(i couldn't get the video to embed, so please click here.)
obviously, health care is close to my heart (duh, this entire blog is dedicated to it), but it's not just for personal reasons. yes, having had recent years of medical trauma is part of it and most likely spurred it. i'd like to believe i would be as passionate without all that drama. regardless, it has served as a platform to realizing how precious health care really is, and how privileged those are who have access to it. and i use the words precious and privilege specifically, because the basic concept of medical insurance is quickly losing its place as a norm in the life of your average Joe. most likely, you or someone in your close family is without health insurance. for any of you that have ever been on the receiving end of medical care, for treatment as minor as a bad migraine to as major as open heart surgery, the thought of NOT having an option to get help is quite frankly terrifying. as i watched the endless line of people snaking through the parking lot, my heart really went out to them. some of them had not seen a doctor in 5, 10, even 20 years- even though they were living with previously diagnosed conditions that had gone entirely untreated. at the end of the weekend, RAM had to turn away over 400 people. people that had stood in line for hours in the bitter winter cold just for a chance to possibly see a doctor. but here's the kicker- these hundreds are only a fraction of the over 42 million Americans who are uninsured (and we're not including those who are under insured- which can come with such high restrictions that it can mirror being uninsured altogether.)
i will be the first to say that i do not know what the answer is. i know the reasons why (rising cost of private insurance, bad economy, loss of employment, etc.) but that's where i reach a dead end. smarter men (& women) than i have surely tried to address it, not just in America but on a global scale. but the thing is, you should never have to choose between your rent, and your health, or the health of your children. especially not in a prospering, wealthy, and resource-rich country like ours.
people like Stan, and the hundreds of nameless volunteers, are literally lifesavers, and i am beyond thankful that they so freely give up their time, money, and skill to help. it makes me a little less scared about the future of health care in this country, a reminder of the human spirit and general goodwill of others. it also makes me count my blessings that i am dealing with a disease within an incredibly generous circle of supportive friends & family.
sometimes i wish that i could be more like a Stan Brock- i believe that i equal him on a passion level, but on the action side, he well exceeds even my greatest efforts. i honestly do have these debates with myself- where can i fit in? how can i help? the problems seem so big, so overwhelming, so insurmountable. so i turn to what i have always turned to in questions of direction, and that's education- not exclusively in an academic setting, but more of a life setting. you know that smarmy cliche about how knowledge is power? it seems so simple, doesn't it. but it's true. my thinking is that if i can educate myself about the problems facing people as far away as Africa to as nearby as Altoona, then i can educate others in turn. and hopefully, that cycle continues. sometimes i get so wrapped up in myself that i can't see further than my own challenges. it's stories like Stan Brock's that thankfully jolt me back to reality. i know it sounds a bit cheesy, but i can only pray that one day i'll be able to be more hands on, and actually make a direct difference...
my biggest hope of this posting would be that you are motivated to seek out opportunities and venues to help people in need of medical care, whether it is through RAM , or your own church, neighborhood, school, and workplace. but i do have a few other hopes as well. i hope that you keep health care in mind at the ballot box as you make your choice for a presidential candidate. who has experience with it? who has the guts to make the radical changes necessary? who has a plan that is high on their priority list?
i hope that you take this moment to become more educated about your own health care resources- what's covered, what isn't, why not. for example, at one of my earlier agency jobs, i chose the free HMO plan offered by my employer. why? well, why not? i was young, making no money, and naively healthy (and would rather spend the $50/mo on shoes or wine.) but then i was diagnosed with MS. unfortunately those 3" stiletto heels weren't going to pay for required visits to specialists, or exchanged for the $100+/mo costs in prescriptions. i could switch to a PPO with access the recommended doctors outside my network, but the insurance company had strict rules on when you could change your policy. those 6 months were quite scary, to be totally honest with you. it cost me (and dad) quite a lot- not only monetarily, but in the quality of care i was able to receive. (ah, those were the days of hanging IV bags of solumedrol from wire clothes hangers off my lampshade... elle & k8 probably remember that quite well!) golden rule people: it is always worth the extra money when it comes to your health. (ok mini lecture complete.)
but my last hope is this. i hope every one of you that reads this posting knows how truly thankful i am for your support, how appreciative i am of your friendship, and how much your letters, prayers, visits, thoughts, and emails mean to me.
remember, you can view these postings directly on kit katchat's blog
http://meggerv2.blogspot.com/
http://meggerv2.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment