be taking good care of them.
My husband is what is called AGR. He is a full time soldier, but he works for the National Guard, not the Army. He gets screwed out of so many benefits. Full time Army and traditional guard soldiers have so many benefits, bonuses, etc, that he is denied. The reason? His job is his bonus…be thankful and shut up. And when he was considering going full time a few years ago, he was informed that he would have to lose TWO RANKS to join. He has 20 years in the National Guard, and he would have been bumped to an E5.That is ridiculous.
I add this, because I have had my own squee moments this year. I was able to go to the White House for the Easter Egg Roll and meet Vice President Biden. We have been told how much they want to hear from us, to take care of the military families. I hope this is true.
I’m thrilled you had such an amazing opportunity to voice your thoughts on a subject that’s so important to all of us.
WITH THAT SAID, it kills me to that you don’t feel worthwhile every second of every day because YOU ARE, dummy. I think your human pug would agree.
LL, why did you mention stealing soap from the White House? Now you’re SO not going to be able to get away with it.
I found your post from a link on the White House blog. Good for you for telling it like it is. You rock!
Loralee~ I wasn’t worried about you. I know we can disagree and still love each other. Plus, we both agree that *something* needs to be done, that reform is needed. We just don’t agree what that “something” is.
Actually, that is one of the MOST frustrating things I encounter in the national healthcare discussion…it is disingenuous when I hear people say that those who oppose a public option are somehow in favor of “keeping the status quo” or just “doing nothing”. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think that some serious changes need to be made in the healthcare insurance industry. Health insurance reform, as opposed to health CARE reform.
To those who say that insurance is inherently evil because it is in the business to make money, and thus isn’t in the interest of taking care of it’s enrollees, I ask you this: how is it, then, that the car insurance model is working? Just like the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac situation, it’s far more complicated than one side/entity being good and the other bad. Saying so makes for appealing talking points, but it doesn’t really address actual issues and is ultimately counterproductive to a true exchange of ideas.
To mollify those who think my opinions are influenced by health insurance industry spin, I’ll fill you in on my background. I graduated from medical school the month before my son was born; instead of returning to a residency I chose to be a SAHM to him (I still have the student loans, so…ugh. But life can take unexpected turns). Believe me, I’m no blind apologist for the insurance companies. I don’t know one single physician who is.
I hope you make it to the White House. I will personally sell some CD’s or hold a garage sale to get you there. And if the White House would love to see good friends sit side-by-side, holding hands while disagreeing…count me in. (I’ll totally mention Ta-Ta’s first so you won’t worry about it).
PS: I know you have a husband to hold hands and disagree with, but you know me…once I get riled up I’m all, “I want to be HEARD!”
PPS: But I think I still remain respectful, right? Even on the phone? When I’ve been horribly dissed AND dismissed?
PPPS: I am watching an HGTV show and a woman on the show reminds me of you. Except she has a Valley Girl accent.
PPPPS: I’m really reaching trying to keep copying you on this PS thing.
PPPPPS: Luff you, too.
That’s my girl. Great job Loralee!
I love your blog and just read it, because of the whitehouse.gov. I did not even know your trials and tribulations and love that you share your feelings and thoughts so well.
Hooray that you stood up and affirmed your value and worth. I stand up with you!! Take care and I hope you read mine…
I need to break in here and tell you all how PROUD I AM OF YOU.
This debate about health care has gotten so, SO ugly around our country. It has made me sad, sick and my heart heavy to see the horrible things people are saying to one another.
I have dozens and dozens of emails in my inbox and guess what…NO ONE has been disrespectful. I have not had to delete ONE comment. That is amazing for a post with this many comments with such a hot and emotionally charged topic.
Many have disagreed but truely…this comments section is something to be proud of. It gives me faith that something can be worked out. That people can come together and work out problems and discuss issues in a civil manner.
I just had to tell you that I am thankful for your behavior and comments.
You are wonderful.
If you burn your bra, I’ll proudly hold up yer Ta-Tas!
So damn proud of you!
BRAVO…BRAVO…BRAVO!!!
Hey Loralee, I felt inspired to write a post about you, so I did. If you’d like to read it, feel free to do so here.
http://agofish.blogspot.com/2009/08/loralee-health-care-reform.html
If not, know that you are admired anyway! :)
Yeah, lets get you to the White House.
and
ZOMG!
Loralee-
I was among those in that panel sobbing my eyes out. And I’m not a pretty crier. You, as a blogger, influence more people than you’ll ever know. You, as an individual are influence politics.
Both are serious kickassery. And both are among the reasons that I admire you greatly. Please go to the white house. Do it for all of us that sat in that room, hoping together for something to change for the better. So that none of us will have to ever think about the cost, both monetary and emotional/mental/physical of health care again.
You are a part of the change Loralee. Thank you.
The first night at BlogHer couldn’t have been any better. You were IN MY ROOM and I adore you and the fact that your story gets to be heard. Loralee, you’re making a change just be standing up and being you. PLEASE never change that. Ok?
Thank you. XOXOXOXO
You are AMAZING. I already knew that, but I’m glad you’re starting to sense it too.
I am so proud of you I could just squee all over the internet!!!!!
after having to fight for the last 2 weeks to get medication that keeps me and the bun I’m baking alive, I am BEYOND ready for change.
We (my family) should not be “poor” by any means but we ARE because of the astronomical amount of money we pay out every month just to HAVE health insurance and then there’s the deductible on top of that and oh while you were knocked out this other guy had to do stuff for you but he’s not in network so he’s not covered under your plan and you now owe him 3k.. yeah you weren’t lucid to approve that but oh the fuck well.
At one point in our lives, we did not know where our next meal would come from (literally we had NO money for food) because we spent every cent paying for COBRA. I was pregnant, high risk and could not afford to be without coverage. It was by grace and blessed friends that we made it through that period of time.
Everyone is so afraid of change and I know change is hard, it can be bumpy and sometimes it can down right suck but it is NEEDED urgently.
As the bill stands now, it’s not perfect. Actually I would love to see the gov first push through reforms capping the prices of medications and capping the amt insurance companies can charge- stabilize those who are currently covered while working on composing a good solid solution that will bring coverage to everyone. No one, in this great country of ours, should every have to choose between eating and seeing their doctor.
Oh and don’t forget I live in the DC area, so when you go visit the White House you can stay with me.
I’ve been watching the whole story from far away. I have totally admired your genuine humility in all that has happened. Now reading what you told your husband, I completely love you.
I am a Fiscal Conservative and Social Liberal. There is no party for me right now. Although I fear that there is no sound fiscal way to get healthcare that also takes care of society as a whole, I wish there was. I wish I could blink my eyes and make it happen.
I, too, would love to have the ability to pay for our medical needs without fear. I have dental problems that cost upwards of $12k to take care of. I don’t know how that will be taken care of. I worry that one, day a dentist will just call it a complete loss and pull all my teeth out, handing me some nasty dentures on the way out the door. It makes me sad because I’ve always loved to smile. I know that sounds ridiculous compared to all the other medical crisis that abound. But every day, my mouth hurts. Every time I smile, I have to catch myself and close it up so I don’t embarrass myself with people seeing my gaping holes. I catch people checking out the chip in my front tooth. It’s embarrassing.
I want some solutions from the simplest dental procedures to the life saving organ transplants. I just don’t know if that’s possible anymore.
Loralee, just think of how many individuals in this country are suffering right now due to lack of access to healthcare unless on emergency basis, then you can really appreciate why so many admire and thank you for speaking out. Sometimes people who have access to the internet have too much pride to share their struggles and challenges. You not only shared but by just being your uninhibited self hit that raw nerve that makes your readers feel the pain of you and others who have similar circumstances.
I am your newest fan and supporter. I am a moderate democrat but first, I am an American who loves her country and want to be part of the solution. So, this democrat is ready to work with any and everyone toward achieving real healthcare reform. I wish you good health and success.
Earlier, I went to a meeting with my congressman, Jared Polis, of Colorado, to ask him questions about the health care reform bill. People were saying things about ‘government take-over’ this and ’socialism’ that and ‘doctors deciding the fate of the lives of the elderly’ the other – thankfully mostly in civil tones. And, okay, there weren’t that many of them. This is Boulder, after all.
That led me to look up what the bill actually says (see http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BILLSUMMARY-071409.pdf for a summary of the bill). Hmmm… interesting. It actually seems pretty rational to me.
That led me to http://www.whitehouse.gov/ the White House website, where there are fabulous videos by the administration officials who are debunking all those bananas Fox News-fuelled claims.
That led me to read Valerie Jarrett’s Talking Health Reform with Loralee.
And that led me to this blog.
And to the many varied and funny and intelligent and insightful comments on it.
And that made me feel REALLY GOOD – that we live in a country where a ’simple citizen’s’ ideas, posted on her blog can become a central part of a debate and fuel valid responses.
Thanks, Loralee. And I, too, hope you get to do it in the Lincoln Room ;)
PS – I’m from Italy, where people can choose the public or private option and where, even when you go private, procedures and medication are nowere near as expensive as they are in the US. And until there’s a public option here, too, I will thank God that I have a European passport in case I ever lose my job. It makes me angry that I have an out and that the vast majority of people living in this country don’t.
I just heard Hannity say tonite “now that the American people have come together against a public option for health care reform . . . .” So, where does he get that idea? Because progressives are too quiet? The reason that healthcare is a right, not a privilege is that every single one of us would help another human being in need of care So, it is not a right, it is a DUTY
There isn’t enough space on the interwebs to go into all the medical problems that I can not take care of because I got screwed out of my COBRA because of a clerical error by my former employer.
I am beyond thrilled that you are a voice speaking for all of us.
I kick myself everyday mad that I couldn’t make it down to the OC to meet you last week.
Thank you for being you.
Loralee,
You know that I look to you since you are a few years ahead of me on the same life path. We have everything from our twin siblings to our love of singing in common, and unfortunately, we have our terrible pregnancies, pre-existing conditions, and passed away children in common as well.
The only reason that I am not EXACTLY where you are right now is thanks to Obama. He made it so that my husband and I can afford COBRA health care coverage. If it wasn’t for him, we would be broke, and my unborn baby and I could both be dead. Why? Because I wouldn’t be able to afford the $4,500 (monthly!) in shots I need to prevent life-threatening blood clots. Because of the clotting disorder you and I both have, no insurance company will cover me. COBRA is my only option right now.
You know it makes me sick to my stomach that you had to go through everything you did during your pregnancy with Aaron. And really, your experience is making it so I won’t have to. So others won’t have to. I hate that YOU had to, but to know that it might not be in vain? And that you’re taking your terrible misfortune and helping others with it? Well, I couldn’t be prouder of you.
You’re not curling into a ball feeling sorry for yourself. You’re trying to bring change. And I am so, so honored that you are my friend.
You make me freak with yay!
[...] wrong with our health care system. I just wanted to write my post here to encourage you to go read her post, and see a real example of how we can all benefit from real conversations where we try to see [...]
We are all one operation away from bankruptcy.
Wow. To think that until a few hours ago, I didn’t even know you. And now I am so proud of you and the life you have lead. What a great post, a great story, and I’m so happy to have found your blog!
Congratulations!! Go forth to DC and represent!
Oh my. Oh my. “MY American Dream is to be able to GET AND AFFORD insurance. To take my kids to the doctor when they are sick without getting an ulcer about where the money will come from.” You brought tears to my eyes. Over here in the UK we so take that for granted I wonder if we truly appreciate it – although the press coverage of the misreporting in the US regarding our NHS means I think we appreciate it a helluva lot more than we did a week ago!
I probably only go to the Doc once every 5 years (I’m a bloke so it needs to be bad first, what can I say). But to be able to pick up the phone and see a Doc when I need to, or to get whizzed to Accident and Emergency (translation: ER :) when I come off my motorbike and only have to worry about the medical rather than financial consequences sure seems like a basic human right to me. I know there’s plenty of places in the World where that right is not met, but in the US?
I think what staggers me most of all is that there are people who don’t get this. How can anyone not get this? Normally I’m the one who can see the other point of view – I’m the one who presents and defends the other point of view when people around me don’t get it. But on universal healthcare? How can anyone not get that?
By the way – I’ve never before posted a comment on a blog. I’ve read tons, but never before felt moved to post. Look what you’ve done.
Jess, Utah may not have so many “crack whores” but I believe it has the highest rates of abuse of antidepressants and the highest teen suicide rate in the country, as well as a very high rate of teen pregnancy and I think the highest birth rate in the country – all of which require a whole lot of medical care. Every state has its issues. Not just the ones with the big hair!
