I really wonder how many people who are against the health care bill have insurance already. I'd bet that the majority of them do. I wonder how many of them know what it's like to be unable to afford health care, and get denied Medicaid because they "make too much" but not enough to afford a private plan. I wonder how many of them have chronic medical conditions that require daily medications and frequent specialist visits. I wonder how many of them have lost a loved one because they couldn't afford proper care, or even preventative care and got ill as a result.
I got a letter in the mail last week that denied me Medicaid. I don't have a job and there is no way I could afford to pay for a health insurance plan. I am one of those people who have chronic medical conditions that need constant care. Why was I denied if I am so poor, you ask? Because I have over $513 in my bank account, and I don't have any children. I just spoke to my case worker yesterday, and she told me this, so I'm not pulling this out of my rear.
I have more than $513 because I have tuition refund money in there, which I use for school supplies, gas, car repairs, etc - anything and everything that directly affects me getting to and from school, and being successful in it. I told her that it's tuition money, only used for school and she said, "it doesn't matter, the state still counts that as income." She suggested that I take out as much financial aid as I could in order to cover my health care. Are you serious? What a terrible and irresponsible answer to my problems. Thankfully I qualified for an adult benefit program which covers my meds and doctor visits (but no surgeries or extended hospital stays. What?).
This is a government program and according to some, it doesn't work. And they're right - it's messed up. But the answer to why it is so messed is this: the only people who are on these programs are poor, and nobody gives a damn about the poor. That's obvious, given a lot of the responses here. They are the dregs of society that get what they deserve because they don't work hard enough, make poor life decisions, and pump out a ton of kids so they can get welfare and food stamps, right? There are so many misconceptions and downright lies about the poor that not enough focus goes into caring for them. But now that so many people have lost their jobs and are becoming poor - oh! NOW people care. Thank God everyone else is poor because now those who have been poor for far longer are finally going to get some care.
Another interesting point is the frequent comparison of our "care" and Canada's. For every person that says Canada's system sucks, there's a dozen more who say that it works perfectly, so that's a moot point. There are always going to be people who like and dislike something. What we should look at is how effective these other programs are based on statistics and research, not empirical evidence.
As directed by the mods, I do not wish to enter a debate with anyone here. I have read each and every response, and liked some, disliked others. I have read everyone's posts with an open mind, blocking all terms of "Republican" and "Democrat" from my thoughts. I think everyone, from both sides, have brought up a lot of good points and I'm glad that we were able to have a civilized discussion (most of the time! :rotfl:) We'll just have to wait and see what happens, do what we can to fix what we dislike, and hope for the best! My .
