Cancer. Do you remember Andy?

[The Straight Story]

It kills so many here in the US. No matter the cause, it just does.

Kids, adults, moms and dads, brothers and sisters.

I remember folks raising money for Andy - just to get him the treatment he needed. I remember the RW nutjobs protesting his need for the money and care.

How is it that in this country we have people needing to go online and raise money simply to get the care they need?

You want to see how much our health care system needs reform you have no further to look than here on DU.

A good man died over it all.

Every day someone here is suffering because we have a health care system that is based on profit.

9/11 etc - the RW keeps preaching to us about keeping people safe, all the while folks here are dying because they have no care.

Cancer. Heart Disease. Etc. Who are we to deny care to people that need it? Most all of the rest of the world has a health care system in place to help people, why don't we?

Who the hell would tell someone that in order to save their life they need more money?

We have lost too many people already to this crap. We expect our citizens to fork over tax dollars for roads, wars, etc, and when they ask in return for basic health care we tell them it is too costly.

If you are serious about saving lives, why aren't you for a health care system that takes our money and puts it towards helping folks in need?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I remember Andy...

I contributed to his surgery, and he thanked me...

I still have his emails to me, and the photos he sent...

I condemn with the most anger I can summon the bastards who condemned him to death...

It makes me weep, to see us neglect those who need our help the most...

:cry:


K&R

[Lorax7844]

6. I remember Andy too

I remember all his hard work to make our votes count, even when he was so sick.

RIP Andy

[eridani]

11. I haven't been able to bring myself to deleting his email from my address book n/t

[silverlib]

14. Me too! (n/t)

[sharesunited]

2. Quality healthcare should be a public amenity which is ubiquitous as streets and highways.

The depth of my pockets is not an issue when I walk down the sidewalk. The sidewalk is there for everyone.

[orleans]

3. yes, i remember andy, and also contributed in an attempt to help him

you're right about what you posted. absolutely right.
k&r

[juajen]

4. Of course I remember Andy. I also contributed to his "fund" though

it was certainly a small amount. It was all I could do, however, to give this small amount for a man I had a lot of respect for. I am still very proud of what we attempted to do for Andy, even though he didn't survive.

[bobbolink]

5. I also remember that he specifically asked us to work for single payer but those

few who tried to organize that effort here didn't meet with much success.

What will it take?????

[Solly Mack]

7. k/r

[ClayZ]

8. I remember!

:cry:


K and R

[onestepforward]

9. I didn't know Andy. He must have been before my time.

By reading these lovely posts about him, I wish I had. Health care is a human right.

[progressoid]

15. Here's a nice article

A Fight to the End
Voting-rights activist Andy Stephenson, 43, dies.
George Howland Jr.
Published on July 13,

Voting-rights activist Andy Stephenson was so full of life it seems impossible that he is dead. Surrounded by his life partner, Ted Edmondson, and members of his family, Stephenson passed away on Thursday, July 7, at Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center. The Seattle resident was 43.

Walter Andrew Stephenson was born in El Paso, Texas. He worked as a telemarketer and was a Subway shop owner before he became concerned about issues surrounding electronic voting and ballot security in 2004. He quickly decided to run as a Democratic candidate for Washington secretary of state opposing Republican incumbent Sam Reed, on a platform calling for a voter-verified paper ballot. But Stephenson dropped out of the race to work full time with prominent election-integrity advocate Bev Harris of Renton, who leads Black Box Voting. The two activists later parted on bad terms, but Stephenson's work with Black Box Voting raised his national profile, and after he left the organization he continued grassroots lobbying with a loosely affiliated network of like-minded people over the Internet.

In person, Stephenson was a red-headed, crackerjack live wire, full of ideas and energy, chasing after every hint of impropriety by election administrators and the corporations that make voting software and hardware. During an interview, he would simultaneously smoke cigarettes, drink coffee, take phone calls, assign tasks to volunteers, condemn elected officials, and rail against Election Systems & Software, Diebold, and other voting-equipment corporations. He was a heartfelt advocate for his cause and didn't shy from confrontation with government officials and corporate officers. His passion and affability attracted a following here and on the World Wide Web, particularly among the frequenters of the progressive Web site Democratic Underground (www.democraticunderground.com).


more... http://www.seattleweekly.com/2005-07-13/news/a-fight-to-the-end/

[onestepforward]

17. Thank you so much for posting this. n/t

[shireen]

35. And William Pitt's incredible commentary, which reflected what many of us felt ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4049596

[onestepforward]

42. Thank you.

Wow. That was one powerful commentary. I'm glad I got to read it. Thanks for sharing.

