Sickness Knows No Political Party

[elcondor]

Flame, delete, criticize, lock … I’m numb to it today.

Excepting a few editorial adjustments, I posted this exact same message on Free Republic. Anyone who knows me in real life or on this board knows my credentials. I don’t feel the need to justify that I’m a liberal Democrat beyond that because this isn’t about me. If either site feels the need to ban me or delete this post ... then I will let this be my final statement in both houses, and I will take to the streets to begin this discussion instead ...

A man is dead. Dead from a disease that in 2005 no one within shouting distance of a quality hospital should have to succumb to … 563,700 people died from cancer in the U.S. last year. Whatever your politics, no matter if your right, left, Bush, Kerry, Nader, didn’t vote, anti, pro; you MUST to admit -- our healthcare system in the U.S. is broken. Is a nationalized healthcare system part of the solution? I personally believe so; you can disagree with me. I’m okay with that. In fact, that’s one of the many reasons I love America -- you and I can disagree, but let’s discuss it and talk about it and FIX it. I don’t have all the answers; there is no perfect solution for any problem ... everyone will die of something someday, but by God, let’s TRY. I mourn the death of a man, Andy Stephenson, a man I never met in person, because he didn’t have to die! Not now, not so young with so much life and work ahead of him.

The people who doubted him, questioned rightly or wrongly whether his condition was legitimate are IRRELEVANT. Yes, you read that correctly. I didn’t know Andy personally, but while those who maliciously came after him most likely bothered him, I doubt they were on his mind in his final moments. He said, “I WANT TO LIVE.” He was thinking of his family and partner and loved ones and thinking, “WHY?”

I don’t care what the numbers and statistics are about pancreatic cancer are ... how fast it moves, how aggressive it is ... my grandfather died before I was born because of this disease and little progress has been made since he passed 21 years ago this month. There are two giant problems we must solve: the cost of medical help and the quality of it.

I’m 20 years old and heartsick that this country continues to leave behind those who cannot afford quality healthcare. The first thought too many people have to deal with when diagnosed with terminal or debilitating illnesses is not, “What am I going to tell my family?” etc … It’s, “HOW AM I GOING TO PAY?” I don’t care what you believe about anything else. Why? Because this goes beyond our individual political and/or personal philosophies. This goes beyond you and me as singular entities. This goes to the heart of who we are as human beings. If Andy’s doubters did something legitimately illegal, I will be the first to do whatever I can to prosecute them in court and in the public arena, but LET THAT NOT BE OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS. Let’s fix our healthcare system! There shouldn’t be any disagreement between the left and the right about the fact that we have to get on our hands and knees in the mud and FIX IT. The BS that keeps any real progress being made in regards to our health care system affects every single human being in this country. Sickness knows no political party. If our elected officials can’t get beyond political differences, let us, the people on the ground, their constituents, unite, at least on this issue. We can fight about whatever else we want BUT--

If America fixes, or at least gets SOMEWHERE with its health care system, then the possibilities for the treatments and cures of diseases EVERYWHERE is endless. But this is something we have to do as one. As Americans we have to stand up and say, "enough!"

The bottom line is: if we lived in a country with a halfway decent healthcare system, whether anyone believed Andy wouldn’t matter. Those who knew him could have gathered around him and nursed him and wished him well. Andy wouldn’t have had to come back from the doctor’s and immediately say, “HOW?”

I honestly can’t tell you where we should go from here, but let’s START. Let’s TRY. I’m TIRED. And I mourn.

[Rick Myers]

1. Wonderful post. Thank you!!!

We can mourn, but we must carry on with Andy and others in our hearts!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. A man is dead. Dead from a disease that in 2005 no one within shouting

True that... no one should be having these worries when a damn fool in D.C. is giving away nobid contracts to hooligans, and spending HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to secure Iraq for his corporate donors.

[BattyDem]

3. Excellent post!

:toast:

[elcondor]

4. How freerepublic is responding:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1439434/posts#comment?q=1

I guess it was too much to think we on the left and right could agree on ONE thing ...