I think you are amazing. After what you have been through, to be able to get out of bed and speak out and stand up for what you believe in (especially when you have family & friends who might not agree) is incredible. I was more moved by this post and the responses than I have been by anything (regarding politics) in a long time. People like you are why change WILL happen with health care. Thank you.
I’ve written about health care reform numerous times (well before Obama took it on) and I’ve always been met with mixed but mostly supportive reactions.
All I know for sure is that your health and health care shouldn’t be tied to your employment, especially in a down economy where people are getting fired all over the place.
We have insurance. We pay more than our mortgage for it and frankly, it isn’t THAT good. The 80% profit margin associated with health care insurance makes sure that plenty of our costs AREN’T covered despite our having the best plan offered.
Honestly, health care reform can’t come soon enough and not just for me but for folks like you and like my best friend’s totally uninsured family.
I’m so proud of you. Hang in there :)
Go you! I’m so proud of you for standing up and telling your story!
heh. you said ‘clusterfuck’ in an email to the white house.
great post, dear.
I just have to say that while I’m not unsympathetic, there are some things that are matters of opinion and some that are not.
The term “basic human right” has a specific meaning, and part of that meaning is that it is conferred on all at birth by God. An essential property of any right is that it can’t be given, only taken away.
Thus, again by definition, nothing that has to be provided by someone else can be a right. This also means that nothing that is man-made can be a right. Thus you can have the right to the “pursuit of happiness”, but not the right to the specific things that will give you that happiness. You have the right to free speech, but not the right to a radio show.
The thing about health care is that it is a man-made thing, which has to be provided by someone. The people who provide health care tend to be hard-working and dedicated, because it takes a LOT of work to gain the expertise and then the necessary government certifications proving that expertise that you need before you’re allowed to provide health care. Most of these people make enormous investments in time and money, over the course of years, before they are able to make their first dollar providing health care.
Now here’s where the problem with calling it a “right” comes in — and a good test in general by the way for deciding if something is even eligible to be considered a right. One essential truth about anything that is a right is that, since you were born with it, and it was given to you by God, you can’t be asked or made to pay for it. Indeed there is no one for you to pay, because it is already yours. It’s why we don’t allow people to point a gun at you and say “your money or your life”.
I felt compelled to comment because it is when people start using rhetoric without a full understanding of or regard for the consequences that debate descends into pointless arguing. Calling health care a right makes you look, to those passionate about their opposing view, like you’re either malicious or, if you’re lucky, just ignorant. It ends the debate because what’s the point of debating someone who either believes that all doctors, nurses, and other health care providers should be under government servitude, or doesn’t realize that when they call health care a right that’s what they are saying?
Similarly, support for a public plan is understandable coming from most people — but Barack Obama is a Constitutional scholar and therefore MUST know that such a plan would be unconstitutional. His curious insistence both that it is vital and that it will have literally no participants doesn’t help matters. One possible definition of debate is that it an attempt to educate your opponent on the rightness of your views, or the wrongness of theirs. Barack Obama already knows that his views are wrong.
The likes of Sarah Palin aren’t helping matters either, by the way, but at least her “death panels” comment is traceable to something real. No, the HR bill doesn’t set up death panels. But it does require that more people be covered than currently are, increasing demand on resources; it does nothing to increase the available resources, if anything it reduces them by cutting payments to providers which will surely drive at least some of them out of practice and discourage others from undertaking the aforementioned cost and risk to enter the professions involved; and requires the government to balance the cost, while allowing complete latitude on how to do that. That there will have to be rationing of one kind or another is indisputable. The real question is how resources are allocated. Currently care is rationed based on ability to pay, which is perhaps one of the coldest, but also the most fair way to do it. When you put those decisions in the hands of the government, with absolutely no legislative restrictions on how they are made, you basically make the potentially life-and-death decisions of who gets what care a matter of political preference of the party in power, much like things like tax and environmental policy are right now — only worse, because tax policy changes require legislation, and environmental policy is at least partially constrained by the existing legislation. Under the current bill, health coverage policy would be at the complete discretion of appointees of the president.
Now, we can make some guesses about how Obama would make those decisions based on things he’s said. Death panels under Obama? Not likely (though why then insist on holding out the possibility in the bill?). But grandma will almost certainly have to figure out a way to make due without that hip replacement, enduring whatever pain the blue pills can’t alleviate — importantly, whether she can afford to pay for it or not. But what happens if the likes of Howard Dean ends up in the White House? How about David Duke?
This debate isn’t about who does and who doesn’t want to reform health care. It’s about who does and who doesn’t want to see vast amounts of new power bestowed upon a federal government that is ill suited, and constitutionally forbidden, from wielding it. There are numerous proposals, some Republican and most bipartisan, that realize, with a much higher probability of success than anything the Democrats are proposing, all of the goals the president claims he is seeking, and does it in a way that retains the vast majority of the existing system that works well. Everything else aside, I think that the fact that they are not being debated, amended, or even considered should tell you everything you need to know about the president’s side in the current health care debate.
A coworker asked me the other day if I ever thought about early retirement. I laughed and told him that given my breast cancer diagnosis at age 42 (3 years cancer free, yeah me), I would never have the luxury of retiring, period. I will be working until I drop in order to either get employer-sponsored health insurance, or to try and pay for my own if I happen to end up working for a company that doesn’t provide insurance.
I was fortunate that I had good insurance when I was diagnosed because if I hadn’t, I would’ve been wiped out financially. My surgery was $6,000. The six-week course of radiation I went through came to $22,000 and another $8,000 bill for the radiation oncologist. Thank goodness I didn’t need chemo because that’s outrageously costly, too.
I really hope the dialogue you’ve sparked starts some serious change. I’m so proud of you, this post, and your blog. You rock!
Oh, and this:
“…how hurtful I found it that my family saw me go through so much and STILL does not want change.”
Completely broke my heart. I’ve been there and understand more than you know. I hope you know that you’ve got at least one family member that doesn’t feel that way.
To Christine:
The car insurance model works because there are government mandates. The government tells you that you HAVE to have it and so you do. If I could get health insurance for $600-$800 per year I would jump for that chance! I think it is horrible that there are laws in place to protect auto companies and automobiles but not laws in place to protect our most basic human right – life.
“nd part of that meaning is that it is conferred on all at birth by God.”
Tony why does ‘God’ come into political debates…whose god? What about all the people that believe in human rights but not god or gods?
[...] as I’m sure you all know by now, This post from Loralee got linked by the White House. How freaking awesome is that? It’s a topic that [...]
Hi- I followed a link over from Mom-101. I’m so glad you and your husband both got to talk to the white house people. I am for reform, but think it would be GREAT if people on all sides could come together and actually talk rationally about it and compromise. You know, instead of shouting at town halls and comparing our president to Hitler (for the record, I never compared Bush to Hitler- not once).
I think you have to argue with people about the things they care about. So if someone doesn’t want to talk about the emotional side or the health care as a right side, then lets talk about the economics. Our system spends more for worse outcomes. (NPR and BBC both have webpages showing this- sorry, I know these are “liberal media” sites to people like your husband, but really, the numbers are sound. The statistic that particularly sickens me is our infant mortality rate here in the US.)
This makes no economic sense.
We’re wasting money we could spend on growing our economy (some of it private sector money- do you know that the cost of benefits almost doubles the cost of a white collar employee for a company? That the costs of worker and retiree health care and pensions are one of the things that make it hard for our manufactured goods to be priced competitively?)
There are lots of different ways we could try to fix this. Surely, we can find a way that at least some conservatives could live with- but we won’t do that if they won’t even come to the table and talk about it.
I am torn but I know something needs to be done. We could no longer afford health insurance so had to cancel it, we don’t qualify for anything, we have 2 children with special needs, neither employer can afford to offer health insurance and we pretty much wing it. I feel like such a bad parent because I don’t take my kids in for regular checkups, especially dental. I’ve been lucky to have help from some programs that help cover therapies and such for my little guy but they are grossly under funded and we were threatened to be kicked out a few times. I am glad you are a voice to speak. And I totally hope you get to go to the White House and gaffle some of that lotion. :)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: as a Canadian, I am shocked and appalled at the amounts my neighbours south of the 49th pay in medical insurance. For what I pay per year in premiums, lots of you get a month. Maybe. And that’s just the start of your costs.
To have my daughter, I paid a grand total of $180 to the hospital – and that’s because I wanted a private room and not a ward with other patients.
I don’t know what the answer is, but I know that it starts with compassion. Like Ms. Jarrett said in her comment, she and your husband agreed on many points – and that’s why this works. There is agreement on the ends – its the means of getting there that you need to talk about.
And to remember that the public option is just that – an OPTION. It doesn’t take away other options, and by being just another option it actually increases competition. In my opinion, anyways. And what about focusing on health rather than sick? By that I mean focusing on preventative care rather than acting after the worst has occurred? An ounce of prevention, a pound of cure, that sort of thing – which is an idea both Canada and the US could find benefits. Regular checkups, regular tests – find and fix the issues before they become problems.
Also (and this is my last point because this is way too long already), remember that people are living longer now so they’ll require more medical care. There’s a reason the retirement age is 65: when pensions were introduced by Bismarck in Germany, not many people lived far past the age of 65! As we live longer, more starts to break down in our bodies, especially with the lack of focus on preventative care. If people are able to go to the doctor with issues, they can be fixed before they become problems and are less costly in the long run.
Hi, I’m a first time visitor and I have tears streaming down my face. Nice work. Are all your posts like this one?
But if you want to know about me… I was *this close* to being uninsured for my pregnancy and ran into all that pre-existing condition BS until I found a loophole that was very specific, accidental, and lucky.
Go you! Go health care reform!
I’m a first timer and I’m crying too. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU. Really.
I’m a Liberal and we’re broke and have shitty insurance and have medical bills in collections. I’m sick every day over it. But know that we’re lucky to even HAVE insurance. And with what you’ve been through I’m beyond happy that you had this chance to make a difference. It couldn’t have happened to a better person.
Tony,
Thank you for your comment. I was hoping to hear from ALL sides of this debate. For the record I absolutely believe that you are not unsympathetic. Very few conservatives I have talked with are hard hearted bastards and their beliefs are not fueled by a desire to hurt people. It would be a discredit and wrong to label them as such. They just feel that their way is less hurtful in the end.
I also feel that it is equally insulting and wrong that the left are generalized as immoral Nazi-esque power mongerers that have no factual basis for their arguments other than pure emotion and that their desire is to turn everyone into government controlled robots.
I firmly believe that the intentions of most are good and that they are fighting for what they see is the best solution. Surely we can make some way of fusing those two together and making something work between them both?
I will never give up hoping that this can and will happen.
My husband could have written this comment. I am very aware and versed of every argument you have thrown out as I argue them endlessly with my spouse, though he would never imply that I am either malicious or ignorant for them.(I think he likes sleeping in his bed too much. Heh.)
He will be guest posting about his discussion with Ms. Jarrett and I will publish it this Monday. I hope you return to share your thoughts with him.
I wrote a lengthy response to you but then deleted it. I feel very solid and sure of my answers to your concerns but I believe that what needs to happen at this point is problem solving instead of endless debate.
Everyone who cares about this issue is, or should be, informed of the differing schools of thought regarding health care reform and the problems on both sides of the issues.
Everyone already knows what the left, right, and middle stances are. And while I know stating those issues are important what I want to ask you is this:
Do you feel that any kind of change needs to happen? If so, what are your ideas? Your thoughts on how the extreme left and right can meet a workable middle ground with something that you feel will work?
Or do you think it is unattainable and should stay status quo?
**APPLAUSE**
I agree with you but even if I didn’t, I love your writing and the manner in which you explain your argument.
And if we choose to have a second child, the case will be high risk pre-existing sort. I have switched insurance and it hadn’t occurred to me that the new insurance company could (and would, they’re evil) be evil enough to have issues paying for it.
Thank you for standing up. You might just be my hero.
I don’t know how I’ve missed your blog all of this time but reading this moved me in a way that I didn’t expect. You are a beautiful writer. Truly.
While I am as far liberal as your husband may be conservative, I love this conversation and your family’s willingness to really think about what would be better for the country.
Terrific response to Tony–and I agree 100%. We need to have discussions about how we can come together to fix the problem…not just talk at each other.
@A little lion’s mom.
