This sure does beat socialized health care, don't it?

[krispos42]

Several of these a year appear on my company's bulletin board by the time clock. Once it was an employee that had medical trouble, but usually it's some local person that's in a pinch.

In case you can't read the medical condition summary, this woman has a baby due in mid-August that has some terrible medical condition in the womb. Something to do with his heart valves, if I'm reading the poster correctly.

Anyway, the unborn kid needs to have three operations by age 36 months; there's a 75% chance he'll still be alive at age 5.

And of course, this will be hideously expensive, and they need help to pay for it.


This is America's health care system.



In any other civilized country, everybody would simply pay into an efficient, non-profit system without complaining because everybody knows that, at some point in their lives, they're going to need to take out from the system. Probably a lot... growing old doesn't come cheap.


But no. Here we make people plaster their personal, private medical stories all over the county so they can hope that enough people will chip in to pay for it that it can be done without ruining the whole family for a couple of decades.

And this is superior somehow. Because the surgeon is being paid US dollars by a private insurance company rather than from the Treasury Department directly.



I don't have a dog in this fight... I don't know them. But this time with my new cel phone I was able to capture a decent picture of the poster and thought it would be an excellent example of why the recent health-care bill is a beginning, not an end.


So, I guess that's the end of my little rant here. If you Recl, please give it a kick as well.

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Disgusting, isn't it?

I've seen plenty of these types of things too. I'm pretty sure we all have. :(

[MrScorpio]

2. This fits our health care system to a T

The rich winners get the "best health care system in the world" and everyone else ends up as the losers.

[GreenPartyVoter]

94. Yep. Sucks so much that we couldn't have done more with the insurance "reform".

[xchrom]

3. Sad. Nt

[YOY]

4. Hey we had to fix it in "our own unique American way"

No matter if it can be done right as it has been done elsewhere...

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[krispos42]

19. It will change things

For example, that little guy won't have these operations being held against him for the rest of his life. And he can stay on his parent's insurance until he's 26. And there's no lifetime limit on the medical care he can receive.

There's probably a few more as well. And all of these things are important and good. But it's not as good as, say, the Taiwanese system.

[bvar22]

40. ALL of the above is TRUE, ONLY....

..IF the parents are able to afford the premiums, co-pays, and deductibles.
So, thanks to the "reforms", our Health Care System has changed from,

If you got the money, you get the care

TO

If you got the money, you get the care

[Mimosa]

42. BVar, some still don't understand *sad*

Once the HC reform begins (too late for many people like me) situations like this will still happen because insurance companies will be in charge issuing costly high deductible policies.

[bvar22]

76. There may even be an INCREASE in Medical Bankruptcies.

"Medical Bankruptcy"...a term unknown in all the civilized countries in the WORLD.
But WE had to have a "Uniquely American Solution".......indeed.
.
.
.
How can ANYONE cheer this, or call it "reform". :shrug:

We had a once in a generation opportunity for REAL reform.....now wasted.


"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

[Lorien]

45. And if the insurance company doesn't find a way to wiggle out of paying

for any procedure. Denying claims is always their first course of action.

[dflprincess]

91. And if the insurance company doesn't jack the parents' premiums up so high they can't afford them

or (if they have a plan through their employer) the employer's premiums get raised so much they have to move to a plan with out of pockets so high, it's useless or, worse, the employer starts looking for a way to drop the employee(s) that are driving the insurance costs (and don't think for a minute that doesn't happen).

[Foo Fighter]

95. Hey, c'mon now. We have the best health care money can buy.

Of course, we also have the best "democracy" money can buy but I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

Bvar22, why do you hate the rich?

[wolfgangmo]

58. Did you know...

that the supposed 85% of premium that is supposed to go toward medical care is now being watered down. Insurance companies have reclassified the department that used to deny treatment and are now calling them medical necessity research departments and they are allowed to charge off all the money they spend to deny treatment as research into medical necessity/care.

Bend over and get ready for a vacation to Greece, boys. Health Insurance Corporations are here and they think you got a real sweet bottom.

[ooglymoogly]

88. And no limits on the cost of his/her policy.

Big improvement that.

[rucky]

6. We're on our third benefit for a 2 year old with cancer.

it's exhausting - especially for the parents. not even making a dent. The last one raised 10-grand - which covered about 6 hours of treatment.

[krispos42]

23. Jeez, that's terrible.

Cancer at age two??? :-(

[wolfgangmo]

59. Hugs.

My thoughts are with you and your family.