[Mythsaje]

19. They're wrong,

of course. The leaders in stem cell research are Britain and Korea, with China coming up fast.

The Scandanavian countries have been on the cutting edge of medical research for a long time.

[blondeatlast]

21. Because of our lack of government funding, we are falling fast

in the research game.

I've been a stem cell research activist for almost 10years, and to see the US go from the leader to where they are now makes me heartsick.

[Mythsaje]

25. I heard something the other day

that made me think. There's no profit in CURING disease...just in treating it.

[blondeatlast]

26. I've had insulin dependent diabetes since I was 7.

I'm thankful every day for insulin.

I also know that since the Feds allowed advertising of RX drugs on TV and elsewhere, the big pharms have DRASTICALLY cut their investments (time and money) in research for the most devastating disease.

Capitalism used to fuel tremendous research into debilitating disease (imagine the demand for the first cancer/diabetes/AIDS cure--of course they wanted a piece of that), as hard as it may be to believe now.

Now they spend their money on makeing their "purple pills" once a day, rather than twice, purely to protect their patents. Why bother with that cure for cancer/diabetes/AIDS if there's no potential for tremendous profit?

It's hideous, it's inhuman, it's unmitigated greed at its worst. Pharm research used to prove that there was some value in capitalism. Now it manifests itself as the worst of what capitalism is about.

It didn't have to be that way.

[Mythsaje]

28. What's even worse

is the way they create and market new drugs that copy already existing drugs that are now available in generic versions, simply to increase their profits.

I don't think they should be allowed to advertise prescription drugs on TV at all.

And no, I don't consider that a violation of the 1st Amendment...advertising isn't free speech. And Freedom of Speech is for REAL people, not artificial people (corporations).

[blondeatlast]

29. I absolutely agree. RX advertising HURTS people like me.

I can't see an ad for Viagra without thinking about what could be.

[Mythsaje]

32. The CURE for diabetes

will come out of Europe or Asia (most likely Asia).

[sellitman]

23. De-nile isn't just a river in Egypt.

The Freepers actually believe our health care system isn't broken.

Wow!

:crazy:

[elcondor]

27. I'm trying to keep up but I'm the only one over there!

If anyone wants to join in the discussion, please do!

How am I doing so far?

[Mythsaje]

31. I would, but

I spent too much time on the about.com Civil Liberties boards banging my head against RW brick walls...I have lost my tolerance for these people and their stony skulls.

Keep up the good work.

[seabeyond]

34. cant do it sorry. i live in panhandle of texas. i know how they dont

listen. wont do a damn thing. good luck though

[elcondor]

35. It was clearly an echo chamber

Some from over there are probably reading this ... I will still continue to talk with those on the right, as I do everyday, but it's no use with FR

[sellitman]

37. Their posts are worthless.....just like they are.

Better to spend your time writing letters to your politicians and newspapers.

[seabeyond]

5. 973 a month i pay. high co pay, high deductible

insurance covers some not other. who is to know. it is at their whim. it is not like i can figure it out between the hospital, all the different bills, and the insurance company

i agree. we are to the point it isnt only the ones that cannot afford health insurance. the people that can afford and do have health insurance is now in a crunch whether to spend all their saved money and more for health care, or not

i thought i was ill, with cancer. i may be. i havent decided if i would be willing to put family in poor house to fight it

it isnt a party issue, it is a national crisis

[Rick Myers]

8. I'm a vet and rely on the VA.

The system is broken. Even BEFORE the flood of new vets, my co=pay had gone up 300%, all meds have been changed to 'generic only,' and I feel GUILTY using the tiny bit of VA resources I consume (less than $500 a YEAR).

That ANYONE would question a private citizen recieving help from friends and allies is insane.

Maybe Andy should have applied at Halliburon. What is the message here, corporate WELFARE is policy, PRIVATE help is a crime???

:grr:

[elcondor]

9. I know what you're going through

My family has an HMO; it's countless hoops if we need any tests, fearful something serious will be found not only for our health, but for the money

[lapfog_1]

30. Yup

I went to the dark side and read what they had to say.