I believe it is Fedral Law that group insurance cannot deem a pregnancy a pre-exisiting condition.
I was/am insured (at a sickening cost)with HIP Utah-the insurance for the uninsurable and apparently they can totally declare it pre-exisiting.
Which is horrifying to me.
I don’t think you have to worry. Of course, I thought I didn’t have to worry either as I was coming from group insurance in the alloted time. (Apparently I was supposed to exhaust Cobra before being allowed into HIP. No one told me. They accepted me, took my money but still wouldn’t cover me. Once it came to light I was also ineligable for Cobra. So, yay.)
I appreciate Tony’s explanation of what a right is. I knew that it always bothered me when people said ‘health care is a right’ but I could not articulate why. I agree with Tony.
However, that does not change the fact that something needs to be done about it. I like what another commenter said — that even if it is not a right, it is a duty.
I would prefer that people be allowed to take care of each other voluntarily. But of course that’s not happening, so another solution has to be found.
*I generally do not get involved in these debates because I have no solutions.* But I feel strongly because I do see some of the options out there (like requiring everyone to have insurance) as infringements on freedom. (Someone above mentioned auto insurance. If you don’t want to have auto insurance, you don’t drive a car — simple. There would be no similar ‘exception’ with health insurance.) And while it’s so much more concrete to look at a family in a terrible financial situation over health problems and it’s much more abstract to consider the idea of freedom, I think that freedom is by far the most important in the end.
I want a solution that infringes on no one’s freedom but takes care of everyone too.
Thank God – finally, an INTELLIGENT discussion!
Wild applause to you, from this little household in Ohio where we consider ourselves neither Democrats nor Republicans, liberals nor conservatives… just Americans.
P.S. While I’m not sure how I feel about health care being a basic “right” for everyone, I *DO* believe health care should be a right for children!
I just want to say (1) you are awesome and if you don’t know it already, you should and (2) I love you.
I agree with you on just about everything, and am more excited that I should be that I have found another blogger who thinks like I do. I too am a moderate conservative. (I actually blogged about this health care reform thing this morning…lol)
I am anxious to read your hubby’s guest post. Can’t wait till Monday!
@Tony and Katie- I can see your point, but what about the fact that anyone who walks into an emergency room HAS to be treated, regardless of their ability to pay?
To me, it seems like we’ve already decided that we all deserve some level of health care because health care is sometimes necessary to stay alive. And what right is more basic than the right to life? Would we all really be this worked up about things if it weren’t so closely linked to our right to life?
So the only question is: how can we provide this in a way that is reasonably fair to all and also reasonably cost effective? Using emergency rooms as the fall back care option seems neither fair nor cost effective.
I can live with an all private solution, but only if that solution gets us really, really close to universal coverage, because without that, our emergency rooms are still the fall back for some people.
People being how they are, I suspect that getting universal coverage will require a mandate. I’m OK with that, because we all pay for the people without insurance who walk into an emergency room needing treatment, and no one can guarantee that he or she won’t end up doing that. We just can’t predict our health.
However, we could also think about trying an “opt out” sort of solution. Research shows that people usually go for the default option. So maybe we all get coverage by default and have to explicitly opt out of it. And perhaps when we opt out, we should have to set aside some reasonable chunk of money in a bank account that we control, as a sign of good faith to the rest of society that we won’t be jerks who come back and need free emergency care. (Note that this is very similar to the REAL opt out option on car insurance. People who don’t want car insurance usually don’t choose not to drive. They choose to put a bunch of money in a bank account to cover any damages they cause if they have an accident.)
There, Loralee, you said you wanted solutions. There’s one. What do you think, Tony? Could you live with something like that? If not- how do YOU want to get people out of the emergency rooms?
This fantastic and don’t sell yourself short on changing the world – if anyone can do it, lady my money is on YOU!
xxoo
One of the very best things you have ever written!!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!
i found this through the white house page. i am a straight laced guy, no frills, no fuss, and a liberal.
i don’t usually like theatrics or high emotion in the pieces that i choose to read, which is why i sit here a bit baffled that i am intrigued and completely enamoured with your post, writing style and personality.
you have managed to state a thoughtful argument and have done it with passion and enough grace and humor to diffuse passions and to not offend either side.
i would say to be a politician yourself but you are probably a bit too colorful for this country. no offense meant by that.
i honestly hope that you meet the president. if i was in the administration i would see you a gem and hold you up as an example of someone who has many conservative beliefs that wants change and is willing to work with others to get it.
i hope to see you on cnn soon, ms. choate. the pleasure has been all mine.
-garrett
When I mentioned auto insurance… I was thinking more about the fact that the government enforces regulations within the insurance companies. I understand the difference pointed out. I don’t think that the government should require everyone with a life to get health insurance the way that everyone who has a car gets auto insurance. I just think that the government should be making sure that everyone at least has the OPTION to get health coverage IF they want it. When I was speaking about car insurance I was really referring more to the fact that no one minds government stepping in there to say how an auto insurance company can or cannot act. Government restricts and outlines the kinds of coverage, the bare minimum, the extra choices, etc. on vehicles – why can’t something be done along the same lines with health coverage?
Okay, aside from the pointless referenceto your
TaTa’s, what I should have said is that you, more than anything else, exemplify what is wrong with our health care system.
Back when President Obama was Candidate Obama, I was reading a lot of stuff from both sides of the political process. Think tanks on both sides were churning out stuff trying to emphasize their point of view and I read one thing – one thing – that really struck a chord in me and I have never lost sight of what was said. As an expression of a ‘plank’ in the platform of the Progressive point of view, it was said that the idea is supposed to be to “Spend the Common Wealth for the Common Good”. To my mind, a Universal Health Plan, or a Public Option, represents that idea perfectly. I am not a “Socialist” (whatever that is), but I believe in helping when and where I can. I believe in putting my money where my mouth is. A young mother I know, a blogger, is having a hard time making ends meet – ahard time keeping enough money in the house to feedher 3 kids. I bought 100 dollars in gift cards from local grocery stores and gave them to her today. I’m willing to spend some of MY wealth for the Common Good. I believe so should we all.
My family of four mostly healthy people, aged 33, 33, 4, and 2, spends over $14,000 a year on health insurance alone – that figure does not include our co-pays, our deductibles, many prescriptions, etc. For example, the Imitrex I have to take for my migraines isn’t fully covered, and it costs me $15 a pill.
I get 2 migraines a month. I can only buy 4 pills at a time, because of my insurance company’s restrictions, and sometimes it takes more than one pill to get rid of a migraine.
It sucks to be in pain, with two small kids, and thinking, “Is it worth $15 to take something to get rid of this, or should I just suck it up and save that money?”
We literally spend more on our health insurance than we spend on our mortgage.
We’re self-employed. We went for many, many years between college and the early years of our company without insurance. It was scary, knowing that we were one illness away from bankruptcy all the time. It was like playing Russian Roulette.
We already insure the least-insurable population in this country – the elderly. And while it’s not perfect, there is supplemental insurance available for people on Medicare to purchase. I think a similar system could work for all Americans.
Or, hell, just give us the opportunity to buy into the same plan that Congress is on. Because I don’t see any of our “public servants” worrying about $15 pills.
And I’m sure if they made every uninsured American part of the same “group” we’d have a lot of buying power and probably be able to get great prices – the reason my husband and I pay so much is because we are the only two full time employees of our company. We had to search and search to find any company that would sell a “two person group” policy.
The system is broken. The Republicans are insane. Don’t let them stop this important reform!
Dear LL, I found this site from the White House link. This blog’s tone gives me hope that blogs are not all ‘hatetospheres’. Thank you and your bloggers who focus on the issue(s) without posting mean and hateful statements about people.
I worked for 40 years, lost my job and found myself without health insurance and a chronic condition that left untreated would land me in dialysis treatment. My state offered an opportunity to have basic preventative exams and pay for my prescriptions with a co pay. I was grateful.
I now have a job. It is not a job in my field but it offers good health insurance and prescription coverage. I’m working for the benefits. Finding fulfillment has to come from other areas of life. Retirement is not even on the radar screen. As long as I can work, I will work, for the benefits.
I live near the Washington DC area and I am delighted that you and your husband will be coming to our region; but I’m a ‘flipped over pancake’ that you have a standing invitation from Ms. V. Jarrett of the White House of the United States to visit. The POTUS and FLOTUS said that the White House is the ‘people’s house’ and you are certainly one of the people. Enjoy the visit! BTW, I believe everyone who visits gets a special take away gift from the White House. So, don’t risk setting off alarms and being wrestled to the ground for taking soap (please lol).
Peace, well being and blessings to you and yours.
Q2MK
We got pregnant, wasn’t planned but as someone told me ‘birth control is just a vote’. When my husband’s company switched insurances to a high deductible, we were told pregnancy was covered 100%. It isn’t. We have to meet our $6000 deductible first. $6000!!!! Then it’s only covered a certain percentage and we pay the rest. We can’t afford that. As it is they don’t cover my pre-existing condition. We have to pay a midwife out of pocket and do a homebirth because it’s the affordable option. My daughter, his step-daughter can’t be on his plan unless he adopts her, well her dad wouldn’t be very happy about that. He’s unemployed so no insurance there. We tried to get her on the children’s insurance here in our state but can’t because my husband makes too much!!!!! So, her dad can’t cause he can’t find work, we can’t because we can’t afford another plan and can’t put her on our existing(crappy) plan. I have an 8 year old who can’t get insurance. How is that fair? How can people say our system is ok and they’d rather pay through the nose and be denied coverage than have a public option?
Left up to me I would 100% advocate a single payer system. We’ve actually looked into moving to another country just for the health care. We’d give up our country and our extended family just to have health care for our children. That a sign of things gone wrong.
How dare insurance big-wigs pocket our hundreds of dollars a month AND require we pay everything on our own and THEN deny coverage. I’ve heard them call procedures that have been done for DECADES ‘experimental’ just to avoid paying.
My cousin’s boyfriend can’t get insurance through his work, and he has a brain tumor. He’s dying because he can’t afford health care. A friend who officiated at my wedding is dying of ovarian cancer because she has no insurance and can’t afford treatments. These are people in their 20’s. Much too young to have to die because of health care issues. Sad and heartbreaking. No one should have to die because they aren’t privileged enough to pay for health care.
I’m another first-time reader who got to your blog via the white house website. I was engaged in a facebook “comment debate” and was actually looking for the real text of the health care reform bill (which I did find on the House website), but meanwhile I got distracted by this link and I can only say WOW! What a writer, what a woman, what an example! Not only your blog but so many of the comments it engendered. I find myself crying out of hope (somehow I think you will know what I mean). Thank you for promoting honest, real discussion that could actually support real change. Thank you!!!!
Hello Loralee! I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your site, but I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. I just thought I’d say congratulations! What an amazing opportunity, and I’m so very happy for you!
I live in Idaho (I don’t have a militia… yet), and I’m fairly conservative. While I don’t support this health care bill, I do believe that a change in our health care system is needed. My biggest complaint (besides socialization- yes I’m one THOSE conservatives) with the proposal is that the government will have the say on what procedures I may or may not have done. As my husband and I are fertilely challenged (unfortunately) by nature, I don’t want the govt to be able to say that we can’t have fertility procedures done because we already have a kid or whatever reason there could possibly be. I’m not saying it would happen for certain, but they would have the power to do it. That is not my only complaint, but one that would strike fear into my heart if it were allowed to happen.
I think a really good reform could be put through if both sides of the party system could agree on something. Why is it that each side feels like they have to win?
Also, do you do singing lessons? I’m poor (recently laid off due to my job being outsourced… awesome), but I would drive my butt down to see you if I could get one singing lesson. And also, I think you’re wonderful even if you lean to the left politically. ;)
Loralee,
You are freaking amazing! I have read your blog for a while. I sobbed when I read about your sons death, I cried over all your insurance issues, and I bawled like a baby when Aaron was born. I am so damn proud of you, as a blogger, as a mother, and as a woman of action. You didnt let what happened to you break you and now you are making things happen! Linked from the the damn White House! Holy heck!
What you said about dreaming of being able to afford insurance, struck me hard. That’s my dream too. I want to not live in fear that something will happen to me or dh and we won’t be able to get treatment.
We are lower income at the moment, my sons are on insurance for children through the state. But they don’t give anything like that to adults in Florida unless you are pregnant.