[tango-tee]

135. This is so terribly sad, rucky.

My heart goes out to the parents and of course, to the sick child. Having to endure this nightmare must be infuriating and heartbreaking all at the same time. To have this happen in a rich country which keeps the war machine humming along, but can't "afford" to provide health care to its citizens is simply disgusting.

Whenever I see posts like yours about people facing chronic, serious or life-threatening illnesses in America, with costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars - in this particular case, where parents fear for the life of their baby and face financial ruin at the same time - it drives home the point once again that somthing is terribly, terribly wrong with America's so-called health care system. A system where friends, colleagues, neighbors and family must take up collections, have bake sales and church benefits whose proceeds are only a drop in the bucket in the end, when indisputably the fault lies with the bloated, self-serving, profit-based insurance system which places the bottom line above human life and well-being.

In contrast, the way it is here in Europe: My DH had to have his leg amputated last year. Two surgeries. Per day of hospital stay and subsequent three-week rehab he was charged € 10.--. Wheelchair to keep for life: € 10.--. Prosthesis co-pay: € 10.--. To the best of my recollection, without digging out the old bills, the grand total came to about € 800.--. My health insurance cost is 13.5% of my monthly gross income, and this amount is matched by my employer. If I change jobs, my policy stays with me. Even if I were to make much less in another job, I'd still pay 13.5% but have the same coverage. Nothing would change. Same if I were to become unemployed. The "system" itself is completely different over here. Of course, taxes are higher. But this is something I'll gladly put up with considering the alternative.

[Scuba]

7. But Jim DeMint says....

..."I think healthcare is a priviledge. I wouldn't consider it a right."

That unborn baby should get a job and buy insurance from for-profit companies like good Americans. He can't expect us to give up our 10th home, our 20th Mercedes, our million-dollar birthday parties just because he needs care. Oh wait, he's got a pre-existing condition. He'll have to die or his family will have to lose everything they've ever worked for. That's the American Way.

:sarcasm:

[BuelahWitch]

11. Where are the ProLifers re: this child?

It's one of the Unborn. Isn't that the segment of the population they care the most about? If there's a ProLife rally in the area, somebody needs to go pass the hat.

[Scuba]

13. No, they don't care about this baby...

...because their handlers won't allow it. This child will never be able to work, so can't be a productive member of the slave-class.

[CTyankee]

43. They don't care about the unborn. They only care about controlling women's sexuality.

The prolife people hand out a couple of packages of diapers and a hand me down baby outfit and call that "helping" the pregnant woman so she won't have to have an abortion.

[lib2DaBone]

56. Republicans....Love the Fetus.. Hate the Child....

Bring 'um into the world.. but not a penny for health care, food, shelter or education.

[Raspberry]

8. Just a note . . .

Don't know about this specific case, but often the benefits are held to defray NON-medical costs--such as families of patients staying at hotels, meals on the road, that sort of thing. Things that (hopefully) wouldn't be covered by any national plan.

[spinbaby]

12. Or medical costs that aren't covered

Co-pays and uncovered expenses can add up quick.

[krispos42]

22. That might be in this specific case...

...I'm not sure. I don't think the guy works at my place. They may have to spend some time at the Mayo Clinic, which isn't that far away, thankfully.

But I've seen others posted where it's expressly for the anvalanche of medical bills and related stuff (mortgage payments, etc.) because the breadwinner was injured in one way or another. Usually there's an account for donations set up at the local credit union.

[wolfgangmo]

61. But they are also to cover primary care.

Care that should be covered. A lot of the posters I read state that they don't have insurance, or that they lost it when someone got sick or hurt. Lose your job and lose your insurance. I went from being fully covered until I had a car accident and then good by job and good bye insurance. And to add insult to injury I was denied coverage by the car insurance ( you don't need surgery - yes we've seen the disk damage in the MRI but we don't feel that you need surgery despite the fact that it has been standard of care for over 30 years) and by then I no longer had my work insurance.

Insurance agent make bookies look like Mother Theresa. At least bookies pay off when they lose the bet.

[xocet]

100. Spot On....

"Things that (hopefully) wouldn't be covered by any national plan."

You have it EXACTLY RIGHT. Maybe, you could propose a plan to have patients hermetically sealed in a tube and shipped via Fed-Ex or UPS to a pre-approved medical facility for the necessary treatment. After all, one would not want to incur any extra costs in providing a patient with a supportive environment for treatment and recovery.

[Vinca]

9. Begging for medical care continues.

How's that hopey changey stuff workin' for us?

