Are You Scared and If Not Why?
I am.
I'm scared shitless (shitless is also a side effect of Transverse Myelitis (TM) & Multiple Sclerosis (MS), as well as
many other neuro, autoimmune, and chronic illnesses, and/or it can be caused by or exacerbated by the meds we take) for
the day I lose my health benefits.
What insurance company will insure a sick person? And at what cost?
Click Obama for his thoughts on the progress of the health care reform bill.
If you're sick, best option: DIE.
Years ago, after I was hit by a car and I tried to get health insurance, I was turned down over and over again. I
wasn't even given the opportunity to pay exorbitant fees, which, as a young professional dancer (i.e., gives new meaning to
the phrase "limited income") busting my ass teaching, waitressing, performing, and going to coll ege, I wouldn't have been
able to afford anyway.
This is why we have to take action, speak up, sign petitions, write letters, inform friends, family, and neighbors of the
importance of health insurance for all. This is why we should all look to the organization,
Health Care for America Now (HCAN), and join them in lobbying for universal health care.
Take action with easy links on their Web site.
Become a fan on Facebook, then invite your friends to become fans too.
HCAN isn't just for people with chronic illnesses, but since this is a site dedicated to that topic, here's what they have to say
about it:
People with chronic diseases
HCAN is advocating for reforms that will require all insurers to provide standard, comprehensive health care benefits that
meet your needs from preventive to chronic care management services. The plan will have low out-of-pocket costs (like
co-pays) so you can afford to get the medical care you need at any time.
The public health insurance option will allow patients to choose their doctor and hospital. Additionally, insurance
companies will be required to cover pre-existing conditions so everyone regardless of health status or history can get
comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums.
Socialized medicine - universal health care - is an absolute must have.
"It's [universal health care] long overdue. There has to be some sort of centralized universal health care available to every
citizen in this country. Canada does it and it works," says Iya Garrett, R.N. (and one of my nurses).
Whether you're sick today, tomorrow, or in your (hopefully) golden years, access to affordable health care is a human right,
but in our country it's a privilege. Anyone without insurance is a victim of a selfish society.
We even have a president that supports this.
And a cell phone company.
And believe it or not, Walmart.
How many of you are victims today? How many of you have ever been victims of our live-to-work-to-get-health-insurance
society?
I abhor being a victim, especially to multi-billion-dollar corporations. And I refuse to allow its gated castle nether-world to
rule over my health, lack there of, or death. I'm definitely no know-it-all, but I've been a victim of the corruption pandemic
that plagues people with rare diseases, or just plain-old healthy insurance carriers.
Help me. Help me find new ways to guarantee that within this year or next, there isn't one person with the basic human right
of access to health care.
OH MY OH MY, THE SENATE PASSES HEALTH BILL...SO WHAT?
Yeah, Obama's doing a great job pushing and pushing and pushing his (and my) healthcare reform agenda. But, lawmakers
are still divided whether there should be a new government-run insurance scheme.
Socialism? Oh, my! You mean we have to split human rights evenly? Won't that ruin my capitalist agenda? Social
responsibility? What the f**k does that have to do with my landscape-groomed-3000+ square foot home-lifestyle? says the
capitalist, suburban, wealthy republican (sans republican Senator Olympia Snowe).
Note: above super duper unnecessarily long link will take you to a video.
According to Paul Adams,
a BBC News Correspondent based in Washington,
"on the long, tortuous road towards reform of America's healthcare system, this was a decisive moment. Several
members of the Senate Finance Committee called the vote historic. The Washington Post this morning reported that not
since Theodore Roosevelt proposed universal healthcare in 1912 has any such bill come this far. After months of debate, the
committee's chairman, Max Baucus, looked delighted and relieved.
In the end, those in favour of the bill won comfortably. This was due in part to a Democratic majority, but also to the
support of Senator Olympia Snowe, who became the first Republican to back any of the bills proposed this year.
But this is not the end of the process. There are many more legislative hurdles to overcome before it becomes law. In the
meantime, debate will continue to rage."
Let's channel our rage to win the debate. What do you think?
I am.
I'm scared shitless (shitless is also a side effect of Transverse Myelitis (TM) & Multiple Sclerosis (MS), as well as
many other neuro, autoimmune, and chronic illnesses, and/or it can be caused by or exacerbated by the meds we take) for
the day I lose my health benefits.
What insurance company will insure a sick person? And at what cost?
Click Obama for his thoughts on the progress of the health care reform bill.