When I hurt my knee 4 months ago, I racked up insane hospital bills, but only got half ass treatment. NO rehab, NO PT, NO follow up care. I am still freaking limping. My husband works full time and I am a student, we are raising 3 kids, one of which is special needs.Insurance through my dh’s job is more than we pay in rent every month! So we would have to choose to have a roof over our heads or insurance!
I am a democrat in Florida (we do exist) and I don’t agree with the reform bill as it stands right now. But I am thrilled Obama is making an effort to change things. We need reform NOW. As other comments have said, its a shame that one of the richest, powerful countries in the world is allow people to suffer or DIE from lack of medical coverage.
I don’t have the answers to make reform work. I just know that something has to give. People are concerned about higher taxes and I understand that, but think of what people are spending in payments, co-pays, and deductibles now. I also hear that people don’t want the government in charge of our heath, do we trust corporations more?
I love all the awesome and peaceful debate you have inspired!
@Rebekah
I wondered if I would tick off Idaho. ;P
And how lovely is it for you to want a singing lesson from me. Despite 2 years of Vocal Pedagogy training and teaching at the University I attended I am not currently teaching vocal lessons.
But.
I would for you. No charge. I understand what it’s like to be poor as hell. I used to clean for my vocal instructor because I didn’t have $100 a 30 minute lesson. (She was worth much, much more)
Email me and I’ll ask you about your vocal experience, history, etc. and we’ll set something up.
Warning: I teach classical or classicly inclined musical theater. While I can sing jazz and can belt I would not feel comfortable teaching it. Just so you know.
First time reader of your blog. My sister runs a militia in Idaho, just so you know:)
I’m sorry for all you’ve been through. And what a gift you’re giving others by sharing your experience and getting your voice heard.
I can’t believe you get hate mail. That’s one of the things that worrys me about blogging. I actually find myself subconsiously (sp?) trying NOT to get traffic to my blog, because I’m so thin skinned I don’t know if I can take any criticism.
At any rate, so glad your here and that I found you.
@Kim
Hey, send my husband her way. I imagine the cost of starting your own militia is a bitch and we’re a little strapped right now. ;P
I have had words said to me that would melt your face off they are so vile.
They are NOTHING compared to the love and support I have gotten from my blog.
Plus, the longer you do it the thicker your skin gets. I could never, ever have written a post like this even a few months ago.
Cheesy as it may be, meeting this gracious women and seeing how she handled dissent and discussion was empowering like nobodies bidness.
That said, I am very human and my skin isn’t THAT thick.
It still hurts a lot from time to time.
Don’t give up though.
Okay, so now I think you really rock. I jsut added you to my blogroll. And I haven’t updated my blogroll in forever!
Good morning!
I have stumbled on your blog as a result of a coincident (well, okay, not so much; I’m just a freak). I follow The White House twitter, through which I found Ms. Jarrett’s article about meeting you. I wanted to know more, so I looked up… wasn’t very good idea, considering that the amount of a free time in my life is gonna shrink considerably when back to my University. But whaterver. Now I’m bound to read you :)
I wanted to say that I feel for you and all your struggling with life and I’m happy it’s getting better. Good people should never experience the things you’ve been through. I also admire your courage, the day-to-day fight for better life. Way to go, Loralee :)
Anyway, you have inspired me to start my own blog. Not that I haven’t done it before, I did, just not in English. Maybe one day my entries will be as good as yours… (Yeah, like that’d be possible.) Did I say that your blog is extremely interesting also because of your language skills and style?
Okay, enough of the flattering, though it is all true. (I cannot help the fact that I prefer to criticize than make compliments xD). What I wanted to say is that until now I didn’t know how much your Health Care Program sucks. I mean, here in Poland (yup, I’m Polish) we have our own issues with Health Care, but at least when I call 112 (European version of your 911; if only it would work the way it’s supposed to…), I don’t need to wonder if I can afford it. Going to doctor is as natural as it gets, I pick up the phone, call my family doc and the same day I go to see him (or, in my case, her). True, the queues for specialists are incredibly long, sometimes you have to wait for months to go to see certain doctor, i.e. the waiting list to see an endocrynologist is two months long and it’s not that long compared to others. But at least everybody can have it – and if you have money, you can also go and see a doc privately, most of them have a private practice, though for chronic patients the cost is usually unaffordable (i.e. for one visit at ginecologist I pay from 80zl to 120zl, it’s about $28 to $42; I don’t know what are the prices in US, but I do know that you are generally better paid; for my family the cost of my ilness is a considerable burden). There’s also a matter of certain examinations and procedures that are not refunded and those are usually the most expensive ones.
Well, as I said, we have some issues of our own. But, my point is – getting some care, even if you need to wait in a queue (and my nation is used to the queues, especially those people born before ‘89), is better than getting none. I don’t know the details of this new reform (hell, i don’t even know the details of my own government’s recent bills), but what I guess is good and quite inspiring is that President listens to the people. That’s not that often, at least as far as I know.
OK, I know, I’m sorry. I talk too much about things I don’t know anything about. (Well, I generally talk too much.) I guess I’m just moved by all that, but I have to admit that I kinda look at it through YOUR eyes. (As my own are here in Poland.)
Anyway – God-speed and farewell :) May the Force be with you!
regards,
Amelia.
PS. I can’t help it, sorry.
“There is no dirtier word than ’socialism’ in my state and with my family.”
In here there is perhaps only one dirtier word and it’s ‘communism’. If you say ‘I’m a communist’ in Poland, it’s as well as you’d say ‘I’m a murderer’ or ‘I’m a Nazi’. For political parties to describe itself as communist or socialist is to sentence itself to the political exile. And still, it’s not that all Poles are conservatives, many of them have left-winged opinions – though for now the right wing is in charge. (Personally, I’m more centric-right, though what drives me crazy is the fact that despite the great number of political parties in here, there is literally none I could vote for with clear conscience, knowing that they represent everything I believe in; so I choose the lesser evil when I vote, not really optimistic stuation, huh?)
PPS. I am really sorry for all the mistakes I have made, which I am sure were numerous. Your language is quite difficult and I am still learning it, though I try hard not to make many mistakes; I know that it can drive people crazy, I am myself very irritated when someone makes them in Polish (I’m kinda a purist when it comes to my mother language).
PPPS. I talk waaay too much o.O Sorry!
First of all, I think this is awesome that you have been a voice in the debate. More people need to come forward and tell their stories.
When I read the posts about your health care struggles, I wanted to cry. I can relate. I went without insurance when I got out of school and had to pre-pay for all treatments before I could have them. Paying for an MRI out of pocket is expensive. And that was back in the days where they would not negotiate or give discounts to the uninsured.
I have insurance (two of them thanks to jobs) but I still have lots of out of pocket expenses and constant fights to try and get things paid for. If I have to fill every prescription at once for my family, I think it comes to $400 in co-pays. My entire family is uninsurable in the individual market due to our conditions. I work in insurance and see every day as more and more employers decide they cannot afford the costs and canceling coverage. I also see the pressure the health care reform is putting on insurance companies.
With that said, yes the system is broke and we need to fix it, but I don’t believe an all government or all private option is the best for this country. I think it will be a effort between the government and health insurance companies to make sure all Americans have coverage.
I wanted to chime in and say that my husband’s guest post about his experience will be up on Monday.
I hope you all come back and look at a different point of view. (Plus, I admit that I want him to do well because I love him.)
I hope I am not coming off as showing favoritism with my replies in the later comments, it’s just that I have more time to reply and comment back than earlier.
I have read every email, every tweet, every comment regarding this post.
Your stories…OH your stories. I have sobbed for some of you. There are so many, many people out there struggling.
I have to say again how well people have behaved here. It gives me so much hope that people ARE able and willing to have a civil discussion that is focused on solution and making something work.
I truly and deeply appreciate every single comment even if we don’t see eye-to-eye.
Y’all are the bomb diggity.
@Amelia Multiple use of Post Scripts will only cause me to love you. I have a total thing for them.
And just so you know how this is being viewed by the administration, here’s something from my inbox:
Dear Loralee-
You are simply amazing! The outpouring of support renews my faith in the goodness of people.
Yesterday morning I described your blog to the President and the numerous responses that were posted. Since then, there are so many more. I have read them all!
The President was deeply moved by your courage to tell your story and the tremendous pouring of support. His hope is that through your bravery, many others will speak out too.
We are also looking forward to your husband’s blog.
Please let us know when you would like to visit the White House.
Please stay in touch!
Take care,
Valarie
They want to hear from you! Please continue to speak up with your stories, ideas, solutions from BOTH sides. If you don’t do it here, do it somewhere. Fight to keep civil dialogue flowing. Between us all we can do this.
Came through twitter. How are we supposed to know and trust those are her real words and not just you?
Jayse – We have photos and reports from a dozen people documenting Loralee’s meeting with Valarie Jarrett at BlogHer. We have the White House website pointing to Loralee’s blog. And NOW you think Loralee is making THIS up? What would make you happy? A signed, notarized photo of Valarie typing the email with a copy of today’s NY Times in the foreground? Woman, please.
(What Suebob said.)
Loralee, wow. This is so right.
@Jayse
I promise you that I am not making anything up. Not only would I not do that, there is so much attention being focused on this blog right now it would be certain internet death for me.
I would lose all credibility as a writer and person and would most likely be a pariah in a community that means everything to me.
It would take way, way bigger balls and way, way more stupidity than I have to make up something and attach Valarie Jarrett’s name to it, trust me.
I am sure by now though, after pondering it and hearing from @Suebob (who is amazing) you will have rationed it out and come to a different conclusion.
I hope we’re straight and good now?
I apologize. I should have read the post and blog. I don’t know you, I followed a retweet and it seemed fishy to me. I jumped the gun.
Congratualtions.
Oh, and I am a guy, not a girl. Jayse is like Jase.
@Jayse
Apology is absolutely accepted.Sorry for assuming you were female.
Commenting again:
“They want to hear from you! Please continue to speak up with your stories, ideas, solutions from BOTH sides. If you don’t do it here, do it somewhere. Fight to keep civil dialogue flowing. Between us all we can do this.”
This seriously brought tears to my eyes.
We are on our last few days of employer based health insurance — and I JUST had my ankle put back together from breaking it in 3 places, which will require numerous aftercare visits.
Since my husband decided to work for himself, we are going on COBRA starting September 1st. I am scared and unsure about the costs and, from what I’ve heard, ridiculously high premiums.
However, I feel like one of the lucky ones — because I know that we will be able to choose a health plan that we can afford come January 1st — the standard enrollment date. I *could* be wrong and be hit with pre-existing conditions BS, but I hope for the best as we enter a very uncertain time for our family in terms of our health care.
Lots of love to you, Loralee.
“And we can’t afford the health bills that would produce.” I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. Wonderful blog, thank you thank you thank you.
I am crying. Because I am in a tough situation with healthcare as well. I don’t have any! My childrena re covered by Medicaid. My husband has insurance through his job but it does not cover me. So I spend my days in pain from a back injury, unable to pick up my children without pain because I cannot afford to go to the doctor.
My views on the reform are frighteningly similar to yours.
I am so glad your voice (my voice!) has been heard by the White House.
And I am so happy for you. That your husband has seen the good in what you do. You deserve respect. Maybe he can talk to my husband!
Vdog- I’ve been on COBRA. It is exactly the same plan you had through work- only you are now paying the entire premium. It will make you realize how much your employer spends on benefits. Your HR department can tell you how much that will be.
You don’t need to worry about pre-existing conditions if you transition directly to COBRA.
At the time I used it, it was a better deal than any of the plans I could find for private purchase. It wasn’t cheap, but it was the best deal going. Some of my colleagues (we were all doing this because of a lay off) found better deals through other insurance, though- so it wouldn’t hurt to shop around a bit. The main thing is to keep continuous coverage- I think this is the key to not having the pre-existing condition issue come back and bite you.
Loralee…I love that one of us regular folks has a voice. And that it was heard.
Thanks for your courage.
I have spent my career (22 yrs so far) in healthcare. I work for one of the companies Pres. Obama has applauded as being exceptional….that’s nice, but as a consumer and patient…I believe we have a long way to go.
Thanks again for your words.
@cloud
“The main thing is to keep continuous coverage- I think this is the key to not having the pre-existing condition issue come back and bite you.”
Absolutely, but I need to emphasize strongly that you need to absolutely double check.
As I wrote in my post, I went from group insurance to HIP Utah (Insurance for the uninsurable). We were WELL within the time that is required to have continuous coverage so I thought I would be fine.
NOPE.