[Scuba]

10. Better than that Prayin' for Peace thingy.

[Vinca]

15. One word: Afghanistan. Still prayin'.

[HughBeaumont]

17. You had a better candidate in mind, Sarah?

[nichomachus]

25. Dennis Kucinich?

[HughBeaumont]

30. Yeah, that's realistic.

Although he knows what's best for this country, you're unfortunately fighting

+ a ubiquitous media who would never allow it, marginalizing him at every turn with twice the fervor they with did Howard Dean in 2004;

+ an addled voter base who thinks of him as a "woo woo" elf, sees him as a failed mayor of a freezing, dying city, and would ignore all of his progressive positions; instead focusing on his UFO/9-11 beliefs . . . and his wife;

+ corporations who would laugh at him and eventually have him either impeached or assassinated.

I don't like it any more than you do, but America is America: a spoiled, surface-happy and extremely impatient country loaded with and instructed by people who have absolutely NO care whatsoever for long-term solid PLANNING.

We want everything done fast, cheap and perfect and we don't want to have to pay for it and we never want a bill come due. Unfortunately, this type of thinking usually leads to huge fuck-up messes that need to be cleaned, and when someone doesn't clean it fast enough, we unfortunately put in someone (or in Bewsh's case, allow them to steal it) in office who messes things up even worse.

Dennis Kucinich would be elected in Europe. Hell, in parts of Europe, he'd probably be considered left of center. It's not happening in this Puritan, backwards country.

Your better and more realistic hope is Sherrod Brown.

[Grinchie]

39. You can relate all the BS about Kucinich that you want..

He's got my vote, no matter how you try to dissuade others.

Reminds me of the old Toshiro Mifune movie where the slick, attractive minister conspires against the honest, but unattractive clan leader in order to foment a revolution. The only thng he had going against the honest leader was that "He's Ugly"

Wake up.

So what if 80% of Americans can't comprehend remedial english? That's not my problem, it's theirs, and I'll vote for honesty over looks and heresay anyday.

Kucinich has been the canary in the coal mine for Decades, and he has many enemies because of this. After seeing how we were bamboozled by Hillary Clintons "Any Craps" bet on the election, it's pretty clear that the alienation of Kucinich comes from withing the heart of the DLC and the republicrat faction that works against us all.

[HughBeaumont]

44. Wow. Way to not read what I wrote. At all.

I'm not anti-Kucinich by any means; he's from my state. I'm against an America who will not elect progressive politicians like him because they don't read or think past someone's looks and only care about why not to vote for someone. That's more or less where my commentary was going.

[kuroman992]

72. kucinich lost my support when

he traded our progressive footing for a ride on AF1.
in 30 minutes , he folded on all his beliefs.
the bill went from "standing on a foundation of sand" to "a good start".
man, it hurt seeing someone i admired so much sell out to the obama corporate administration

[liberation]

53. You were proposing Sarah Palin, so I dunno if you should go around making judgements about realism

[HughBeaumont]

75. Misread. "Hopey, Changey thing" is a Palinism.

[liberation]

78. I dunno about misreading, typo perhaps? you were the one naming a "Sarah" in your post.

Is there any other Sarah other than Mrs. Palin?

[HughBeaumont]

82. Gaaaaah. I was calling the POSTER "Sarah" for using the phrase "Hopey Changey stuff"!

Trust me on this one, I am as pro-gress-IVE as they come. Read my journal sometime.

[Enthusiast]

119. My brother is one of

those that wants to "Throw them all out". I forwarded him Sherrod Brown's latest newsletter. I told him we can't throw out politicians like this. Sherrod Brown is one of the very best. I am proud to have both Dennis Kucinich and Sherrod Brown representing Ohio. I feel so fortunate.

[HughBeaumont]

128. Sherrod Brown hand-wrote me this letter two years ago:

It was a response to my one and only LTTE to the Plain Dealer after they wrote an entire front-page article on discredited bottom feeder Jerome Corsi and his newly released Obama smear-piece. Since his wife works at the PD as a columnist, he got wind of it.



It really meant a lot to me that people like him in Washington are listening to people like me.

Unfortunately, the Senate doesn't exactly have 60-something more like him. Then, maybe we'd actually get something done in this country.

[Enthusiast]

129. That is awesome!

Yes, if only we had more like him. There is only a handful of really good ones. We lost our country right before our eyes. We lost it slowly so many did not notice.

