7-year-old girl sells lemonade to help pay for brain surgeries, but Medicare for All is 'radical'

[babylonsister]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/3/1/2018738/-7-year-old-girl-sells-lemonade-to-help-pay-for-brain-surgeries-but-Medicare-for-All-is-radical


7-year-old girl sells lemonade to help pay for brain surgeries, but Medicare for All is 'radical'
Aldous J Pennyfarthing
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Monday March 01, 2021 · 2:00 PM EST


These kinds of stories drive me up the wall.

There’s nothing heartwarming or cute about this, but it’s the kind of thing people in this country slurp up like syrup.

Nothing against the journalist who brought this grotesquerie to light, but my takeaway from this tragic tale is that we live in a barbaric, backwards country, not that Americans have hearts of gold. Perhaps they do, but those full hearts could be far more effectively channeled toward fighting for Medicare for All than tossing crumbs to sick kids like they’re gimpy pigeons.

WIAT-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, recently caught up 7-year-old Liza Scott, whose family owns a bakery in Homewood, Alabama. They set up a lemonade stand inside the shop to help pay for a series of brain surgeries Liza needs to correct three cerebral malformations have have been causing her to suffer grand mal seizures.

WIAT:

Elizabeth Scott purchased additional insurance to help pay for Liza’s brain surgeries. But with travel and hotel costs heaped on top of medical expenses, the family is already nearing $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.

“As a single mom and the financial supporter of both of my children, this is not something you can budget for,” Scott said.

So in addition to selling the tastiest lemonade around, the Scotts are also looking for donations. As of Thursday afternoon, they have reached nearly $6,000. If you would like to help donate to Liza’s fund, click here.

And look how cute she is!

Link to tweet

Naturally, I’m pulling for young Liza. How can you not? She needs major surgery, and it’s nice that people are chipping in to help her in her time of need. But what about the kids who aren’t as cute, don’t have a parent who owns a bakery, don’t have enough friends and supporters for a successful GoFundMe campaign, or whose bills are simply too astronomical to chip away at with a pop-up lemonade stand?

Are the social Darwinists in this country really prepared to argue that some people deserve to see a doctor while others are just shit out of luck?

Obamacare and CHIP were big steps forward, but we obviously still have huge gaps in our social safety net. It’s long past time we close them with true universal health coverage and let sick kids be kids instead of beggars and forced laborers.

[Ohiogal]

1. +1000 I couldn't agree more

Ask Canadians or Brits if they hold spaghetti dinners or bake sales to help pay for medical care. It’s absurd! We are so used to this kind of thing most people don’t even think twice about it. These stories drive me up the wall, too, babylonsister.

[Bleacher Creature]

2. Quality health care is a right, not a privilege, and needs to be treated as such.

It's completely barbaric for this kind of thing to be happening in 2021.

[speak easy]

3. We had an entire primary contest on healthcare.

Biden won. Medicare for All lost.

The idea that the President would renounce the platform he run on in the primaries, and GE, is lunacy,

It would be 'read my lips, no new taxes' on steroids

Want to argue for single payer? Fine. 2024 is the area, not Joe Biden's first term.

[Haggard Celine]

4. The simple reason we don't have universal healthcare coverage

is because some people are afraid that people they hate will be able to use it. They want to be able to pick and choose who they support for medical treatment. And the people they support are usually just like them. It's a disgrace that we let that minority of assholes decide whether we can have healthcare.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

19. Follow the money.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. All I can think of when I see is those words is how BAD our side is at naming things ...

Here's some hints, Democratic Leaders, if you're reading:

It's NOT: Medicare for All
It's: Medicare Early Buy-In

It's NOT: Free College, or Student Loan Forgiveness
It's: The Education Freedom Act

Free of charge, and you're welcome.

That all said, I hope this young lady gets all the help she needs. I shouldn't have to 'hope', but ... that's where we are.

[canetoad]

11. I dunno buddy

I can't get my head around an even marginally educated population accepting or rejecting such a momentous societal change over the use of 'spin words'.

I often compare and contrast the cultures and history of our two countries - both of which are youngish in the general scheme of countries. Oz has a reputation for cutting down tall poppies - "Ye'r up yerself...!"

The US deifies them. Maybe it's an anti-authoritarian quirk wrought by our convict past versus an admiration of entrepreneurship engendered by your first immigrants.

Maybe its our adherence to Brit roots and culture versus your total rejection of everything representative of the 'old enemy'.

Hey, I'm also glad you didn't change the second part of your username to JASS.

[BigMin28]

6. Absolutely

"Are the social Darwinists in this country really prepared to argue that some people deserve to see a doctor while others are just shit out of luck?"

I live in Texas, and I can say unequivocally yes, alot of the population here are just fine with some people not receiving medical care, or even dying. Even children. It is heartbreaking, but true.

[area51]

7. "Are the social Darwinists in this country really prepared to argue ...

that some people deserve to see a doctor while others are just shit out of luck?"

Yes, yes they are. They argue this every day. And this govt. doesn't give a sh*t whether we live or die, hence, no right to healthcare. I'm surprised we haven't already had a real life John Q event. Healthcare is a right, not a luxury.

[Irish_Dem]

8. The richest country in the history of the world, and babies have to raise money for medical costs.

There are so many things that disgust me about the US.

[msongs]

9. how many brain surgeries does an F 35 buy nt

[sheshe2]

10. ...

[canetoad]

12. As I type

I'm watching a (bootleg) live stream of Rachel Maddow and at some stage will catch the repeats of Lawrence O'Donnell and Brian Williams.

I will never, ever get used to seeing the ads for drugs that are aired in the US. All modified by, "Ask your doctor for ...." and a gabbled stream of disclaimers that only a speed listener with bat-ears could decode.

It seems that any degree of 'wellness' in the US belongs to only those who can pay for it.

One, of many reasons the GOP opposes any form of universal health care is that it will limit 'medical entrepreneurship'. Another reason is that it's almost impossible to take health care away once it has been won.

Fight on, sister.

[lindysalsagal]

13. Disgusting that they have no child healthcare in that state.

Most states would cover her. But there's a church on every corner....

[ChoppinBroccoli]

14. Please Tell This Little Girl That For-Profit Health Care Is The Best We Can Do

Better yet, tell her parents when her lemonade stand doesn't even come close to raising enough money.

[MasonDreams]

15. Insurance companies can die and real humans will be saved.

[GulfCoast66]

16. I agree wholeheartedly universal healthcare should be a right.

But there are many other ways to achieve that than Medicare for all. Especially with the nature of our politics.

MFA is better than what we have now. But a French style system will be easier to achieve.

Regardless, we are on the same team.

Have a nice evening.

[XanaDUer2]

17. These stories drive me crazy too nt

[Ron Green]

18. One risk pool is a health care system. Multiple risk pools is an investment scheme.

We have enough investment schemes in this country; we need a health care system.

[hatrack]

20. "Best Health Care in The World" if you've got the money . . . .

For the rest of us, there's the pickle jar at the local convenience store.

You've likely seen the pickle jar. Typically it has a picture of a cute 9-year-old with leukemia, or the teenager busted up in a car wreck, and a dollar or three at the bottom of the jar.