So, I urge everyone to ask, ask again and then ask again and document everything. I DID ask my agent when we were signing up and the person in charge of the orientation and thought that was enough but obviously? It wasn’t.
P.S. @Vdog-I love you, Victoria. Please come back to Utah soon. You need to meet my adorable butterbean of a baby!
As I have said for a long time, and I continue to believe, you are an AMAZING and PHENOMENAL person!!!!! Though I may not agree with you on this health care issue completely, I do agree that something needs to be done. But like you and the rest of the country, I just don’t know what. But the fact that you got to express your thoughts and views in public to someone that has power makes me love this country, your blog, and you even more.
This is one of the original primary reasons I voted for Obama. I believe we need health care reform, and I strongly believe we need a public option. I grew up in Canada with the “dreaded socialized medicine” and my family had excellent experiences with it. And yes, we were sick. Even enough to be hospitalized and have surgery. I continue to have family in Canada, some who have had life-threatening accidents and injuries, and I can’t tell you how *jealous* I am that they are able to go to the doctor whenever they need to without fear of deductibles and coinsurance and lifetime maxes. It’s a tragedy that people in the United States – even the insured ones – have to be concerned about how they’re going to provide finances for healthcare for themselves and their families.
And since you assure us this is being read, Loralee, I’m going to go further and request that those in charge consider mandating broader coverage for infertility issues. My insurance, although they don’t technically provide coverage for infertility, has paid out thousands of dollars for slightly related charges – most of which would have been lessened or nonexistent if they had just covered some level of advanced infertility treatment to begin with.
Love ya, girl and am SO proud!
Here’s my story:
We couldn’t afford health insurance for me last year. My husband had insurance thru his employer and the kids had state sponsored insurance that we helped pay for. I decided to get into as good shape as possible to avoid getting sick. I lost 50 pounds. I decided to take the boys rollerskating to celebrate. I BROKE MY WRIST. Sigh. The ER visit, ortho surgeon visits, etc cost thousands of dollars. I’m still paying. I couldn’t afford to have physical therapy (which I really needed).
So, this year we moved to another state. No state sponsored insurance here (we make $500 over the limit) so all 4 of us are on my husband’s insurance plan. Because of how expensive it is we had to take a higher deductible plan. Our deductible is $6000!
Our youngest son has a mood disorder and various other health problems. He is in all kinds of therapy that we have to pay for until we reach $6000. It is a nightmare financially and emotionally. We need OPTIONS for health care. We have none.
Thanks for letting me tell my story!
Hi Loralee,
Let me say before I say anything else, you are–FUNNY! I love your wit!
I am sorry for all of the challenges that you are having. I agree that health care reform is needed, and I hope that when it happens, you will receive the plan that fits you and your family (even if your husband does not want it).
You seem to have many health issues. May I ask a question? Do you ever take a minute from blogging and read “something” that gives you a sense of inner peace? I find this very helpful.
You are a great writer. Your blog is easy to follow and certainly an attention-getter. You also make up a lot of words that fit right in. Keep up the good
work.
I am a democrat, and a first-time writer, but first and foremost,a human being who feels very deeply about others. Check out some of my blogs. http://www.twitter.com/mamiesmith
I love all of these comments!
I have to say I am baffled by the fear that the government is reaching for “power” in this bill.
In my own experience, I had HMO coverage (for a single person) that was nearly $4,000 a year (just premiums, nothing else). I fell and hurt an ankle pretty badly – torn ligaments and tendons.
The doctors solution – pills. Asked about physical therapy (wasn’t suggested to me, I had to ask). Yes, I was eligible but not until 8 weeks AFTER the initial injury. The particular doctor that saw me that day was from Italy and a per diem doctor so she told me that even though I was only a few weeks from the injury she was going to submit my paperwork that day. She explained that submitting the paperwork early was “against the rules” but she was hoping that by the time they got to my order for PT it would be 8-10 weeks after the injury and in addition since she wasn’t an employee but just a per diem doctor they would overlook the mistake and not throw me to the back of the line. She told me that they way the system was set up PT was not tarted until 16+ weeks after injury and generally the patient had to broach the subject.
After a couple of years I changed to Catastrophic Coverage only. I fell and broke (actually shattered) a finger. The injury happened early Sunday evening – no urgent care offices open. Went to the ER. The bill? $1,800 (which was NOT covered by my plan). $1,000 for the hospital and $800 for the doctor. Ended up having to have surgery and even though proper healing from the surgery includes PT, it’s not covered. I have gone chosen to go through 4 months of PT (3x per week) and acupuncture (all out of pocket). I need surgery again (it didn’t heal right) but the cost of PT is one of the things holding me back. If I don’t fix it, I have a semi-functioning finger and almost guaranteed arthritis.
I have a family member who owns a small business and their state offers group insurance for small businesses. Group insurance cost for a family – $30,000 per year. Who can afford that? What kind of “option” is that?!
I am excited to read your husband’s post on Monday! Hopefully it will continue this wonderful discussion.
Speaking of your husband, I dreamt for HOURS last night about his upcoming blog and I kept dreaming that he needed to start his own blog and I even came up with a name which I kept telling myself to remember because it was so brilliant.
I can’t remember it now!
Loralee,
Wow, there are so many responses that I haven’t been able to read them all!
I am so glad you were able to tell your story to someone and that I get the chance to tell mine as well.
My husband is on VA disability and I was laid off in March, so we applied for state health insurance. My 4 year old is completely covered, but I have yet to find a dr. who accepts state health insurance who is accepting them as new patients. My 7 year old is not completely covered (um, hello?!) and neither are we. We have to pay over $1,200 EACH MONTH before the state will cover anything for us. That is well over half of my unemployment insurance. It’s like a 100 foot safety net when the fall is 80 feet. Nice net.
Also, we “make” $60 too much for food stamps, so we are relying on my mother-in-law to help us every month until I can find a job. (I have an interview on Tue. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!)
We filed for bankruptcy in June because I could not find a job and we had medical bills that were not covered by our health insurance that we could not pay. (As well as other bills. We are struggling just to keep paying rent and utility bills. And yes, we are on the low cost programs for electricity and gas, which helps immensely.)
Basically, I am all for a single payer, public option health insurance. Look at Canada, France, and most other countries. Yes, there are problems, nothing is perfect, but EVERYONE is covered. They do not have to worry that if they get hurt or sick that they will have to lose their house.
I do not think it will happen, though, because the health insurance companies, who are making record profits (as are oil companies) have way too much to loose.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my story and my opinion!
Stacy
Loralee, I have followed your blog for almost two years, and I’ve loved every post. Congratulations on being such a voice of change!
We currently have insurance through my husband’s work, where we pay around $525/month to cover two adults and four children. His monthly GROSS income is roughly $2500, and I bring in between $200-$500 by watching my niece a few days a week. My husband is diabetic and two of my kids have a liver disease, so we need to have the coverage to prevent “preexisting conditions” on any new policy in the future.
Ironically, because we pay for health insurance, we can’t afford to actually see a doctor because we can’t afford the $25 co-pay each visit requires. Going to the ER isn’t even a possibility, because there is a $100 co-pay, and you have to pay up before a doctor will even come into your room if there is insurance coverage linked to your name upon check-in. (I live in Utah. We are currently covered by IHC.) My husband stretches his daily prescription doses over two or three days in order to make them last longer, which is dangerous and unhealthy, but he feels he has no other choice. There simply isn’t an extra $150/month to fill them.
He makes too much money (I find this hilarious, BTW) to qualify for any sort of state aid (including food stamps), and because we *can* get insurance through his employer, we are expected to. I was told that it’s illegal to cancel your current insurance to qualify for medicaid or C.H.I.P., which puts us in a frustrating catch-22: we can’t get any state help with insurance because we already have coverage, but we can’t drop our current coverage in order to qualify for state help.
As it is, we can only pay about 70% of our monthly bills, so we have a rotating cycle and pay them based on what is going to be shut off first. We very literally choose between food, electricity and medicine. I feel blessed, because we’ve been pretty healthy so far this year, but I dread flu season. How do I pay for shots? If we don’t get shots and we DO get sick, how do I pay the $150 co-pays to take my family to the doctor?
I need something to change. If I’m paying for health care already, I’d like to be able to use it without worrying how a $25 co-pay will mean we don’t eat for the week.
I am so happy to hear that the White House is listening. I am a chronic intractable migraine sufferer with other disabilities as well, hypothyroid, vasovagal syncope (NCS) and other minor things. But, my health care has risen in the past two years to the primary outpouring of my income. I still work – have to for health insurance – and want to still work. I am immensely lucky to have a job and a career that due to my illness allows me to work from home and manage my illness while still making a good living – $80k a year. I am a CPA specializing in research and technical areas like international tax so I keep up to date on bills in Congress for my clients as well as my own knowledge.
I have a family of four and I am the primary bread winner – and the one that is sick almost all the time. I have found a way to keep working and support my family – even up for promotion this year – but the cost of medical care is overshadowing all other items. And it’s me, not the rest of my family that’s sick.
So, I can afford less things for my children – save less for college tuition, save less for my retirement so I’m not a burden on them, and can’t even buy a home because of all my debt from medical bills.
My credit card debt is approximately $15,000 – all due to medical expenses from copays and coinsurance amounts and having to go to out-of-network doctors to get real care. The care I need. The insurance company says they have doctors and don’t think I need the treatments I need. But they have never seen me or diagnosed me! I have told them I would come to their office to have “their” doctors look at me to prove I need these items. But no, they are interested in raising premiums and deductibles and want me to do a better job at preventive care so they have no payouts. It’s ridiculous.
I am a vegetarian, see an acupuncturist, do yoga, healthy individual EXCEPT for my chronic illnesses and diseases that are part of my genes – not my fault or the way I’m living.
I really hope the White House is reading these posts because I want to tell them that I am fully supportive of what they are doing. We have to have health care reform now and it has to be done right – and with a public option because costs have to come down for insurance premiums because I have a family to take care of. I don’t live off the government – I am contributing to society the best I can and doing well at it. I don’t want to end up in a position where I am having to live off the government or depend on it for taking care of me and my family.
I want to save for my children’s college, I want to save for my retirement, I want to be a contributor to society and not detract from it and I NEED this health care reform now to help me do just that.
That’s my rant. You can read my blog I started a few months ago about my health and life with constant pain and migraines.
Thank you President Obama and those who are willing to stand up for what’s right.
By the way, sick and tired of people listening to false rumors of what isn’t true and not finding out the facts. Seems like some people just want to be angry or hate. Sad, really.
Thanks for listening, you have a friend in Kansas.
And thank you Loralee for this wonderful post that brings hope that a true honest discussion can be had.
Elizabeth
My website didn’t show up in the post so in case interested it’s http://eawake.blogspot.com – please not haters or spammers.
Thanks!
Elizabeth
I feel like I could talk about all of this for days, but what I really want to say is thank you! (for being so brave, and) for being so YOU.
You’ve shown people who doubted that President Obama is reachable, engaged, and he LISTENS to the vast sea of different voices he represents, and no matter what happens, no matter what anyone opposing him says, for that he will always be amazing.
Please take the time to watch the most incredible expose of the state of health care in America by watching “Critical Condition”.
I posted the link here:
http://greeninoc.blogspot.com/2009/08/critical-condition.html
This is a MUST see film for everyone!
America, get ready for the Republican smack-down on this health care bill …even if they pass a bill it will be watered down it is finaly passed-behind closed doors as they always do:BACKSTABING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE …
this is a WAR…….the rich are running paid lawmakers like they were investments and paid stocks and bonds….the big drug industry and insurance companies are providing so much cash on this, while demanding support from the Republican-right wing…and anyone elese who will buy the WOLF-TICKETS they are selling …..its not just the lies and decption its anything that will change your vote…I want public health care plan and the end to the Republican party as a whole they are too destructive for a better America……p.s. do you think we could snatch the security clearences from those same lobbiest
who are pressuring the nations lawmakers …mmost of whome live and work in the Wash. DC area ……
America, get ready for the Republican smack-down on this health care bill …even if they pass a bill it will be watered down it is finaly passed-behind closed doors as they always do:
BACKSTABING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE …
this is a WAR…….the rich are running paid lawmakers like they were investments and paid stocks and bonds….the big drug industry and insurance companies are providing so much cash on this, while demanding support from the Republican-right wing…and anyone elese who will buy the WOLF-TICKETS they are selling …..its not just the lies and decption its anything that will change your vote…I want public health care plan and the end to the Republican party as a whole they are too destructive for a better America……p.s. do you think we could snatch the security clearences from those same lobbiest
who are pressuring the nations lawmakers …mmost of whome live and work in the Wash. DC area ……
My husband believes that it is immoral to put a gun to the head of a man and force him to pay out of his earnings for the greater good of all, where I find it much more immoral to NOT provide for those that truly cannot in the case of health care and to make it accessible and economically possible for people.
especially when many of those people were the reason they could not provide for themselves in the first place…
He despises decisions made by “emotion”. I say why is it a bad thing to be fueled by emotion and compassion? The kicker for me is that I would like it to be emotionally fueled AND fiscally possible.