[unhappycamper]

14. No can do.

We need to keep feeding the Department of Death 'Defense' $$$ for toys and occupations. Until this is fixed, you will continue to see bake sales to help people with medical problems, housing and mental problems.

On the 'plus' side we have some spiffy new toys to kill people with.

One the minus side we are spending one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000) a year to keep the war machine going. And that expense comes out of the discretionary budget, the same place where social spending comes from.

[krispos42]

21. Maybe the Pentagon should have bake-sales instead...

...go door-to-door selling candy bars and magazine subscriptions...

:D

[unhappycamper]

28. A marvelous idea.

Remember a few years ago when folks somewhere in the heartland had to have bake sales to supply soldiers with socks?

A bake sale for one of these puppies would take the rest of the century:




$2.8 billion dollars. And we buy two of them each and every year.


The current granddaddy of military spending is the USS Gerald R. Ford:



Somewhere between $11.5 billion and $40 billion dollars. I kid you not.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

71. There is something rotten in our society

[Enthusiast]

115. Ya think?

In this society preparation for war is far more important than the health of any individual. Kind of reminds me of Nazi Germany leading up to WWII.

[wolfgangmo]

64. As my daddy used to say about budgeting

Iffin you ain't willin' to look at the big ticket items, then you ain't willin to budget.


Yah - I'm talking about you Pentagon. Bigger that the next 15 largest militaries in the world combined and 13 of those 15 are long standing allies. We could stand to cut 50% of the pentagon budget tomorrow and it wouldn't do jack shit to our ability to DEFEND ourselves. We could still kick everyones ass 10 times over.


This is a good video presentation by a Ph.D advisor on national security issues on how to restructure the pentagon. http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_barnett_draws_a_new_map_for_peace.html

[Blutodog]

86. Do U hate Freedom?

That's what u get as a response when u dare question the MILITARY.

[Enthusiast]

116. MIlitary is the sacred cow.

You can't get too aggressive on cuts to the military or Republicans will characterize you as "weak on defense". But this level of military spending is completely unjustified.

[HughBeaumont]

16. Shit like this makes me absolutely disgusted and fucking ASHAMED at what Corporatism has done to us.

This flyer, RIGHT here, is Unbridled Corporatism in all it's shit-splattered splendor.

The UNITED States of America - except that we're not. We're one supremely compartmentalized Republic; one where the smallest and most exclusive compartment not only owns every other one, but does their godDAMNest to make sure the owned never even come close to getting out of "their station".

"Land of the Free" - PFFFFFT. A cab driver in France is far more free than any American citizen can ever be. He'd likely never have to pony up dough from multiple charities to save his own life, or God Forbid, the lives of his family members.

"Home of the Brave" - my ASS. PLEASE. This nation is so unbelievably cowardly, it's laughable.

Our politicians are puppet facilitators and gatekeepers; the likelihood of a progressive president who'll put a fast end to the Corporate Mafia's bullshit, even if it means his/her own life, would never see the light of day. We have politicians like that, but America treats them as mere novelties, comedy acts, elves. "Hah hah hah, you got biiig ol' ears Dennis . . huh huh huh", "Bernie Sanders, in't he like an ol' Commie? What the hell is that Commie talkin' bout anyway?", "Sherr'd Brown tells it like it is about the jobs, but he's still a stinkin' RAT!!1!"

Our vaunted and powerful military picks long-lasting purposeless fights with sovereign nations, wasting thousands of lives and billions of tax dollars in the process.

Our people are milquetoast submissives who've been beaten down, addled by the corporate media and continually laid off for so long, the very notion that a health care system that would cost less, be there for them when they need it and frees them from certain financial ruin scares them. "Oh we can't do thaaaaaaat . . . that'd be SOSHULISM!!!" No, it's your human rights. It's your LIVES. You only get ONE. Fucking idiots.

It's to the point where, as a nation, we couldn't FATHOM the idea that other countries do things better, far more efficient, smarter and less expensively than we do. We're all tangled in this dick notion that "The U.S. is Nummer ONE, and don't yew ferget it", when it's all a sham. The Scandanavians and Asians KILL us in education. The Europeans have far more worry-free lives once they stopped the notion of empire.

We're worked like dogs, at least 184 days longer on average than the next highest country. We have no mandatory vacation, sick leave or maternity leave. Wages here haven't kept up with the cost of living since the 70s. We have to hope we get health care and pray that the exorbitant costs don't throw us into the street. Employers have long since thrown away any notion of thinking long term, and their hiring practices, benefits and CEO compensation packages reflect that. For example - "Health Savings Accounts". Aren't these products just a straight-up admission that your insurance SUCKS?

