How do we put a human face on the health care debacle?

[mzmolly]

Many of us personally know of tragic stories that have unfolded due to a lack of health care in this country. Yet, Reid and others in the Senate say they wish to wait to pass reform so they can hear the "concerns" of those who admittedly don't want a national health care system. Those who Reid wishes to "hear" from, have openly stated that they want to DELAY the debate until health care reform essentially dies. Reid is seemingly intent on helping Republicans succeed in their Waterloo plan.

What do do?

Washington has no incentive to move quickly on health care. The media is NOT doing it's job, finding people who the President wishes to represent with the legislation in question.

Anyone have any ideas as to how we organize and put people at the front of the debate?

:shrug:

[Fuzz]

1. Throw babies out of incubators?

[mzmolly]

2. I was thinking more along the lines of a website or a Moveon campaign featuring the

stories of average Americans who have been effected, sorry. ;)

[Fuzz]

3. Damn. I thought I had something. But I stole the idea.

[mzmolly]

5. The story was a hoax

anyway.

[Cleita]

4. It's estimated that 50 Americans a day die who didn't have to if they had health care.

Each day that there is no health care for every American regardless of economic circumstances there are 50 new coffins. If that doesn't put a human face on it, I don't know what does. I also think every Republican and every Blue (Cross)Dog Democrat who doesn't set aside politics to put forth a national health plan as good as every other industrial nation in this world, should be charged with negligent homicide because they surely have blood on their hands. No one else but them can change this. It's their responsibility to do so.

[mzmolly]

6. The problem lies in the fact that no one is effectively telling their stories.

:(

[mzmolly]

9. Cleita, how about this ... what if the President were to post the letters

he receives on the subject on the White House website, with permission from those who've written?

[Cleita]

10. I think he needs to.

[mzmolly]

11. I'll call the

WH and make the suggestion. Not that they'll listen but ... Thanks for your feedback. :hi:

[anigbrowl]

17. People can't relate to statistics that well

One person who people can relate to emotionally makes a more powerful argument than 10,000 people who you can only relate to in the abstract. In other words, names rather than numbers. 50 people a day makes me feel terrible, but as an individual it seems too big to do anything about. Most people would have difficulty even naming 50 people they know personally. This is what is so good (from a technical perspective, whether or not you agree with it) about that campaign with the woman saying she was almost killed by Canadian health care or whatever. She's one person, one face, one simple narrative. Doesn't matter that her narrative and its implications are BS, 1 person on the TV screen is emotionally easy to deal with and so more persuasive than a picture of a crowd.

The lesson here is to focus on individual stories, and not to overburden the potential reader/viewer with too many details. There's a simple formula for this kind of message (which you see in pharma and other ads all the time, because it reflects the kind of movies we like and thus it works): Attractive person. Attractive person in jeopardy. Attractive person abandoned and facing certain doom. Attractive person rescued at last minute by heroic intervention. Whew!

Sounds dumb, no? But let's apply it...

Attractive person.
Hi, I'm Shona Whatshername and I'm a Canadian citizen. << BTW I don't find her especially attractive, but but I'm using the word here to mean someone the typical viewer can easily identify with, not in terms of 'pretty'.

Attractive person in jeopardy.
Some time ago I became ill with (whatever disease it was)...

Attractive person abandoned and facing certain doom.
My Canadian government sponsored healthcare wouldn't pay for the drugs/treatment I needed to live.

Attractive person rescued at last minute by heroic intervention.
Thanks heavens for the US healthcare system, where I was able to get what I needed.

Whew!
(Aren't you lucky, America?)


In case this plot sounds vaguely familiar, it's basically the story of Red Riding Hood. Granny is analogous to the doctor, the big bad wolf in this case is gubmint bureaucracy - although it could just as easily be tweaked to be greedy insurance industry. The woodcutter is the US healthcare system (substitute as appropriate). It's a cheap gimmick, for sure...and it's a cheap gimmick that works, because it follows a pattern we're almost all familiar with from childhood. And there is nothing wrong with us exploiting similar cheap gimmicks to get our message across.