HERE, HERE!
As I relayed my thoughts to the room I said that if they truly do not want socialized medicine and a single payer system, and that they don’t want an over-all socialistic government then they needed to focus on trying to get that message out to conservatives.
HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU DO THAT? FROM THE FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS I’VE HAD WITH CONSERVATIVES – THERE’S NO TELLING THEM! OR CONVINCING, OR SHARING OR EXCHANGING VIEWS. THEIR BELIEFS ARE PREDETERMINED. IF YOU KNOW OF A WAY PLEASE LET US KNOW, LORALEE.
This is amazing. All of it.
I met you very briefly at BlogHer in the coffee shop with Karen – I think I have a pic of the two of you on my Flickr stream. I wasn’t sure what this year would be like for me either, but it turned out to be the best one yet. I’m happy it turned out that way for you too. I think most of us are way too hard on ourselves for how we are or appear to be. Your story exemplifies why I pay so little attention to any complaining I hear about the conference. The good – HUGE good like this – far outweighs anything else.
Thank you for expressing yourself so well about these issues. I’m reading whatever quality material I can get that speaks about it from a personal and informed perspective, and I’m so glad to hear from you. The people in my life have little idea of what I do here either, but I never underestimate the ability to push a button and publish our words immediately. It’s a gift really, especially considering that people in so many places don’t have that ability. Over time people know quality when they read it and this post alone is telling me that that’s what happened with you.
I’m so glad they had the good sense to invite you to that table! I look forward to reading Mr. Looney Tunes’s point of view. :)
very thought-provoking!
Wow, LL, I’m just in awe now. You are amazing! And I’m so happy that something good is coming from the awful experience you had earlier this year.
Just wow.
Wow, anyone, including the blogger here, thinks that the Government will take care of you is ludicrous. Whatever happened to people and their own personal responsibility. I do agree that there should be reform, but not when the government takes control of our freedom to choose health care. And people from countries that have universal health care don’t know any better because they are use to it. One, get ready for taxes to go sky high. Two, get ready for long lines, because the government rations health care. IT WILL HAPPEN. My friends wife is from Canada and she was denied cancer treatment, so what did she do? She went to a private clinic in Regina and had to pay out of pocket expense for the treatment, because Canada’s “So-called” government said, “Sorry, no can do.” 1 million people in Canada are waiting for treatment as we speak. You tell me. Do I wait for an MRI in Alberta for eight months, or should I fly down to Seattle and get one the same day? Hmmm, let me think… I will go for the option in the U.S. to find out that I have a lethal tumor and if I would have waited for eight months, I would have died. Not only that, after the MRI, you still would have to wait on additional months and months for treatment, why. BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT HAS CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH CARE! YAY FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, WAHOO!!!! FREE HEALTH CARE! NOTHING IS FREE!
Paul,
I am the blogger in question and I was very responsible with my health care. I believe that I absolutely have personal responsiblity, even though I want health care reform.
You addressed freedom. Well to be honest with you, for all the long years we have had of self-employment and insurance frustrations etc? I have felt like I have very little freedom.
I understand you want people to have the freedom to choose their health care. Well…what if no one will take you? To pay out of pocket for a minor injury/surgery/illness is daunting or impossible for many. I know there are things like medical savings accounts but to cover most things it is far inadequate to what most Americans could possibly afford to save.Or if you are one of those who manage to get coverage but only with outrageous premium and huge deductibles with the cost is so high you can’t afford it let alone use it if you are sick? How can you have freedom over your health care if no one will let you in to exercise that freedom and you are shut out?
I did everything I was supposed to do and the current system completely screwed me over. I do not want a free ride from the government. I want an option for those who cannot obtain insurance and for the heatlh care in the country to not be so expensive it financially ruins people and their lives. (And hopefully if that happens that is the ONLY negative thing that happens to an ill person.)
For every example I have gotten about poor health care in Canada there are usually 2 or 3 to counter it. I have many, many, many, many, many, many (getting the idea?) friends in Canada from all kinds of political stances and I have geniunely asked/begged to hear their experiences what ever they may be, good or bad.
Overwhelmingly, good was the response.
For myself, I am at the point that high taxes are preferable.
Now.
What I would like to ask you, as the author of this post, is what are YOUR ideas and solutions for change? Do you feel nothing should change? What would you need to see happen to feel comfortable with a health care reform bill.
I keep begging the opposing side to speak up, come up with ideas and I truly mean that. I hear the reasons, the debate, the things that are wrong, every day from the media, family and also from my husband. (But we also discuss options and ideas and solutions.)
I love hearing personal experiences ad stories and I understand debating what you think is wrong (for either stance) but I would like to gently request that people focus on ideas and solutions…that is how things get done.
Thank you for remaining civil though you disagree with me. I appreciate it highly.
I know nothing is free. I am not looking for free. I am looking for FAIR.
Okay, so first of all, no one is talking about universal health care as the only option. We’re talking about a PUBLIC OPTION. I live in a state where there is a state option for uninsured residents and/or state-run supplemental insurance for under-insured residents, including people who HAVE insurance through their employers.
And lo and behold, I do not have state-run health care. I have private insurance through my husband’s company, because it was the better deal for both the company AND for the employees.
Let me say that again: we have a state option for healthcare, and because private industry offers a BETTER OPTION, that’s what my husband’s SMALL BUSINESS uses for its employees.
Surprisingly, we also have a large number of elderly residents, but no one has been KILLED OFF by a death panel.
However, I digress. The argument that a government option is going to destroy the private insurance sector and the free-market industry is laughable, at best, and further, there is a real-world example to draw from to prove it:
I’m sure you’ve heard that the United States Postal Service is … struggling, yes? STRUGGLING. As in, there have been layoffs, and Saturday mail might be eliminated forever. The reason? IT CANNOT COMPETE WITH PRIVATE INDUSTRY.
UPS. FedEx. They destroyed the USPS. Because they did it better, by focusing on price, customer service and convenience.
And yes, I know, focusing on competition is the point of many more conservative plans — allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, etc. etc.
But if you really think for one second that private industry can’t and won’t compete with the government because … I don’t know why, because you really think the government is going to be that all-powerful in its scope (LAUGHABLE), visit your local post office and see how very wrong you are. Oh, and then drop by the local UPS or Ship N’ Mail or whatever *small business* you use to ship your letters and packages.
Hi Loralee, I just read your post, at the urging of the White House itself (you are linked in the White House blog). You rock. You inspire me. What you are doing is not useless. Thanks for your stark honesty and willingness to try. Wishing you well and healthy, too, and access to all the health care you need.
Amanda
Before people get all up in my shit, I hasten to add that at least one of our state programs IS in partnership with BCBS. But you know, STILL. My tax dollars, yo. Totally worth it for the peace of mind it gives me knowing that if my husband loses his job and I get sick? We aren’t going to lose our house.
Sadly, I know of people who have health insurance and have been turned away from cancer treatment centers here in Florida
Hi, I am very happy for you and to know that you both survived the luncheon and was able to walk away feeling respected and yes needed in your own special way.
When you mention that you are both conservative and liberal, I would just like to point out that just about everyone is both liberal and conservative in some fashion. Just because we vote a certain way means nothing about our personal values.
I am sure there are millions of far right or far left wingers out there wanting to tear into my post at this moment, but let me try to explain that comment.
I have mostly voted Democratic all of my life. That does not mean that I do not know the value of good honest hard work – I started working for family at the age of 7 and after high school and during college years, I worked 1 full time job, 1 part time plus went to college full time. I have never in my life had the need to take a hand out, but I do understand that there are many less fortunate than I am that do need that help badly. I would never in my life try to stop someone else from getting the help they need and deserve.
I happen to know that business does very well and lately much better then they have ever done – thanks to all the deregulation that took place since reagan and after.
I am not, nor will I disrespect any President. I do not agree with all of this talk from the far right wingers about our current President. I believe it is disrespectful, shows those Americans who do it as Immature and shallow to citizens of other nations and for that many Americans continue to lose respect from many non – Americans around the world.
I am not saying that you need to agree with our current President, but there is a way to disagree without looking like such a dope.
To carry Guns to Presidential events? how would you feel if 20 people showed up at one of President Reagans presidential events carrying a gun? hold that thought, what would happen if it was our most recent past President? Look, He had people tossed out for disagreeing with him, those that brought guns would be 6 feet under the jail!
The far right wingers think they are losing their civil liberties with President Obama… That is not going to happen, look at how much we did lose with President Bush! even our email’s was captured and scanned for key words.
The far right wingers worry about socialized health care… hold up a second on that one… How many of you far right wingers are on medicare, medicaid or have some other additional aid from the states? isn’t that socialized? Is it ok because you do not tell anyone that you are actually on it and get to pretend to be a rich right winger that does not need any help from your Government? I am in no way telling you that you do not need that help, but lets start being honest about the facts.
During the past election, I talked to many people about both Obama and McCain… I was often shocked to hear the poorest of them stating why it was better to have McCain and Palin in office than Obama… I would often ask them about their situation. Many did not want to admit to being in such terrible need for help. They didn’t want socialized anything… when I asked them if they would be willing to give up that social security check or that welfare check, Of course they could not do that. That was the little bit of liberal within them. Everyone has something different that makes them a bit liberal, something that makes them a bit conservative. I am in the middle and that is where I am staying. Do you know that I voted many time for Voinovich? Yes I certainly did, look at this “bleeding heart liberal” who voted for a Republican from Ohio! Grovewood Ohio… God bless you Mr Voinovich and your family.
I knew Mr Voinovich for years. My cousin was in his sons class, I knew about the dreadful accident that killed his daughter and I saw compassion in this man. I trusted Mr Voinovich and recently he is one of the few Republicans from Ohio who has said anything that is worth holding onto. Yes, Mr Voinovich is a man of honor as he has proven throughout his life.
I dislike idiots, people who ride on the coat tails of others and claim the ride as their own adventure and victory. I have seen those on both the Republican and Democratic side of the isle. I will never vote for an idiot and I have always tried not to. I still believe in our current President, I believe that President Obama is a good man. He has a very good family and yes I do believe that he cares deeply about all Americans, not just the blue side, but as he has said many times in the past – The Red, White and Blue, all Americans!
I do believe it is time for Health care reform. Lets work to get this done.
I have heard the talk of the far right wingers stating that Dr’s are going to have to put our elderly to death, because the Government is going to make that choice…
I lost my Mother almost 20 years ago to a genetic disease. During her final months, I was once told by a Dr that I could no longer bring her to the Emergency room for badly needed blood transfusions… You see, she was 67 and the insurance would not pay for it if she was taken there too often. I asked him how she was to get additional blood since she was bleeding very slowly internally and she had to be in the emergency room to get this blood.
This Dr told me she would either have to die or I would have to pay! I had a fit, Right there in the emergency room. I have never seen someone from the Patient relations office jump so fast. I called that hospital Murderers and told them that they had no right! I didn’t bring my mother back to that hospital ever again. but I was convinced that no one cared, well no one but my extended family and of course myself.
Soon after other things started getting taken away from her needs until she died just before Christmas of that year. Choked in her own fluids because no one could or would help her… The insurance company would no longer pay for this or that item and I would not be able to sue them or anyone because she was 67. You see, in the Insurance companies eyes, she was far too old and that care should go to someone younger who was able to rebound. I should just forget my love for my mother and let them kill her off! They did it, I was fighting hard for her when she died and it almost killed me.
Now you want to accuse someone of killing our elderly? our loved ones? Look to the mighty Insurance Companies and there you have the villians. It is not President Obama or any Democrat, they want affordable insurance for all, they want everyone to have good care and to be able to get the health services they need from their insurance company.
Lets get this health reform passed before I end up needing that same care that my mother needed. Only it will be worse for me, I will not have anyone there to fight for me like I did for my mother. Plus the many Insurance companies are well seasoned in their practices by now and know every angle to get around these little bumps in the road. Only true health care reform will make them change the way they do business.