If America is so progressive and free, then why is the mere idea of a decent standard of living, which includes a living wage, health care that's there when you need it, and a secure means of generating income now a lottery in which only a handful of people can achieve???

You gotta wonder how long we're going to be able to keep doing this.

You gotta wonder why we have no breaking point.

You gotta wonder when America is going to fight.

You gotta wonder if they'll ever figure out that they need to.

[wolfgangmo]

65. +1

This should be rewritten as an OP.


Excellent rant.

[Mimosa]

103. ITA. Hugh Beaumont rocks. N/T

[proudohioan]

69. K & R-and the breaking point looms

Maybe, just maybe, the colossal failure shown by the Gulf Oil spill in the first place and the corporatist government's equally colossal failure to do ANYTHING about it in the second place will at least start to wake people up.

There is an alternative to this gotcha capitalism. It's called socialism.

[emmadoggy]

84. Wish I could rec your post.

Righteous rant.

[Foo Fighter]

97. [phone].

Abso-fucking-lutely spot on.

This post definitely deserves an OP of its own. And it needs to be repeatedly posted until everyone finally gets it. Which may take years. Or decades. Or lifetimes.

[HughBeaumont]

130. I make a lot of OPs like this, and they more often than not sink like stones.

But thank you anyway . . . . :fistbump:

[area51]

110. HughBeaumont hits one out of the ballpark,

once again. I agree with wolfgangmo, this needs to be an OP.

Each day, 273 people die due to lack of health care in the U.S.

We need single-payer health care, not a welfare bailout for the serial-killer insurance agencies.

[Enthusiast]

118. When Obama took single payer

"off the table" I was disappointed.

When Obama and the Democrats did not pursue the Public Option, even after resorting to budget reconciliation to enact health care reform, I knew then and there, for certain, we were on our own. And we remain on our own.

I like how you say "serial-killer insurance agencies" because that is what they are. And what is a little death in the name of profit? Just part of doing business.

[tango-tee]

114. Yes, indeed!

No further words are necessary.

[Enthusiast]

117. Hey! Love it or leave it!

I remember hearing that old refrain during the Vietnam War.

Maybe Israel and the United States can take over the world in a Hitlerian style blitz. Fascism for all! Then we can do away with those that can't pull their own weight, those that are a drain on society, the weak and the sick.

[piedmont]

18. We're getting robbed cradle-to-grave on medical care.

You're pretty much doomed to lose everything you have in the last years of old age in this country. This shit can't go on much longer.

[krispos42]

20. Inter-generational wealth is only for the rich nowadays.

My grandparents had to sell their house recently. My grandma had to move into an assisted living place apartment at $3,800 a month, and that islarger than their combined pension/social security check. So my grandpa moved into a senior apartment complex (he's still pretty spry), my grandma is in assisted living (diabetic; can barely walk unassisted and needs meds she is convinced she doesn't need), so the quarter-mil or so they got from the sale of the house they lived in for 40 years will proceed to be slowly whittled away to keep them cared for in their old age.

Not that either of my grandparent's 3 kids need it... they all wound up in the comfortable middle class. My mom got her master's in social work and my dad put in 30 years in a union job. My uncle has a masters in education (from a state-supported college) and is now a unionized health teacher in a public-school system. He's also somewhat turned into a freeper and hates when I point out how much socialism made him middle class!

My aunt also got an MSW but wound up working as a drug rep for a European pharmaceutical company. A decade ago she married a guy that had the same job in the same company. Only my mom and dad had kids, and only two.

But if things had gone different, my grandparent's kids might have really needed that modest residue, that intergenerational wealth, that my grandparents worked for decades to create might be critical to helping them send grandkids to college or make the down-payment on a house in a nice neighborhood. And it would be sucked away in health-care costs until it was gone, then the increasingly-expensive costs would have been shifted to my parents and my aunts and uncles. Who, as I just postulated, would be far less able to to withstand that shift.

[Greyhound]

26. Don't worry, it won't.

When it stops, than you can really start worrying. The wheels came off 20 years ago, and nothing has been done except to accelerate the process.

[Enthusiast]

120. You aren't supposed to notice! nt

[Quantess]

24. I see fundraisers like this all the time.

Usually it's a coin jar at the supermarket with a kid's face on it.

