The Number One Reason That I Support the Healthcare Reform Bill-Pre-Existing Conditions

The Number One Reason That I Support the Healthcare Reform Bill-Pre-Existing Conditions

My mother-in-law has cancer, for the fourth time. She has battled this disease for almost 20 years now. During that time, she and her husband had to worry about losing their jobs and their health insurance. They were not able to switch jobs, for any reason, because you see, the pre-existing condition insurance that would cover her, would be completely unaffordable. She also has high blood pressure and diabetes. My father-in- law has high blood pressure, also a pre-existing condition. So while she was battling over and over for her life, they had to worry that if he or she were to be laid off, they would lose everything.


My siblings and I have children that have been diagnosed with various things like ADHD, asthma, anxiety disorder and autism spectrum disorder. These are pre-existing conditions. Had any of us lost our insurance through job loss, or employers dropping coverage, we would have been bankrupt within months. These diagnoses would follow our children as pre-existing conditions for their lifetimes.


I have a friend who is suspected of having multiple sclerosis. This friend has avoided the doctor, diagnosis and possible life extending medications because, they don’t have health insurance yet. And getting that diagnosis would mean doctor bills and medication they cannot afford and a pre-existing condition when they do go to get health insurance. It would price them out of healthcare indefinitely.


I am a woman, of child bearing age, have had 2 c-sections that saved both the lives of my sons and my own. If I were to become pregnant (God forbid!), I would require yet another c-section as my pelvis is too small to deliver naturally. This, too can be considered a pre-existing condition.


These are the stories within my own circle of friends and family and I’m sure if you think about it, you know someone or are someone that the insurance companies could consider a detriment to their bottom line.


Pre-existing conditions not only can price you out of healthcare, they can deny your claims all together or they can dictate which treatments they will or will not pay for.


In 9 states it is still legal for insurance companies to deny coverage to those who have been victims of domestic violence!


Got hay fever? Allergies? Insurance companies can deny coverage for any breathing related illness including bronchitis and pneumonia.


Not only can they deny you coverage, they can drop your entire family.


While not perfect, the reform changes that. It also limits the amount that the insurance companies can raise their premium rates.


Remember this…There before the grace of God go I. The next time, it could be you.

How Quickly We Forget

How Quickly We Forget

There is a new status message going around on Facebook that really bothers me and it’s part of a trend that I’m seeing more and more.

“Shame on you America! The US has homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - and yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations raising over $57 million! 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and repost this. I agree- help our own first!”

Besides the fact that the level of human suffering and despair in Haiti is beyond anything that we can possibly fathom. Yes, even worse that what we witnessed with Katrina. This country was in desperate poverty long before the earthquake. We’re talking children dying in the streets from starvation.

Have we forgotten the unprecedented response to our own tragedies and the outpouring of support that we received from countries all over the world. Many of whom could hardly afford it.

Have we forgotten the outpouring from countries all over the world on September 11? Do you remember the hundreds of thousands of people across the globe pouring out onto their streets carrying candles, sobbing and outraged? Do you remember the touching stories of those who took care of our citizens, as if they were their own, when they were stranded in their countries? Do you remember how quickly the other countries rallied around us in our efforts in Afghanistan? The thousands of offers of aid, rescuers and equipment?

And when Katrina hit. 99 different countries pledged money, rescuers and machinery. Including countries like Bangladesh, arguably one of the poorest countries in Asia. Sri Lanka and Maldives, who had just 1 year earlier suffered the loss of over 180,000 people in the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Both Iran and Iraq also contributed 20 million barrels of oil and 1 million dollars, respectively. Countries that had no money to give, gave what they could in doctors, nurses and blankets.

Yes, shame on you America! But, not for the reasons stated. Shame on you for forgetting those acts of kindness and forgetting that just as in Haiti, we are all vulnerable. Let’s hope that when the next devastating natural or man made disaster that befalls our country, that those who have given so unselfishly before don’t feel the same way as those that unthinkingly, ungratefully post that “status message“.

Lobbyists, Teabaggers and Deathers, Oh My!

Lobbyists, Teabaggers and Deathers, Oh My!

So, last night I was watching the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC and she was doing a show on the behind the scenes people in the anti-healthcare movement groups, such as the “Teabaggers” and the “Deathers”. I wish that I could say that I’m shocked, but, I’m not.