The point here is that healthcare is a personal issue, so you have to put a person's face on it, and in order to get people to feel good about your message you've got to portray some kind of win for that person. '50 dead people a day' does not put a human face on it, it puts a corpse face on a statistic. Dead people do not sell products effectively which is why people almost never die in commercials (anti-smoking commercials are an exception, and people complain about those). People don't want to think about death, so as soon as you say people are dying a part of their brain switches off and your message about how unjust this is never reaches them.

Have you ever seen a pharma ad saying 'OMG! Get this fucking pill NOW or you're gonna die! OH NOES!!'? Of Course you haven't, that would make most people throw a brick through the TV. Instead you do it in reverse: 'Oh noes! Can't pee in time/get it up/breathe? (No, I can't - what a bummer) Then you need Brand X - the pill that fixes this problem (oh yeah?) Yes! It will fix your problem, because it contains special problem-fixing chemicals. Try it, you'll feel the difference (OMG - it works!) Y'all talk to your doctor about Brand X now!'. For similar reasons, they don't bore you with statistics about how many people have blah condition or dwel too much on the negative side of it, even if the negative side might be that you keel over and die. You focus on the positive because you're trying to sell the result, not make the problem look overwhelming.

So what we need is not doom and gloom about how many people are dying without healthcare, not tirades about what bastards the insurance companies are, and not threats that if you don't vote for healthcare your ass will wither and die. What we need is people we can empathize with who got sick, got fucked over or ignored by their insurer, but who were fortunately able to get treated by Medicare or similar and are now leading full, productive lives once more. Thanks government!

[mzmolly]

20. Interesting perspective. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

I do think we need to show both sides of the story, however.

[glowing]

7. We need our Neda.. a face that symbolizes the crap healthcare we have.

The issue needs a face that represents Americans that are facing this crisis. Not a comercial.. a real face in pain that represents all of us.

[mzmolly]

8. I agree. Unfortunately we have

many, many faces to choose from.

[glowing]

14. I think that is the problem. There are many. However, there are many Iranians that protested and

other's that were killed... It is possible. Large amts of random numbers and polls don't do the justice of one face killed due to our healthcare system.. or lack thereof. I have been calling my reps murderers. This issue is 9/11 magnified every week in this country. People are dying because they cannot access a dr. or cannot afford the treatments.

[anigbrowl]

18. No, we need a face that symbolizes how good govt. health care can be.

Most people do not want a guilt or a fright trip from their TV. They want an inspiring alternative to their current situation.

[mzmolly]

19. That's an interesting point. Medicare has been

beneficial to many. But I do think we need a two pronged approach, including people who do not have coverage and the impact it has had on families.

[glowing]

24. You think so? I think that we have been programed to respond to the

dramatic, rather than the success or the good fuzzy. Remember when AIDS campaign for awareness was rolled out and the White child became a poster for what AIDS could look like.. and it wasn't just drug users or gay men? I think that his story and his face changed the perception and the attitude of many people...

[berni_mccoy]

12. More than 18 THOUSAND AMERICANS die each year because they can't afford healthcare.

That was a 2002 report by the Institute of Medicine.

[mzmolly]

13. Horrible. Perhaps we need an ongoing list of names posted

somewhere? :shrug:

[GentryDixon]

15. I can give you my human face.

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal retired. I pay $130 per month premiums for myself only. I have a #300.00 yearly deductible and pay 20% over for medical.

I am in kidney failure and have chosen not to have a transplant because I do not want to subject my husband (he has his own insurance) to the bills he would be saddled with. I know the costs involved, as my younger sister had a kidney transplant about 20 years ago, and the cost were astronomical. The after surgery care is also very expensive. And forget the meds involved.

I am fortunate to have the means to pay for the care I currently have, but cannot justify the long term costs.

That is my human face.

[mzmolly]

16. I'm so sorry.

:(

[TheBigotBasher]

22. That iis so sad

and such a terrible indictment of the healthcare system in the US.

Exclude the issues around kidney availability, if you can not even get on the queue for worries of cost then any system like that is simply wrong.

[abumbyanyothername]

21. March on Washington in September. nt

[mzmolly]

23. Great

idea!