Hopeful about Obamacare and America, 2/13/14

Hopeful about Obamacare and America, 2/13/14

I am thankful that people with pre-existing conditions can get medical insurance.  Thank you for caring America.   I would be one of those people, but I married into healthcare since my lady was a professor.  My daughter is one of those people.  Thanks again for caring, America. 

I am very grateful that Obamacare changed the rules that allows one’s children to stay on the parent’s policy until 26.  My daughter, Olesia, would either not be alive, or I would be bankrupt at this point in time, or perhaps, we could have gotten her on Medicaid if we lived in the right state?  She takes one medicine, Abilify that costs over $1 K a month, plus about 13 other medicines at last count.  She has been to ER, hospitals, doctors, etc. more in the last couple of years that I have probably been in my lifetime, although I am starting to catch-up as stress wears me down.  Admittedly, some of her poor health has been her own fault.  She tried cigarettes for two years - yes not smart for someone that has asthma.  And, she lived for too long in an apartment that we suspect has mold. 

The apartment flooded often because the landlord has a washing machine which requires the hose to be stuck out the window, otherwise it flooded her apartment.  You can guess how that worked out with four young adults using the machines.  Her lung problems became very severe during her year stay in this apartment. 

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In a year, Olesia will be allowed to buy health insurance (yea, probably with my help) under Obamacare even with pre-existing conditions -- assuming we are successful dealing with the mold issue.  Or perhaps, if she marries, her husband’s company may offer some insurance, or not.   Her fate would be much less certain without Obamacare - thank you America for caring.

As an agnostic, I really do believe I am my brother’s keeper.  This belief is not widely held in America where our wealth inequality is now equal to China’s with theirs improving while ours continues to decline.  Obamacare is a very small step in the direction of less wealth inequality in America.  A more generous minimum wage or living wage would also be in the direction of less wealth inequality in America, but that is not going to happen in conservative / religious America where both taxing the wealthy and extending unemployment benefits is unpopular.  Our actions say we like our wealth inequality in America, in China their actions say the opposite. I’m sure Fox News is about to have a breaking news story on this conundrum of conservative politics.

Of course, Obamacare needs improvement.  In States where Medicaid has not been extended if you make less than $11K per year, like my brother in Texas, then you are screwed.  ER is your only health option, and then only if you pledge to make payments on your $1K per day bill in ER.   My brother had a blood clot in his leg, ER gave him a prescription to get shots for $500.  They said he needed them or he would probably die.  I guess that is a new way of not taking care of people even in the ER.  I used to be proud to be a Texan.  So, again we say with our actions the poor don’t deserve help even when their life is on the line.

I look at Obamacare and think it is first step toward us being a kinder America. Then I look at the Republicans in the House passing bills to repeal it like 50 times knowing the Senate would not go along.  I guess that is why they get the big bucks, pensions, good health plans, etc.  Who would have thought that passing a bill over and over was a way to earn your salary. It is not that I think the democrats are saints and reached out to the republicans in trying to craft something that would work well - they didn’t, it was just power politics.  Perhaps democrats need to look at our much Clinton got down when the Republicans controlled congress.

But, I digress. I just want to be a part of a country like I witnessed in Australia where the greater majority thought of themselves as their brother’s keeper.  How to pull that off effectively admittedly is a challenge, but the road we are going down which increasingly is screw-you, we-are-sure-you-deserve-where-you-are-attitude doesn’t cut it for me.The Cherokee blood in me believes I need to walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins before I judge them.  What I stole from Christianity, that I am my brother’s keeper,  says thanks for those Americans that believe all humans deserve basic medical care and then provided a mechanism in Obamacare to put some actions behind the the words.