It is time, Lets get Health Care reform passed.
I want to step in and stand up for Canada’s healthcare system. One of the things that I hate about this debate is that some are intent on tearing down the British and Canadian systems to make their point. It really makes me want to slap them because doing that is not offering a solution.
To start, I’m a Canadian going to school in Ohio. I currently have insurance from my university, although I’ve never used it. I don’t know the ins and the outs of the system here; what’s “in-network” and “preferred provider,” so I really hope I don’t ever have to use it. And with any luck, I won’t. Nobody that I go to school with complains about the insurance we have, so I’m assuming that it’s decent. But really, I have no idea.
I’ve had plenty of experience with the Canadian system, mostly in my home province of Nova Scotia. Nobody I know has ever been denied service, nor had to wait an outrageous amount of time for something. Actually, I lie – I sprained my foot at work in December 03 (I ran over it with a pallet jack) and waited in the ER the next day for 5 hours to get x-rays done because I was deemed (obviously) non-critical. Other times I’ve gone to the ER with an ear infection, I’ve had little wait, and when I was 13 (back in 93), I cut tendons in my arm thanks to a huge shard of glass from a broken window. No wait at all. That required surgery to repair the tendons, which I had two days later.
My grandmother was diagnosed with bulluous penphigoid (strange disease of the skin) in December of 07, and I was extremely impressed with how quickly she was sent to see a dermatologist, who put her on a regiment of steroids to lessen its effects.
My grandfather had his first stroke in 1983, and continued to have another almost every single year until he died in 1995. We had very little money (I was raised with my grandparents), so I’m quite positive that our health-care system managed to keep him alive for those 12 years.
On the other hand, my aunt waited two months to have surgery for her carpal-tunnel syndrome, and my uncle has waited a few months for shoulder-surgery. Neither was critical, however.
Canada’s system is single-payer, which does not mean that the government controls healthcare. Doctors do, and the government pays for it. All of us Canadians get a health card which we present for medical services, and that’s the extent of it.
The government has a list of services that it will cover, and every once in a while a new treatment or drug will come up that the government doesn’t cover. It’s usually added to the list fairly quickly, although there are sometimes delays. And yes, there is national outrage when the government won’t cover something.
Just an interesting aside about taxes – right now I make about the same amount of money I made in Canada when I was doing my MA (Ph.D. now) – roughly $12k. I pay more in taxes here than I did there. Tax rates in both countries are similar until you reach (I think) $100k, at which point Canada’s is higher. But that difference is diminishing as Canada cuts taxes on the back of 10 straight years of budget surpluses and a shrinking debt.
Now for my two questions.
1) The US has spent roughly $1 trillion dollars over the past 8 years on war. Health reform (with the public option) would cost $1 trillion over 10 years. War is worth it, but the health of citizens is not?
2) Canada spends 7% of health-care dollars on administration, whereas the US spends 30%. Why is that? What can the US learn from the Canadian system to get those admin fees down? It’s essentially wasted money, and that 23% difference could give everybody solid health-care. I really think that somewhere in here lies the compromise.
My post is not meant to trump up the Canadian system and say – “The US needs single payer!” I have no idea what the US needs – I’m not a citizen and I don’t even understand my own insurance. There are just a lot of Americans that I really care for, like Loralee here, and a old friend in Wisconsin, who’ve gotten the short-end of the health-care stick through because of big-cracks in the system that they fell through.
Dougie!
I love you.
When are you going to marry me have babies together?!
We’ve known each other for years now and you keep pussy-footing around this issue! Should it matter that you are gay and I am already married and have life threatening pregnancies? NO! NO, I SAY!!! OUR LOVE IS ENOUGH!!!!
Heh.
Hey, I know this is a serious topic and The White House is reading this, but “I just gots to be me” every so often.
;P
Great post. What a wonderful opportunity for you.
I would LOVE to have healthcare.
As a freelancer, I just can’t afford it!
Oh god, LL, I love you to death. NYC next summer! I can’t promise babies, but I can promise lots of pics, awkward comments and making an ass out of myself. Why, just yesterday I spilled a cheesecake on my carpet, and later, dried fruit on my guests.
You know you want some of that.
DOUGIE! NOT IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!
hehheheheh.
You’re my heart. For reals.
tony – not everyone in the united states believes in god, so the argument that a basic human right is given by god is flawed.
and as it is now, people are deciding whether they want to put food on the table or get much needed meds or services from their doctors.
And you in mine, LL.
I’m really looking forward to see what Jon has to say about all of this. It’s interesting that, in spite of everything, he’s holding steadfast. I think the reasoning why will echo with a lot of people, just as yours did.
MANY people are waiting for Jon’s post. (It will be up obscenely late Sunday/hideously early Monday)
Maybe it is because of where I live but I have a feel far more conservatives will come out and express their views on his post rather than mine as it is just human nature to be more open in friendly surroundings. My comments are overwhelmingly liberal.
Plus, I have a feeling that there will be many liberals from these comments that will jump in to respond.
Honestly…I think Monday is when the TRUE conversation, debate and challenge TO STAY CIVIL AND FOCUS ON IDEAS will occurr.
I may utterly disagree with my husband but I will go balls to the walls to defend him against people who cross the line. I know he will do the same for me.
We’re like that.
He just better NOT beat my commentemail number or I will be annoyed. (Not that I am petty and competative or anything.)
Damn Girl ;)
This gets better each and every time I hear or read it. Thank you for sharing your story with the world.
(And it’s so nice everyone can share their own stories right here next to yours, isn’t it?)
BEN I LOVE YOU SO FREAKING MUCH FOR FIXING MY POOR BROKEN BLOG.
My blog was eating comments. TONS of them.
If you tried to comment I apologize. I hope you will consider reposting.
???? ????????? ??????
I keep coming back to read the comments, and keep track of the discussion. I am Canadian, and don’t really have anything to offer to the debate, other than the comment that while our system does have some delays, and some people do opt to take advantage of private providers from time to time, the choice is just that, a choice. And their choice to go private means the person behind them in line gets in that much sooner. And sure, there are sometimes bad outcomes, but that’s life. There are bad outcomes in every system, sadly.
I have enjoyed your blog for a while now, Loralee, and I am so enjoying your new roar!! I am glad that you realize the strength and worth of your voice. :)
Oh, I tried to leave a comment before and it seems to have disappeared. Anyway, what I said before was that I am so happy you found your voice in that room because we all needed to hear it.
YAY! It looks like the comments got fixed.
I just want to say how proud I am of you, Loralee, for writing this post. Of course, you deserve all of the attention that you are getting. It is well earned. I hope more people see it.
So glad that your voice has been heard and that you can be the face of what so many of us are dealing with; I can’t think of a more perfect person to do so.
I’ve been up all night, each night, trying to figure out what we are going to do-we self-pay our insurance, and the rates are going up, again, with less coverage. We came to the conclusion that we are going to have to go without so that we can keep our house. Unbelievable. Still can’t process it.
I hope your words and your work will prove to be a voice of reason in this awful nightmare of a mess and help move along some sort of change–it’s so badly needed.
Much love and admiration, as always.
I am so sorry if anyone’s comment was eaten. My blog quasi exploded last night and it wasn’t processing them.
It should be fixed now.
We really need this healthcare reform. I had an experience today that has affected my day badly today. We relocated from a different state to Ga as ihave lost my job. My two kids got sick at the same time and because my husband healthcare has not kicked in for us i WAS REFUSED A HEALTHCARE FOR MY KIDS AT ONE OF THE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL CLINICS IN DULUTH GA. I wept bitterly as I was holding my younger child and holding my older one did not know where to go so the patient rep asked me to go to the gwinett health system. Is this the america that we live in that we care about money more than human beings. I migrated from an african country here, I thinkI will be better off if i go back as it will have been beter for me and they would not have treated me that way
I wonder if we used different terminology in this debate, if there would be a difference in the openness to ideas from all groups.
As I was reading, I saw someone write that they pay $30,000 a year to an insurance company. Let’s say that over the next 5 years, all they do is visit their doctor for an annual physical. Let’s day each visit is $300 (being very generous) including tests etc… This means the insurance company pockets $150,000 dollars a year minus $6000 in office visits, or $144,000. Now, where does that money go? To annuities and Wall Street. AIG, a major insurance company (they insure insurance companies so there is cash on hand to pay out when there are large health expenses) was in financial difficulties for using that money for risky investments and large bonuses. The result? Huge financial losses which insurance companies must now account for when they have to pay out claims. So what do they do? Make payments for health claims difficult so they can “cut costs.” Make no mistake. Large, for profit health insurance companies have a profit motive.
Now, in the financial world, we have the SEC to make sure that there is fair trading in stocks. The federal government uses savings bonds and other devices such as setting interest rates with banks to help make sure we have safe banking. When a FDIC insured bank fails, the depositor will get up to $100,000 per account back. Is this socialism? Or is it just the government acting the way we want it to by insuring you don’t go bankrupt, protecting the little guy from the unethical business practices? Why can’t we do the same thing with healthcare, ensuring that all people will be protected against unethical practices and have access to safe healthcare industry practices?
Our insurance was wonderful until it went from non-profit to for profit status. The rates doubled. We lost many of our rights in terms of who we can see, what medications we can take, which tests will be covered or not covered. If we look at the government option or a coop option as a non-profit option that anyone in the US can buy into, then we will know there is at least one option in which the driving force of decisions is not profit but rather healthcare. I am sure many conservatives would agree that we don’t want a run away system without any oversight as happened with Wall Street. Why not create something now that will put people first?
Beautifully written, Loralee and very entertaining. As an outsider (Australian), I am constantly amazed at the latitude given to big business in the US – at how bad things have to get before government intervention becomes essential. The global financial crisis is just another symptom of this same illness.
(I posted this on another site, but decided to share it here because it fits in so well with the conversation.)
Here is a very fair look at different health care systems around the world and the myths surrounding them…for example, it’s a myth oft repeated that we’re the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have a public health care system. It’s also true there is a lot that needs to be fixed here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html
If you’d like to know why I don’t think a public option is a good idea in our country, here’s one perfect example (ignore inflammatory title and instead just watch the clip from CNN): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCbwde1iRLQ
Until lobbyists and special interest groups wield less power, we’d be essentially turning over our health care to other private, for-profit entities and calling it “public option.”
What we need is an overhauling of insurance industry: no more rescission departments, no more screening for pre-existing conditions, remove federal ban on interstate health care purchases, tort reform. For a start.
While I disagree that we need THIS BILL RIGHT NOW as some are want to chant, healthcare certainly does need reformation. Like I’ve said in private conversations with the author (that’s right suckers, I’m tight like that with HRH) unless tort reform is front and center, there is no true reform. There’s government monopolization, but not true reform. We have a wonderful standard of care in the US, it’s the costs that grow exponentially that is crippling. Serious, well planned tort reform is the answer to lower (dramatically lower) health care costs.
Like many in Congress, I have NOT read this bill. However, the fact that the WH refuses to even discuss tort reform should be a clarion call to the independents to pay attention and hold on to their ideals because a parade of purely partisan political ploys is headed their way (who doesn’t love alliteration!?) How many minority amendments have been attached to this bill? This is not a negotiated bill, this is a bill written by a party that has at will cloture in both houses.
Regardless of where you stand on socialized healthcare, level headed people from both ends of the spectrum can agree that once we open the door to government control of healthcare, that’s it! It can’t be undone. Just like social security or welfare, these things NEVER GO AWAY even if they don’t work. There is no crisis that requires sweeping definitive action within weeks. This issue requires thought, debate, and careful study. It’s the last issue that one should pull the trigger THEN aim on. Your life may depend on it!
To LL,
Congrats on the success of your blog and the notoriety! I wish you all the success in the world. Oh, and if Joe Klein from Time magazine calls, don’t curse him out and hang up on him! Sheesh! Some people’s children….
Here’s Charles Krauthammer’s POV. He’s a Harvard Medical school trained shrink and a Pulitzer winning syndicated columnist. In other words, I imagine he’s prolly the “smartest guy in the room” the majority of the time…
Oh, and he worked for Carter and wrote speeches for Mondale before anyone calls him a neo-con (whatever that means!)
http://townhall.com/columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2009/08/07/health_care_reform_a_better_plan?page=full&comments=true
LL, I’ve commented twice on your entry so don’t beeyotch if I post once on the hubby’s.