[Arugula Latte]

27. The great Alex Chilton (of Box Tops "The Letter" fame) died in part due to lack of health insurance

Absolutely infuriating, senseless and disgusting.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9386670

[blindpig]

29. This sort of situation will become more and more common

due to the recently passed health care bill.

[johnaries]

31. How many chickens should we donate?

K&R

[krispos42]

37. Rural Minnesota... they probably would take'em!

:rofl:


:-(

[laughingliberal]

79. Lol! Very good! nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

32. K&R and a big FU for the "gubmint is bad" Randroids. -nt

[laughingliberal]

33. K & R nt

[Trillo]

34. The Medical System is composed of a variety of oppressors.

Obama and congress made a huge mistake in suppressing Single Payer.

[wolfgangmo]

70. Employer supplied insurance is a jack boot on the neck of business and citizens

in this country. It makes us uncompetitive.


In the end it will make us into a (still) very rich (by the rich for the rich and of the rich) 3rd world country.

[Enthusiast]

121. It was not a mistake!

They were paid to take their position.

[MountainLaurel]

35. I've often thought this

Every time I go to visit my parents, you see coffee can collections in every little convenience store, trying to raise money for someone's health care, or physical therapy, or a motorized wheelchair. Usually there's a picture of an innocent looking little girl with cancer or a heroic police officer who had an accident while on duty.

Yet that is one of the same locations that screamed the loudest about socialized medicine and the Nazis regarding the health care reform in Congress.

So do they honestly prefer the former to the latter?

[AnArmyVeteran]

38. I am surrounded by 'Christians' who believe those people should just die...

It's sickening, but I am surrounded by conservative Christians who are against the government helping anyone get well. Curiously, they were FOR the Iraq war and the trillions spent killing and destroying. I guess it's okay to them because we are killing 'lowly' Muslims who they believe are going to hell anyway (according to them).

I get so sickened by conservative Christians because I haven't met one in my life who wasn't a hypocrite. I know there are good Christians, but if a christian is a conservative they seem to be against all of Jesus' teachings. I firmly believe no one can be a conservative and a Christian at the same time. They are exact opposites of each other...

[Enthusiast]

122. I find that I agree

with all your posts. This one especially. Conservative Christians are Christians in name only, much like DINOs. Jesus has merely become a side note in their religion.

[Grinchie]

36. The AMerican Medical System, the best that Hollywood can create.

Unfortunately, it's just a facade. The reality is a rotting scaffold holding up a freshly painted veneer of high tech doo dads and widgets, and populated with somewhat believable cast members and extras that know their roles.

This is the reason why there is so little attention paid to prevention, nutrition, and a healthy outlook on life... It's because the actors in the studio don't have a script for that scenario, and they're not getting paid to improvise.

Sadly, this Hollywood image has spread throughout the entire American culture, and is a key part of keeping the American Dream myth alive.

[Enthusiast]

123. +1! nt

[SidDithers]

41. K&R...

I hate to see posts like this.

But, just in case anyone thinks these types of benefits don't happen in countries with socialized medicine, we have fundraisers like this all the time in Canada. We had one in the winter for the nephew of one of our employees. The young boy needed specialized surgery which was available only in Toronto, at Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.

The difference being that we were raising money to help the family with travel and living expenses, and not for the cost of the treatment itself.

Sid

[Lorien]

46. Just about every month the National cartoonists society has an eBay auction fund raiser

for an animator or cartoonist who needs medical help. This month it's for Pres Romanillos, a very talented animator in his early 40's who needs a bone marrow transplant. Most of us are running out of items to sell for our fellow artists at this point because the need has been so great. The situation is absolutely insane; our lives are only worth as much as our net worth, and what friends and family are willing to donate to us. :-(

[truedelphi]

47. Why do you hate Obama? Why do you hate the Democratic Party? I know why I do...

because this new DLC mode of Democratic Party "working for the people" is so sold out that I can rarely think of anything good coming out of it.

Other than it being a kinder gentler form of fascism than what we had under the Rove, Bush/Cheney nightmare. (True definition of fascism being that it is a mode of political operation in which the Corporations become One with the State.)

[Enthusiast]

124. Hell, it isn't even kinder or gentler. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

48. We saw the ebst chance in everyone alive's lifetime squandered by some incremental . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . "better than nothing" crap.

*squandered*

[radhika]

49. And car washes, bake sales, walkathons aiee n/t

[ThatsMyBarack]

50. I wish we DID have "socialized" health care...

Best wishes for that soon-to-be born baby.