[SeattleGirl]

10. I will never forget Andy.

A kind soul who fought the good fight for us and with us.

He was taken much too soon.

:cry:

[Old Studentka]

12. I remember my dad

We need that public option, dammit!

[intheflow]

33. .

:hug:

[Raine]

13. Yes, I remember Andy

R-I-P Andy ... you'll never be forgotten.

[drm604]

16. I remember Andy.

I also remember how a bunch of wingnuts held up his care by registering a complaint with Paypal, thus tying up the funds, possibly leading to, or at least hastening, his demise.

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Of course I remember him. One of the good guys. And yes, it burns me to see people

holding raffles, dinners, online deposit requests, donation jars and so forth just to get a basic need taken care of. I remember seeing a handmade poster in a local store for a raffle offering a radio, bike, and TV (I think) for a teen girl who had cancer. I don't know how much money they raised for her, but I do know that she died. :cry:

[graywarrior]

19. I saved Andy's PM's

Time was such a factor in getting him help. What a shame we lost him.

[Raschel]

20. I was treated for breast cancer with government healthcare.

I had fabulous treatment, a great surgeon, doctors and nurses.

Let one of those phony "anti-socialist" protesters need treatment for a disease. I'd like to see just one of them turn down "gov't" medicine.

[ChickMagic]

21. Yes, I remember him well.

I remember how the hospital refused to admit him without
a down payment which he did not have. I donated a small
amount toward his care - all I could do - and was incensed
by the entire situation. The RW goons held up that payment
delaying his care further. I cried a lot of tears over that.

RIP Andy. :cry:

[Melissa G]

22. I remember Andy and so much more...

People should not be dying because they can't get the care they need but there are plenty of bombs for wars that should never have been fought.

[coffeenap]

23. He lives in our hearts.

:hug: :loveya:

[lonestarnot]

24. Yes.

:cry: K & R

[Mari333]

25. when i came back on here he was on my buddy list

he still is.

[Horse with no Name]

26. What a great guy.

He worked hard for us.

[Swamp Rat]

27. I miss Andy

:cry:

[coffeenap]

28. me too... nt

[mzmolly]

29. I certainly do.

:( Very pointed reminder SS. Thank you.

[redqueen]

30. Yes.

However since I'm willing to compromise to get coverage for all sometime within our lifetimes, I'm supposedly a blind, cheerleading, sellout-worshipping, corporatist, Republican-apologist mouthpiece for the DLC.

[The Straight Story]

31. You fit all that into one sentence?

:)

What is a shame is not that some are willing to compromise for a future hope but that we have to.

Our leaders were all over 9/11 and passing laws to help save lives, but when it comes to really saving lives they bail.

[truedelphi]

40. Funny how 3,000 people die in one day and we get a gazillion

Dollar homeland security agency with 23 buck an hour employees to sniff our feet when we are at the airport.

Meanwhile 18,000 die each year because of no insurance - and probably twice that many die because they are denied "Experimental treatments." Or they are stalled or the procedure they need is not recommended but an ineffective, cheaper treatment is pushed instead. (Women in California who have Kaiser and who have fibroids get ineffective treatment - if they are even told they have fibroids.)

The Health Insurance scam is not dying a slow and awful death - we are.

It is an emergency and I would deeply honor any President who had the cajones to create an Executive Order and state that "As of January 1st, 2010k, all Americans will be eligible to receive Single Payer Universal Health Care, by simply supplying their names and addresses to the Medicare Agency."

As far as its funding - the monies needed can be line itemed at the same place in the Federal Budget where the Sold out Crowd controlling Congress gets their health insurance paid for.

[flyarm]

36. is this what you would compromise for????????

go read the article..in it's entirety..and see what you will be compromising!!


http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/the-bad-max-tax/

The Bad Max Tax
By: emptywheel Tuesday September 8, 2009 6:02 am

Update: Here's Bad Max's "framework."

Bad Max Baucus' health care plan is, best as I can tell, an attempt to turn the middle class into serfs to the health care industry.

Consider the "limits" he places on health care costs for those who make between 300% and 400% of the poverty limit (between $66,150 and $88,200 for a family of four):

Another section of Mr. Baucus’s proposal would help pay insurance premiums, co-payments and deductibles for people with incomes less than 300 percent of the poverty level ($66,150 for a family of four). It would also provide some protection for people with incomes from 300 percent to 400 percent of the poverty level (up to $88,200 for a family of four), so they would generally not have to pay more than 13 percent of their income in premiums.