If you're sick, best option: DIE.
Years ago, after I was hit by a car and I tried to get health insurance, I was turned down over and over again. I
wasn't even given the opportunity to pay exorbitant fees, which, as a young professional dancer (i.e., gives new meaning to
the phrase "limited income") busting my ass teaching, waitressing, performing, and going to coll ege, I wouldn't have been
able to afford anyway.
This is why we have to take action, speak up, sign petitions, write letters, inform friends, family, and neighbors of the
importance of health insurance for all. This is why we should all look to the organization,
Health Care for America Now (HCAN), and join them in lobbying for universal health care.
Take action with easy links on their Web site.
Become a fan on Facebook, then invite your friends to become fans too.
HCAN isn't just for people with chronic illnesses, but since this is a site dedicated to that topic, here's what they have to say
about it:
People with chronic diseases
HCAN is advocating for reforms that will require all insurers to provide standard, comprehensive health care benefits that
meet your needs from preventive to chronic care management services. The plan will have low out-of-pocket costs (like
co-pays) so you can afford to get the medical care you need at any time.
The public health insurance option will allow patients to choose their doctor and hospital. Additionally, insurance
companies will be required to cover pre-existing conditions so everyone regardless of health status or history can get
comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums.
Socialized medicine - universal health care - is an absolute must have.
"It's [universal health care] long overdue. There has to be some sort of centralized universal health care available to every
citizen in this country. Canada does it and it works," says Iya Garrett, R.N. (and one of my nurses).
Whether you're sick today, tomorrow, or in your (hopefully) golden years, access to affordable health care is a human right,
but in our country it's a privilege. Anyone without insurance is a victim of a selfish society.
We even have a president that supports this.
And a cell phone company.
And believe it or not, Walmart.
How many of you are victims today? How many of you have ever been victims of our live-to-work-to-get-health-insurance
society?
I abhor being a victim, especially to multi-billion-dollar corporations. And I refuse to allow its gated castle nether-world to
rule over my health, lack there of, or death. I'm definitely no know-it-all, but I've been a victim of the corruption pandemic
that plagues people with rare diseases, or just plain-old healthy insurance carriers.
Help me. Help me find new ways to guarantee that within this year or next, there isn't one person with the basic human right
of access to health care.
OH MY OH MY, THE SENATE PASSES HEALTH BILL...SO WHAT?
Yeah, Obama's doing a great job pushing and pushing and pushing his (and my) healthcare reform agenda. But, lawmakers
are still divided whether there should be a new government-run insurance scheme.
Socialism? Oh, my! You mean we have to split human rights evenly? Won't that ruin my capitalist agenda? Social
responsibility? What the f**k does that have to do with my landscape-groomed-3000+ square foot home-lifestyle? says the
capitalist, suburban, wealthy republican (sans republican Senator Olympia Snowe).
Note: above super duper unnecessarily long link will take you to a video.
According to Paul Adams,
a BBC News Correspondent based in Washington,
"on the long, tortuous road towards reform of America's healthcare system, this was a decisive moment. Several
members of the Senate Finance Committee called the vote historic. The Washington Post this morning reported that not
since Theodore Roosevelt proposed universal healthcare in 1912 has any such bill come this far. After months of debate, the
committee's chairman, Max Baucus, looked delighted and relieved.
In the end, those in favour of the bill won comfortably. This was due in part to a Democratic majority, but also to the
support of Senator Olympia Snowe, who became the first Republican to back any of the bills proposed this year.
But this is not the end of the process. There are many more legislative hurdles to overcome before it becomes law. In the
meantime, debate will continue to rage."
Let's channel our rage to win the debate. What do you think?
Obama Considers Extending COBRA Policy…and Other
Med/Health Care Ramblings
By Melanie Miller
THE PLIGHT OF THE JOBLESS SICKO
For those of us that became sickos, were then fired from our jobs for "incompetence due to your illness" or simply laid off
(perhaps you were the first target too), are now living off of Disability, and spending some of that on COBRA (thanks to
the subsidy), barely getting by with multitudinous doctor and medicine copays, dreading the day the subsidy ends, and
scared, strained, and stressed for the impending, unavoidable date that COBRA ends and the months or years that rest in
between COBRA and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)....read this article from Workforce Management.
According to the article Obama Considers Extending COBRA Subsidy, "The administration is considering whether to seek an
extension of a federal law that subsidizes COBRA health insurance premiums for workers who are involuntarily laid off." To
read the entire article click on the title of this post.