[ejbr]

51. k & r n/t

[liberation]

52. Hey, the American system is great! it not only helps build character

... but also sharpens your marketing skills. Frankly I don't know why the elites don't charge us for those free lessons that are making us so marketable for this great job market. We sure are a bunch of selfish ingrates!


*sarcasm* of course.

[wolfgangmo]

54. I am originally from Canada and visit there regularily.

Funny but you NEVER see signs like that in Canada. Not is gas stations, convenience stores or bulitin boards.


Gee - I wonder why? Could it be that it is COVERED in Canada. Oh - Canadians don't loss homes due to medical bills either.

[polly7]

73. Yes, I see them the odd time.

Today in our Credit Union there was a jar for donations for a friend of mine travelling to Vancouver for an experimental treatment for advanced MS. She'll be covered of course for the treatment and reimbursed for a lot of her travelling and any out of hospital living expenses while there, but not all. That's why many buy extra insurance through their employment or on their own, but she's been living below the poverty line for so long every dime will help.

[cornermouse]

113. You probably want to ask Nance that question since she lives in Cananda too.

[badgerpup]

55. K & R n/t

:kick:

[maryf]

57. Improved and Expanded Medicare for all Round two, the battle continues...

don't just settle for this horrendous bill, we're still the only industrialized country that doesn't take care of its own...and this is going to get a lot worse, premiums will keep climbing, the fines will be cheaper to keep up with...K&R

[joeybee12]

60. My cousin has cancer...employed, has insurance...

still had to have a fundraiser because there was so much they wouldn't cover.

[livingonearth]

74. A guy where I work had congestive heart failure and had to be off work several months-

long enough that the company was about to cut off his health insurance. No health insurance if you aren't working and keeping up with the emploee portion. We had to all chip in to keep his insurance going on a monthly basis. Only in America.

[dflprincess]

90. My brother is in that situation as well and his friends recently had a benefit for him

He has stage 3B lung cancer (inoperable and spread to the lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis in February).

The good news is, the lymph nodes are showing some improvement and the xrays have shown the main tumor is shrinking. He has another CAT scan scheduled near the end of June that will give a better idea of how well the treatments are doing so for now he's getting a few weeks break from chemo and radiation.

The bad news is, he's used up all his PTO and FMLA and his employer is terminating him (yes, it's legal to do this). He works in a warehouse and his job is fairly physical so there's no way he was up to working during the chemo & radiation cycles. He does have both short & long term disability insurance, but it doesn't pay much. I've been covering the insurance premiums so far (3 of his kids still need his insurance as well) but once he's officially terminated, he'll have to go on COBRA and I'm hoping I'll be able to keep the payments up. The kids are all over 18 and I've warned them they may be thrown overboard if I can't afford the family premium.

Situations like this will not change with the insurance scam that was foisted on us.

[Enthusiast]

125. Sorry about your brother.

His story is so commonplace. And this is uncalled for.

[Cleita]

62. But...but...but...it's your Christian duty to give alms to the needy and look after your

parents and other related old people yourself. If you are the person in need with your hand out, well you'd better get a job you lazy bum.

[WCGreen]

63. The Market always dictates....

[Canuckistanian]

66. That's insane

In Canada we wouldn't put up with this shit. THIS is the exact reason why we instituted single-payer, universal health care.

It's based on a VERY SIMPLE premise - NOBODY should go broke facing a serious medical condition in a country that is affluent enough to pay for it.

[bvar22]

77. ...but...but..but...

This is a "Uniquely American Solution".
Why do you hate America?
When we get Sarah Palin, its going to be ALL your fault.
.
.
.
Now get in line and join the "Mission Accomplished" parade.
Thank GAWD it PASSED!!

Americans can now BUY Health Insurance from a Health Insurance Corporation!!!!
woo-hoo

[Canuckistanian]

87. I'm astounded

That the American Torch and Pitchfork industries aren't having a banner year.

[OnlinePoker]

89. If that's the case, then why is it happening?

Breast cancer patients face huge financial burden: Report

OTTAWA — On top of their physical challenges, breast cancer patients bear a huge financial burden and the federal government should reform employment-insurance benefits to help lift it, a new report says.

According to the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, the financial consequences of a breast-cancer diagnosis can be as stressful as the disease itself, and while women may survive the cancer, they could be struggling with the financial impact for the rest of their lives.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Breast+cancer+patients+face+huge+financial+burden+Report/3077676/story.html#ixzz0pwN5kccG

[dflprincess]

92. Per the article the main problem is loss of income

as well as (from the link)

Drugs taken outside of hospital settings are not always covered by public health plans, so patients either pay out-of-pocket or through private insurance, if they have it. Wigs, prosthetics, child care, and even paying for parking at health-care centres were also cited as extra financial costs by the women surveyed.

