That's Enough

There's a certain level of crap being circulated that I can no longer take without saying something - even in my lame little blog way. I am desperately tired of the health care debate. It is nearly to the point where I don't care if the shit gets done or not because the vindictive ignorance of Americans deserves nothing. If we can't tell basic human compassion from fascism, well, to hell with us. This anecdote is very telling: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/world-leader-to-obama-explain-why-theyre-putting-a-hitler-moustache-on-you/comments/page/5/

What is even more telling is the comment that says, "...You think you are entitled to FREE health care? NOTHING is FREE, period. Someone has to pay for this. Who do you expect to pay for your FREE health care? Get off your butt and pay for your own. And if you're in a situation where you can't, the government already provides assistance."

Let's get one thing straight - this alleged "government assistance" will NOT help you in many situations. WILL NOT. I was unemployed for approximately 2 years while in my late 30's. Certainly too old for Mommy & Daddy's insurance. Could I get Medicare? No. Could I get Medicaid? No. You know why I couldn't get those? Because I made the mistake of not having children, but owning a car. If you are a single, childless adult with something of dubious monetary value (the car was worth maybe $600 at the time), you get nothing. COBRA you say? Have you seen the price of COBRA? God bless you if you can pay rent, eat, make a car payment AND pay COBRA on 2 $300 unemployment checks a month. That's all I was getting from the state. Small wonder I spent a lot of that period of my life drinking.

I have sporadically had health care through employers since then. A lot of jobs I've taken have been subcontractor (they don't take any state of federal deductions out), so I haven't been an employee and therefore not qualified for insurance. I am not currently covered, and as a woman in her 40's, that's kinda scary, not to mention expensive, but I need this job. My upcoming Planned Parenthood checkup is going to cost me $175-195 and birth control pills are $60 a pack. I can only hope my fibroids don't come back and I don't have any serious health problems before my employer gets an insurance plan. Even then I may be plagued by the "pre-existing condition" monster and end up with very little.

Look, my ass has been saved by Santa Clara County health services more than once. I will forever be thankful to them for the services they provided when I desperately needed help. But to tell the truth, I never would have know those services were available had I not been desperate. And I am well aware that they do not have endless funding. No one does. I was lucky. Other people aren't so lucky. So why can't we care enough about our fellow man to make sure he/she can get help when it's needed? Why are services for the poor and down-on-their-luck the first things on the chopping block when government funding dwindles? Why do we make people who need help inferior/stupid/greedy? It's wrong.