K.B., it’s a shame that article is on such a deeply partisan site, because most people will never read it.
I did, and for the most part, it’s a good start.
I would be loath to blame the current situation completely on Democrats, however. The Republican rhetoric on this issue is deafening, and as much as you believe that the Democrats don’t want to negotiate, from my POV, the other side (and their media allies) are intentionally sabotaging the debate just as much or worse. The whole “death panels” thing was absolutely ridiculous, and it gained all too much traction.
But you’re right – there’s no crisis that requires sweeping legislation within weeks. The problem with that is that this has been a debate going on since 1993 – 16 years. Do we have to wait until 2025 to achieve a resolution?
Thank you for the link, BTW.
KB-
You commented! With everything going on tomorrow! Wow, I feel honored, fly-boy!!!
Since I am hugely busy helping Jon edit his post, I will be short but I absolutely wanted to say thank you for peeping up.
Also? It was really great talking with you. There is nothing like nostalgia and talking things out. (And the laughing. Musn’t forget that.)
-Peg. **Couldn’t help it. ;P
P.S. I’m so going to read the Count of Monte Cristo again. Your fault. Heh.
[...] post that got me invited to The White House The title of this is way too long. Click and you’ll see what I mean. Oh, and you might as well click this as well. When a Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President [...]
Totally don’t like Obama. Don’t like what he stands for or what he’s promoting. I don’t want Government-run healthcare.
But,
Do you get the feeling that he is the first president who GETS IT that the internet is the REAL way to get in touch with the masses? That it’s not just teenagers on cell phones who are twittering each other and reading blogs? It’s real, live, breathing VOTERS?
I don’t like him, but I think he has some very smart people working for him.
Sorry, in all that, I forgot to say, congrats on getting featured on the White House blog page! That is awesome.
And, if you ever felt that what you do is insignificant, well sorry sweetie but now that is just shot out of the water! :-)
YOU ARE A VOICE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
Dedicated to The Honorable Barack Hussein Obama
Our New President
I have the greatest admiration for a man I’ve never met.
God sent this man into our lives, and we shall n’er forget,
That God believes and we agree, this man comes with a creed.
He’s been preparing his entire life to fill our Nation’s need!
He won the post to lead us all, he fought a valiant fight.
When others failed, he prevailed, and now he has the right,
To call the “shots” and make the plans, for all that he must do.
His courage is invincible, it’s “steely” through and through!
There are those who felt that he, could never pass the test.
Who could not walk where he has trod, and could not be the best.
But with God’s help and prayers beside, his life an open book,
He stepped in front and led the race, oh what a trip he took!
Today he’ll take that solemn oath, with vows to serve us well,
With hand upon the Bible, his faith to show and tell.
Then he’ll make his speech, to all nations far and wide,
And every single citizen, he’ll fill us all with pride!
Barack Obama looks to God, for strength to stay the course.
With much to do, so little time, he goes right to the source.
He never fails to ask for help, gives credit where it’s due,
He’s now our newest President, he’ll serve both me and you!
Thank You God for being there, when we’re in need of prayer.
While the world looks on and their leaders are all aware,
They all will hear the sound of bells as our sweet “freedoms” ring,
And also our new President begins to do his thing!
Copyright January 20, 2009
Jacob Nathaniel Shepherd
Health Reform: Throwing Good Money After the Bad
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Read More: Barack Obama, Dr. Marcia Angell, Health Care, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Healthcare, Healthcare Reform, Marcia Angell, Massachusetts Health Care, Massachusetts Health Care Reform, Massachusetts Health Reform, Medicare, Obama Health Care, Obama Healthcare, Universal Health Care, Politics News
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Comments
It’s not just the right-wing crazies who oppose health reform. In addition, there are many sane Americans who worry about committing a trillion dollars to it. They have a point. We already spend more than twice as much per person on health care as other advanced countries, and our costs are rising faster. How much is enough?
Make no mistake, sky-high and rapidly rising costs are the core problem. If money were no object, it would be easy to provide full care for everyone. But even a perfectly designed system will fail if it is unaffordable, or rapidly becomes so.
So it’s crucial to ask just why we are spending so much more than other countries. Where is all that money going? Yet, that question is seldom asked in the current debate, even though it’s not logical to try to fix something without understanding why it’s broken.
In the trenchant words of Deep Throat, let’s follow the money. This year we will spend roughly $2.5 trillion on health care. Although about half that money comes from federal and state governments, most of the total is funneled to private insurers and entrepreneurial providers. Alone among advanced countries, we treat health care like a market commodity to be distributed according to the ability to pay, not like a social service to be distributed according to medical need.
For nearly two-thirds of Americans, we rely on hundreds of private insurance companies to set prices and benefits and pay providers. They profit by refusing to cover the sickest patients and limiting services to others. In fact, we have the only health system in the world based on avoiding sick people. Insurers cream 15 to 25 percent off the top of the premium dollar for profits and overhead (mainly underwriting) before paying providers.
Providers themselves have high billing and collecting expenses to deal with the Byzantine requirements of multiple insurers. The innumerable health facilities, both for-profit and nonprofit, also have high overhead expenses to cover their business costs, executive salaries, and the promotion of their profitable services. Altogether, overhead accounts for at least 30 percent of our health bill. If we spent the same percentage on overhead as Canada, we would save about $400 billion this year.
Our method of delivering care is no better than our method of paying for it. We provide much of it in investor-owned health facilities that profit by providing too many services for the well-insured and too few for those who cannot pay. Most doctors are paid on a piecework basis — that is, fee-for-service — which gives them a similar incentive to provide too many services for the well-insured. That is particularly true of specialists who receive very high fees for expensive tests and procedures (like cardiac angiography and MRI’s).
Not surprisingly, our ratio of specialists to primary care providers is much higher than in other countries. There is no way to know exactly how much money is wasted in medically unnecessary tests and procedures, but it is probably on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Many people point to technology as a cause of our high health costs, but the culprit is not technology per se (all advanced countries have the same technologies), but the flagrant overuse of it for financial gain.
In sum, the answer to the question, “Where is all that money going?” is that much of it is diverted to profits and overhead, and to exorbitantly priced and medically unnecessary tests and procedures. Any reform that has a prayer of containing costs, hence being sustainable, must deal with these two massive drains.
Yet, most reform proposals would leave the present profit-driven and inflationary system essentially unchanged, and simply pour more money into it.
That’s what is happening in Massachusetts, where we have nearly universal health insurance, but costs are growing so rapidly that its long-term prospects are bleak unless we drastically cut benefits and greatly increase deductibles and co-payments, or change the system. We’re learning that health insurance is not the same thing as health care; it may be too limited in what it covers or too expensive to actually use. It is ironic that the President is said to have looked to Massachusetts as a model for national reform, even though the state has the highest health costs on the planet.
To control costs, the President is pinning a lot on electronic records, disease management, preventive care, and comparative effectiveness studies. But while these initiatives may improve care, they’re unlikely to save much money because they don’t deal with the underlying problem — a system based on maximizing income, not maximizing health. Promises by for-profit insurers and providers to mend their ways voluntarily are simply not credible. Regulation of the present system is also unlikely to modify profit-seeking behavior very much, without a bureaucracy so large that it would create more problems than it solves.
Nearly every other advanced country has a largely nonprofit national health system that guarantees universal care. Even countries with private insurers, like Switzerland and the Netherlands, require uniform prices and benefits and limit profits. Not only are expenditures much lower in other advanced countries, but health outcomes are generally better. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, they offer on average more basic services, not fewer — more doctor visits and longer hospital stays, and they have more doctors and nurses and hospital beds. But they don’t do nearly as many tests and procedures, because there is little financial incentive to do so.
It’s true that there are waits for some elective procedures in some of these countries, such as the U. K. and Canada (although hardly the long lines of desperately ill patients depicted by the Republicans). But that’s because they spend far less on health care than we do. If they were to put the same amount of money into their systems as we do into ours, there would be no waits. For them, the problem is not the system; it’s the money. For us, it’s not the money; it’s the system. We already spend more than enough.
Judging by the current debate, it would seem that Americans think they have nothing to learn from other countries, or perhaps that we are all alone in the world. Still, we might be willing to learn from parts of our system that are similar to systems in other countries. Medicare is a single-payer program very much like the Canadian national health insurance system. (Some of the more vociferous town hall meeting protesters seemed not even to know that Medicare is a government program.) The Veterans Health System is a socialized program very much like the U.K.’s national health service. Both deliver better care at lower prices than our private system.
I believe our best bet now would be to extend Medicare gradually to the rest of the population. We could begin by lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 55, then after a few years, drop it to 45, and so on. Medicare is the most popular part of our health system; unlike private insurers, it offers free choice of doctors, it covers all eligible beneficiaries for a uniform package of benefits, regardless of medical history or how much care is needed, and it cannot be taken away by job loss or illness.
But it would need some changes. Its costs are rising almost as fast as those in the private sector, despite the fact that its overhead is much lower, because it uses the same profit-oriented providers. If Medicare were extended to everyone, it should be in a nonprofit delivery system. In addition, fees would have to be adjusted to reward primary care doctors more and specialists less, or better yet, doctors should be salaried. There is now a bill in Congress that calls for exactly that — H.R. 676 (”Expanded and Improved Medicare for All”), which was introduced by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and has many co-sponsors. Unfortunately, given the power of the health industry lobbies, it’s unlikely to make it out of committee without strong public pressure.
In economic terms, health care is a highly successful industry — profitable, growing, and virtually recession-proof — but it’s a massive burden on the rest of the economy. I’m aware that phasing out private insurers would mean a loss of jobs. But I believe the job loss in that sector would be more than offset by job gains in the rest of the economy, which would no longer be saddled with the exorbitant costs of an industry that offers very little of value to justify its existence.
One thing is certain: We need a complete overhaul of our health system. Tinkering at the edges won’t do it. Expanding coverage through government subsidies and mandates, as advocated by the president, won’t either. Besides being a windfall for insurers and drug companies, that approach will just add to our soaring costs and be a temporary fix, at best. In my opinion, it makes no sense to throw good money after bad.
Marcia Angell, M. D., is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She was the first woman to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, a post she stepped down from in June of 2000. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed book, Science on Trial: The Clash of Medical Evidence and the Law in the Breast Implant Case, as well as The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It.
The botton line is it does not make a difference if the government pays or a private party pays. In the end the public pays.
We need to look at medical care as a social service and pay medical providers like social service workers. Japan pays 8% of GDP for medical care and the USA pays 28% )(CNN) Our only hope is to get medical cost down to what the rest of the world is paying. Start with tort reform and set up a single payment system as is done in Japan. Again who pays is less important than how much is paid.
Great post, and I like the civil tone that this discussion has taken. All of the screaming over this issue is really tiresome.
A couple of points. The first is that to date there isn’t “a” health care bill. There are several bills that have come from various committees in the House and Senate. None of these are final of course. The final bills produced by the House & Senate may look quite different from the committee bills after everyone gets done compromising.
The second thing I would like to add is that I live in Texas, and we have had tort reform since 2003. It has not done a thing to lower consumers’ medical bills. From what I understand it has increased the number of doctors in the state, which may lead to improved access to doctors. This is a laudable goal, especially in rural areas, but it has not resulted in reduced costs for consumers.
Another effect of tort reform that I have heard about is that some doctors have used the money saved on malpractice insurance to purchase new/improved equipment or invest in new, more expensive treatments or techniques. Again, this could possibly benefit some patients and/or result in better treatments or outcomes for some, but it has not translated to reduced costs for consumers.
@JC thank you for the kind comment. I am beyond thrilled that this has remained a civil conversation.
I am for tort reform but I firmly believe that it must be coupled with insurance reform to succeed. On its own it will be impotant and fail.
(reposting my comment from the end of Jon’s post. sorry, am too tired to write a new one.)
I was so interested to read your ideas about health care in this country, and I’m glad that you wrote so much. I would like my cookie, now, please.
Thank you for your point about tort reform, which I had not considered before. I will definitely look into this aspect of reform; I think that what you write makes sense. Certainly the litigiousness of American society amplifies the cost of what is necessary care.
The point about profit being an impetus for development in medical technology made me think of a documentary I saw last year, called “Sick Around the World”. Loralee has asked me to link to the PBS page:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
You can watch it online, but if you don’t want to sit through the whole thing, then the last “chapter”, about Switzerland, is the relevant part here.
It is made clear that before Switzerland switched over to a public option from a health-care system that resembled the USA’s, people