Let's gather forces, get informed, and make this happen - not just in our lifetime, but in the now-time.
From the BBC:
So what are the problems with the US system?
Healthcare costs for individuals are rising dramatically.
Premiums for employer-provided schemes have risen four times faster
than wages, and are now double their cost nine years ago.
The percentage of employees with an annual deductible greater than $1,000
increased from 1% to 18% between 2000 and 2008.
As a nation, the US spent some $2.2tn (£1.34tn) on healthcare in 2007. That amounts to 16.2% of GDP, nearly twice the
average of other OECD countries"
Med/Health Care Ramblings
By Melanie Miller
THE PLIGHT OF THE JOBLESS SICKO
For those of us that became sickos, were then fired from our jobs for "incompetence due to your illness" or simply laid off
(perhaps you were the first target too), are now living off of Disability, and spending some of that on COBRA (thanks to
the subsidy), barely getting by with multitudinous doctor and medicine copays, dreading the day the subsidy ends, and
scared, strained, and stressed for the impending, unavoidable date that COBRA ends and the months or years that rest in
between COBRA and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)....read this article from Workforce Management.
According to the article Obama Considers Extending COBRA Subsidy, "The administration is considering whether to seek an
extension of a federal law that subsidizes COBRA health insurance premiums for workers who are involuntarily laid off." To
read the entire article click on the title of this post.
Let's gather forces, get informed, and make this happen - not just in our lifetime, but in the now-time.
From the BBC:
So what are the problems with the US system?
Healthcare costs for individuals are rising dramatically.
Premiums for employer-provided schemes have risen four times faster
than wages, and are now double their cost nine years ago.
The percentage of employees with an annual deductible greater than $1,000
increased from 1% to 18% between 2000 and 2008.
As a nation, the US spent some $2.2tn (£1.34tn) on healthcare in 2007. That amounts to 16.2% of GDP, nearly twice the
average of other OECD countries"
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The New York Optimist |
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| "Melanie Miller" |
Staff Writer, Melanie Miller, is a former multimedia choreographer/dancer
and Naropa University MFA candidate who smiles way too much. She turned
to painting, blogging, journalism, & playwriting in ‘08 while battling Transverse
Myelitis, a rare & debilitating neurological disorder that’s turned her into a badass-
cane-walking disabilities & rare disease advocate and full-time sicko. She’s thrilled
to be able to share this passion with the readers of the New York Optimist, and
hopes her conviction and attitude positively affects her readers. Conversely, Mel’s
an illogical idealist on steroids and lots of other drugs, and she’s never afraid to
piss someone off, fight for her life (long story), expose her breasts when medically
necessary, or admit that she’s left of left.
Her poems, prose, articles, and artwork have appeared or are forthcoming in
Broken Pencil, Main Street Rag, Guilty as Charged, Watching the Wheels: A
Blackbird, and other funky print journals and online mags. A born activist, Mel is a
member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF),
serving on local and national committees. She lives in Philadelphia with a Mac
laptop, too many books to fit in her ginormous bookshelf, a perfect view of New
Jersey, a refrigerator full of meds worth 30K, and two of the sweetest cats you’ll
never meet - also worth 30K.
Check her out at neurodetour.com and bodiverse.blogspot.com.
and Naropa University MFA candidate who smiles way too much. She turned
to painting, blogging, journalism, & playwriting in ‘08 while battling Transverse
Myelitis, a rare & debilitating neurological disorder that’s turned her into a badass-
cane-walking disabilities & rare disease advocate and full-time sicko. She’s thrilled
to be able to share this passion with the readers of the New York Optimist, and
hopes her conviction and attitude positively affects her readers. Conversely, Mel’s
an illogical idealist on steroids and lots of other drugs, and she’s never afraid to
piss someone off, fight for her life (long story), expose her breasts when medically
necessary, or admit that she’s left of left.
Her poems, prose, articles, and artwork have appeared or are forthcoming in
Broken Pencil, Main Street Rag, Guilty as Charged, Watching the Wheels: A
Blackbird, and other funky print journals and online mags. A born activist, Mel is a
member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF),
serving on local and national committees. She lives in Philadelphia with a Mac
laptop, too many books to fit in her ginormous bookshelf, a perfect view of New
Jersey, a refrigerator full of meds worth 30K, and two of the sweetest cats you’ll
never meet - also worth 30K.
Check her out at neurodetour.com and bodiverse.blogspot.com.