Turns out that these so-called “grassroot organizations” are not so grassroot afterall. For instance, the group calling itself the Tea Party Patriots. One of this group’s sponsor’s is the group, Freedom Works, a DC “advocacy group” ran by Dick Armey. No big deal, right? Until you look into Dick Armey’s day job as a policy wonk for DLA Piper, a lobbying firm that worked and works for, you guessed it, Bristol Meyers Squibb, SleepMed (a medical device manufacturer), MetCare and The Medicines Company.

The director of Freedom Works is Richard Stephenson, the founder and chairman of Cancer Treatment Centers of America and president of International Capital and Management Co. (a hospital consulting company).

This group, Freedom Works, sent out packets to their membership on how to disrupt townhall meetings, a how to guide on shouting down any other voices. Now that’s a constructive way to handle a crisis!

The point here, as Ms. Maddow also pointed out, is that yes, these people have a right to have their say in the debate on healthcare. However, this group, Tea Party Patriots, is peddled as a grassroots organization and the last thing they want is debate. It’s dishonest and manipulative. They want to kill debate, with no changes to healthcare at all. And they’re fooling regular people into doing their bidding for them, with misdirection, spin and flat out lies.

Take the “deathers” for instance. These are the people who believe that there is a conspiracy going on in the healthcare bill that will create so called “death panels”. This is a flat out lie and one of the biggest fear tactics out there. The government is not going to kill grandma to save some money. They do however, want you to sit down with your doctor to discuss end of life decisions such as life support and your wishes in regards to that. Do you want to be a vegetable hooked up to machines? Or if you’re dying would you prefer to be at home comfortably with your family? What life saving procedures are ok and which are not? An uncomfortable discussion, yet, one that is necessary so that your family and doctor know your wishes. It’s also known as a Living Will.

Where did this “death panel” idea start? It wasn’t Sarah Palin. It was a woman named Betsy McCaughey, the director of a medical device company, Cantel Medical Corp and former director of medical device company, Genta. She’s also a fellow at the conservative think tank, the Hudson Institute, which is funded by pharmaceutical giants, Eli Lilly, Merk, American Cyanamid, Novartis and PhRma. She not only started the lie, she continues to spread it, as well as a host of other lies.

Now, it’s not the insurance companies, drug companies, and hospital’s fault that our healthcare system is in the mess that it is. They are for profit companies. Their goal isn’t taking care of their clients, their job is to are make money. It’s like the frog and the scorpion story, where upon arriving at the other side of the river, the scorpion stings the frog after telling him the he wouldn’t. “I’m a scorpion, that’s what we do!” That’s what insurance companies do and do it well…in 2009, the top 5 earned a record 12.2 billion dollar profit last year. That’s an increase of 56% over the previous year and a whopping 250% since 2000! How? They dropped 2.7 million people off of their insurance roles. Now the companies are increasing their premiums by double digits, decreasing coverage, and increasing co-pays, which will essentially price millions more out of their healthcare, while increasing profits once more. “I’m a scorpion, that’s what we do!”

Now, I’m not against capitalism, but, not everything should be “for profit”. Especially when it comes to ones life and health. There’s a lot of misinformation out there and the legislation that is proposed is NOT a government takeover of healthcare. It IS an alternative to these companies, at least if there’s a public option.

I know that many hear about this public option but, most don’t understand what it is. The public option is a choice to opt in to the government healthcare plan if you choose to do so. This creates competition. If you had the choice to pay a lower premium for the same coverage you get from a private company, you could. You don’t HAVE to sign up for the government healthcare,. If you find yourself unable to afford the premiums at your current insurance company, you could opt in to the government plan. The key here…It’s your CHOICE!

Next blog…the politicians.

The Pious

The Pious


As promised, a blog on the President’s “lack of participation on the National Day of Prayer”. I’m not going to get into the issues of separation of church and state, but rather address the issue as an issue of perspective. I will argue it from a Christian perspective..

First off participation is a relative term in this instance. While the president did not lead the nation in prayer, he did issue this proclamation.

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2009, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.”

The entire proclamation can be read here:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2009/05/obamas-national-day-of-prayer.html

So, in this instance, I’m going to assume the charge comes from the fact that he didn’t participate “in public” and that will be the point that I will argue.

First some background on the National Day of Prayer:

There have been various forms of this holiday throughout our history starting with the Continental Congress in 1775 as a “time for prayer in forming a new nation." Ben Franklin suggested the prayer and according to his notes, several members didn’t think it necessary and the subject was dropped. Various presidents since have had prayer days for various occasions, war, depression, etc. In 1952, President Truman signed the first National Day of Prayer bill requiring following presidents to declare a day of prayer on a day of their choosing. In 1988, Reagan signed a bill mandating that the National Day of Prayer be held on the first Thursday of May. The intention was “that it would be a day when members of all faiths could pray together in their own way”

Those last 4 words are of most importance here. In their own way. Perhaps Obama didn’t pray in their way but, his own. Here is what the bible says on the subject, which I think is most ironic considering where the verses come from:

Matthew 6:1-13

1“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5”And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed by your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.