So Bad Max says that he will prevent these people from having to pay more than 13% of their income in health care premiums. For the family of four making $67,000, that's $8,710. For the family of four making $88,200, that's $11,466. For the family of four making $90,000, apparently, there are no such limits, so they may be paying much more. For what may well be utter and total junk.

Now, frankly, there are a lot of middle class families already paying more than that. Heck, mr. ew and I are paying more than $8,700, and that's just for two of us, and that's before Blue Cross starts whacking us for my pre-existing condition next year.

But that's just the premiums.

Then, Bad Max has a limit for total out-of-pocket expenses (and this appears to include everything). For that family of four--regardless of whether they make $67,000 or $88,200, that limit would be $11,900.

Mr. Baucus would impose limits on out-of-pocket medical costs — the co-payments, deductibles and similar charges for covered items and services. The limits would be $11,900 a year for a family and $5,950 for an individual. The comparable numbers in the House bill are $10,000 and $5,000.

Now, of course families would only have to pay that limit if they used enough services to reach that limit--though in Bad Max's plan, health insurance companies are asked to cover far less of actual expenses, so in Bad Max's plan, families are going to reach that limit relatively quickly. If Bad Max asks families to pay 35% of their costs, then that represents just $34,000 in costs, or less. Bad Max says insurance companies have to provide 73% of costs if they want to be subsidized.

And the only way to keep those costs down under Bad Max's bill is the co-op. So what's to stop the hospitals for charging $10,000 for you to walk through the door? Or for Pfizer to charge you $5,000 a year for your required medicine? What's to stop the insurance companies from charging everyone that 13% rate on premiums, as a matter of course? Under Bad Max's plan, because it requires everyone to have insurance, corporations actually have more of a guarantee (and therefore an incentive) to charge such exorbitant fees.



snip:

Aside from the atrocity that Bad Max thinks middle class families should pay more to his donors than they pay for housing or for their Federal taxes, assuming these middle class families come close to hitting the max in a given year (something Bad Max doesn't do much to prevent), it would leave them just $7,215 for all the rest of their expenses. That's simply unsustainable and would all but preclude things like college. Thus, Bad Max's health care "reform" would basically institutionalize a condition in which the middle class continues to fall further and further behind, paying far too much for health care and/or avoiding necessary treatment. It would keep the middle class drowning under debt. It would continue to force the middle class to choose between health care and things like college or fixing the roof on their house.

[TexasLady]

32. I remember!!!

and screw those sorry sunzabitches that tried and even succeeded in interfering!!!!
I have LIVED through the crap, I am without a LEG now because of the crap bullshit so called healthcare system!!!
But I do have my life. I am grateful, but I am so sad about Andy. I got lucky in the end....and Andy is gone now.

I swear, I think the loony right has truly lost their freakin, low graded MINDS.

[flyarm]

34. I remember Andy..I was there with him through his surgery and cared for him after..

And I miss my dear friend Andy..

and i will tell you this ..Andy could not have afforded what is being proposed..or the $3,800.00 fine that would be imposed if he didn't buy the forced insurance..

I promised Andy I would fight for a single payer type system...so no one else would ever have to beg for charity to get health care...anything less is a sell out ..to everyone in this country..just like Andy.

I will never sell out and any one in congress that does , I will put my money and time against them to have them lose their seats in congress...and the White House if that is how this plays out!

I will not be fooled by rethoric and bullshit...nor should anyone be fooled ..you will only be fooled if you "want to be"

fly

[shireen]

37. you were wonderful, Flyarm ... you and Elizabeth. Thank you.

:hug:

Absolutely Single Payer. We must do it.

[flyarm]

38. back atcha dear..and so many here at du..who helped a very sick young man.

with prayers and with help in other ways to numerous to count.

[progressivebydesign]

39. I was here for that, and remember it so well.

It's despicable that we, the supposedly GREATEST nation on Earth, have people that must rely on the donations of strangers in order to get life-saving treatments. I also remember the scoundrels that held up his money with Paypal... How unbelievably sad that this civilized nation has to hold fucking bake sales to pay for cancer treatments. Shameful.

[Desertrose]

41. I remember Andy very well...what an awful time that was....

We all lived for updates and I couldn't believe the awful smear campaign that put off his treatment and just messed with his fragile state of mind.

RIP Andy :hug:

"We expect our citizens to fork over tax dollars for roads, wars, etc, and when they ask in return for basic health care we tell them it is too costly."

Well said!!!