Not a bloody F'ing one of them has ever had to do without any
health insurance (company provided for the most of them).

I have. I was born with a heart defect. Years ago (when I
had health insurance), I had a corrective surgery to fix it.
At the time I thought what a wonderful health care system we
have... We all pay into a pool (or our employer does this for us),
when one of us becomes ill, the pool pays for the best health
care on the planet. Even better, the pool is run by "for profit"
people who will always deliver the best for their customers (the
folks who pay into the pool).

Boy was I naive.

Right after my corrective surgery, my health insurance provider
dropped me like a hot potato. And no one else will pick me up
except under circumstances that are out of the reach of all but the
wealthiest among us. $900/month premiums and a $10,000 deductible
AND any more problems with my heart defect are NOT covered.
I'm a bad risk... so basically our health care system is the best
in the world IF YOU DON'T NEED IT! (or at least more than once
in your life).

So I guess the Freepers would like me to just die... or become so
wealthy that I can pay for any procedure or treatment out of my
own pocket.

And, since they are big on this personal responsibility thing,
let's just make this the norm. No insurance, no government handouts,
nothing. Anyone who gets sick... well that's just their bad luck.
If they happen to be rich, they will get the best in the world,
otherwise... please pick out a coffin.

I wonder how many Freepers would like things done this way. They
are ALL just one major illness away (like we all are) from finding
out.

[seabeyond]

33. the reality, it is going to hit them to unless a dem gets in

and we get house and senate

we own a business. we are the ones paying that very insurance the freeper employees are enjoying. we are the ones paying their insurance so they can feel comfortable and not have to be concerned. but what they are not seeing is companies can no longer afford this insurance. more and more companies are going to stop paying for the insurance of employees. we are real close to telling employees pay their own. all our employees voted bush. i wanted kerry specifically for his insurance plan to help small business insure employees

the repugs ultimately want all insurance to be individually paid. the insurance companies will make way more off individual coverage. the corporations dont want to pay, and the repugs want to help them out.

it isnt going to be pretty

[Generator]

6. Great post!

You got to the heart of the matter. I'm personally terrified of losing health coverage..been a recent thing in my life due to husband's job change..so just dealing with the forms/your covered/your not covered/cobra/waiting periods..on and on and wondering if we aren't covered today and then even if we are tommorrow but something happens today-well it can ruin your life. And I am afraid to go into the doctor anyway because then you have a pre-existing condition and can turn you down!

Anyway, it's madness..and it should have never been an issue with Andy and it just makes it even worse.

[elcondor]

7. I am absolutely sickened by the FR

see my above post

[PA Mamma]

10. Thank You...

for posting that.
-From someone without any health insurance - a scary place to be.

[Rick Myers]

13. Amen...

This is NOT the nation I grew up in... The ONLY reason I have marginal access to health care is that I'm a Vietnam-era vet. I did NOT get sent to Vietnam, I spent my time in Alaska at a Forward Intercept Base with 'live' fully-armed F-4E Phantoms on 24/7 alert. We ran 5 to 10 intercepts per week in a HOT environment, just 175 miles from a forward Soviet base.

And I certainly do NOT want to interfere with REAL war vets getting the care they need.

If you EVER want to be humbled, take a walk through a VA hospital...

[Virginian]

11. Beautiful post.

If the impact on individuals is not enough, think about all our American corporations that cannot compete equally in the global market because it is they and not their government that must provide health insurance for their workers.

When did prescriptions get to be so expensive? BC pills were as cheap as $1.75 for a month's supply in the early 1970's. No one needed prescription coverage then because, more than likely, any one prescription was not going to cost more than $10.00. When I got my first Prescription card, it didn't save me a lot of money from the price I was paying without the card. The pharmacies didn't put the real price of the medication on my bill, I had no idea how much the prices were inflating because I never saw anything but my co-pay.
I don't think the pharmacutical companies could have raised the price so drastically if insurance companies hadn't provided them the cover of prescription plans. Somehow, I think the two industries were conspiring to overinflate drug prices.