So, as a Christian, Obama’s choice to pray in private, is the righteous, pious one. Unless he’s a priest, reverend or pastor, it is not his role to lead other’s in prayer but, to give thanks and glory in private, so as not to be a hypocrite. His reward will be in heaven, according to Matthew.

That brings me to my next point on this subject. Obama introduced a National Day of Service. Talk should always be followed by action…you can pray, but, it means nothing if you’re not willing to put those words into action. It boils down to whether you believe that service as a Christian is as important or more important than the words.

James 1:22-25

"Become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, this one is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, and off he goes and immediately forgets what sort of man he is. But he who peers into the perfect law that belongs to freedom and who persists in it, this man, because he has become, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, will be happy in his doing it."

Perspective matters.

Email in These Times...

Email in These Times


Ignorance breeds fear, fear breeds hatred, hatred breeds anger, anger breeds violence. It’s been so since the dawn of time.

Never before has humanity been so connected. We receive news from all over the world in seconds. We can talk and exchange ideas with people all across the world, with a simple keystroke. Yet, we don’t listen to each other. At no point in previous history have we had an opportunity to really change the world for the better, as we have today.

It all started with an email I received from someone that I’ve loved and respected my entire life. It was one of those “forward to all of your friends” emails that everyone gets in their inboxes. This email was regarding a “Muslim stamp” being issued by Barack Obama to commemorate “some Muslim holiday”. It goes on to say that this stamp should be boycotted. After all, the president didn’t even participate in the National Day of Prayer! Gasp! If you buy this stamp you are a bad Christian and unpatriotic!

As it is with most of these emails, facts aren’t exactly important. Anybody could “Google” Muslim Stamp and get the facts on it, if they took the time. However, that fear and hate thing takes over and it gets forwarded over and over, regardless of the truth.

Had anyone actually done this, they would find that factcheck.org, snopes.com, urbanlegends.com, hoaxslayer.com and breakthechain.org ALL debunked this email. First of all, it wasn’t Obama that issued this stamp, it was issued in 2001 by George W. Bush to reach out to American Muslims and honoring two of their sacred holidays, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr (the day following Ramadan) and was part of a SERIES of stamps by the postal service called “Holiday Celebration Series”, celebrating the observance of all the religions of the USA. How unpatriotic! We wouldn’t want to celebrate the fact that our country was founded on religious diversity and tolerance!

The Christian aspect of it is equally disturbing. It goes on to list the attacks by terrorists on Pan Am flight 103, 9-11, etc. Yet, instead of stating terrorist attacks, it was the Muslims. Not a group of fanatic Muslims, not Al Qaida, or Hamas, or Hezbollah…but the entire religion. Glass houses, anyone? I can only assume that if the entire religion is responsible for all of these atrocities, then Christians are willing to take the sins of their fanatic groups upon themselves. Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Christianity has been used to justify a myriad of atrocities, from the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and witch burnings, to modern day abortion clinic bombers. There’s the God fearing Timothy McVeigh who killed hundreds of innocent people and those that to this day, justify discrimination based on faith. Trust me, nobody wants to throw those stones.

I guess I must have missed the exception clause when Jesus said, “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

But, it isn’t just about this email or the thousands of others like it. It’s about hatred and in many cases it’s an irrational hatred. Ignorance and fear breed irrational hatred and so is the case here. Now understand that the definition of ignorance is much different than being stupid. As my father said as I was growing up, “ignorance is chosen, dumb is forever.” It’s not the fact that they don’t know, it’s the fact that they don’t WANT to know. There is no quest for the truth. They never ask “is this true? “ before hitting that forward button. It fits into their view, whether justified or not, and it gets spread far and wide. Ignorance begets ignorance.

If there was an honest effort to understand each other, learn the basis of other beliefs we would find that the things that we have in common far outweigh the things we differ on. But, we don’t listen, we don’t ask questions, we assume (there’s another quote from my father on that one!), we let others tell us what to think, what was said and what was intended, rather than relying on ourselves to learn the truth.

There is one fundamental truth that runs in nearly all religions…love one another…the golden rule. There IS NO EXCEPTION CLAUSE.



More on the President not participating in the “National Day of Prayer” later…