Andy, I didn't know you, though I feel as if I did. God bless you and may you inspire the angels as you have inspired us mere mortals.

[SnoopDog]

12. Excellent post, and now some comments.

For a twenty year old, you have more wisdom and decency than some of our members of Congress. And as twenty year old, you have nothing but your life ahead of you. And you better fight now for your/our survival.

The only reason we do not have a decent health care system is that we have not forced our government to initiate and pay for it. Remember, it is our tax dollars that run this country. We are America. OUr government are only our representatives. We, as an inalienable right, must be able to set our priorities for our tax dollars. I for one think that $400 billion for the military is to much. What exactly do we get for that? Our freedom? No, they just take that money and build more bombs and such and cause more trouble in the world that we fix (as if we have the right to fix our countries). The most valuable treasure America has is its people. And as such, a healthy America is paramount for our survival as a whole.

I personally think that the major cause to our diseases is that we wallow in a cesspool of toxic waste - our air, water, and food are contaminated beyond belief. A national and global effort must be to clean up our environment. A cleaner environment begets a healthier populace.

As this government lays waste to other countries, our country is also being destroyed. When the invaded countries are destroyed, and when our country is destroyed, where will we be?

I remember in the 1960's I could cut the air in Southern California with a knife. I read my world book encyclopedias on how we are polluting our selves to death. And now, still, not much has been improved.

So, yes, my friend, it has not been fixed in my first fifty years, will we fix our problems in the next 50 years? Or will we continue our path of giving our tax dollars to the military and pork, or will we 'build up' our environment, our health, our education, and our humanity...?

[alarimer]

14. My grandfather died of this disease in 1979

It is bad.

But the saddest thing is that people without insurance have to raise money to get the operation they need or do without. That is not right at all. For every story like Andy's where the operation did occur (though it may have been too late or the care inadequate), there are many more who don't get the treatment they need. And that is what is wrong with our health care system. It has become one of the haves versus the have nots. If you have money (or insurance) you are good to go- although I have read stories where insurance companies won't pay for enough hospital time; they send people home too early or the treatment is wholly inadequate.

This should be a wakeup call (as if there haven't been enough) for national health care.

[elcondor]

17. I absolutely agree

I am trying to make that point on FR (for every Andy, there's a dozen people who can't even get the operation/treatment). Hopefully I can talk with the people over there more about it. When it comes to peoples' lives, if we can't agree on anything else, it should be something like this.

[roseBudd]

36. Talk about the inefficiency, what we spend vs. what we get

and the cost savings of people getting care in a timely manner. Indigent care costs everyone. See Paul Krugman's recent articles (you can google Krugman on http://commondreams.org) to read articles of his that are older than a week for free.

Edited to add: What is it with these people and socialism. Everything is socialism. It's like how they shut down every discussion.

[bonito]

15. Sadly greed is in healthcare too I know

Only too well. colloidal silver has been keeping my wife alive for years now from lung infections, but you can't get it in the hosp. make it my self.

[elcondor]

20. Wow

I'm sure your wife knows how lucky she is that she has someone like you! :-) I wish her and your entire family good health someday soon--stories like yours are the reason why I feel so strongly about the need for improvement.

[bonito]

22. Thank you

When life gives up, well I guess I will too, but until then, I am life baby! and watch out!

[SmokingJacket]

16. This healthcare problem is the biggest one we face.

Great post, nominated.

Terrorists kill a handful of people a year -- too many, of course, one is too many -- but they're not the threat our disastrous health care system is.

[Mythsaje]

18. Absolutely...

Something needs to be done to prevent this sort of crap from continuing.

A friend went 100,000 dollars in debt paying for medical care for her son. She pays 20 to 50 dollars a month toward that bill.

[blondeatlast]

24. I wish that they never have to face such a horrendous situation.

I wouldn't wish such a thing on my worst enemy.

I really mean that, FR. And if it should happen to someone you love or to one of you, you will have my heartfelt wish for recovery--and wisdom.

Until then--damn your inhuman prick selves.