I also see the article mentions there is talk of extending the EI sickness benefits to something longer than 15 weeks and there's also talk of

They are also calling for changes to the compassionate care benefit for family caregivers, better drug coverage, more support for child care and travel expenses, and help for self-employed women.

So yes, it happens in Canada partially because the PAID sickness benefits aren't long enough. In the states you can get 12 weeks UNPAID (and it was hard enough to get that passed) during which time you are responsible for you medical insurance premium and if you are out longer than 12 weeks, your employer can terminate you. Hopefully, you'll qualify for unemployment benefits if you don't have disability insurance - but you're still on the hook for the insurance premium and any uncovered expenses.

[Enthusiast]

126. Do right wing talking points much?

Do you work for an insurance company?

[OnlinePoker]

132. Don't be a nob

I'm just pointing out that everyone who thinks Canada's health system is free and easy are mistaken and that people do lose money in order to get the treatment they need. Maybe it isn't from direct hospital costs, but from the aftercare that is required...drugs and therapy.

[Enthusiast]

133. We don't hear enough paid right wing shills

spewing this message every fucking day? You feel the need to add to the right wing message of "See the single payer Canadians don't have it better than you do." I am suspicious of anyone on the DU promoting RW (insurance industry) talking points.

Most all of us on the DU would trade our system for the Canadian one in a heart beat, that is the point of this thread.

[catrose]

67. I would really like to go into a local store/restaurant

And not see a jar or an announcement for a medical benefit. Rather, I'd like for no one to need a medical benefit.

Last week I contributed to an online fundraiser for a liver replacement for someone's lesbian wife. D had been a policewoman and a carpenter, both valuable contributions to the community. Of course, she couldn't be on her wife's insurance.

This stuff needs to end.

[AllyCat]

68. But, but, they are taking personal responsibility and not relying on

insurance company handouts or help from tax payers. We have a war to pay for for Cripes sake.

Seriously, we have a host of these posters up in our town at any given time and it makes me sick that people have to hold bake sales to get needed medical care. For everyone who wants people to pay their own way, I hope they are showing up with fat wallets at every one of these benefits.

[colsohlibgal]

80. Only In America

It makes me so angry hearing bought off politicians spout that we have the best health care in the world. That may be true if you have the wealth to pay for it but most don't. They fail to mention that.

The parents in that poster could focus solely on their child's health, instead of having to also suffer anxiety about money, if they happened to be citizens of almost any other non two bit country.

With this kind of a back drop Obama still allowed his health care bill to be so watered down it's waterlogged - and he and his corporate toadie Baucus didn't even invite single payer advocates to the table, in fact they had them arrested when they tried to crash to closed off party. It will do a few good thing to some - but it's laughable they try to trumpet it as historic.

[proReality]

81. K&R n/t

[suffragette]

83. K&R

Exceptionally apt post.

[ProudDad]

85. K&R (n/t)

[hay rick]

93. Vitally needed care dependent on charity.

We are pathetic. I helped run a gift auction for a co-worker who was paralyzed in a biking accident a couple years ago. It was a lot of work and we raised $40,000. Ours was the third (and final) fund-raising event for our friend and his family- all taking place in a period of about three months. Together, the three events raised about $100,000. It felt good to help the family but it's still a grossly inadequate substitute for comprehensive medical care.

[krispos42]

106. Social Darwinism...

...only likeable people that belong to large, organized social institutions (like, say, a church) can get enough donations to get health care. All the heathens, h-h-h-OMOsexuals, femi-Nazis, birth-control users, atheists, Muslims, and people that don't have large, QuiverFull-inspired families... well, they'll just die off due to a lack of funds.

[leftstreet]

96. K&R

[Chubb Rock]

98. K&R

Can't wait to bring this up to the fundies at work...sad stuff indeed.

[Omaha Steve]

99. K&R!

[New Dawn]

101. Neo-liberal economics is a death sentence. Quite literally.

[lib_wit_it]

102. Rec'd and here's the kick.

[krispos42]

104. Wow, this thread got over a hundred recs while I was at work...

I'm always been tempted to scrawl "Sure beats Medicare-for-all" on these when they are posted, but I figured it would be in bad taste. So I finally decided to vent a little on DU.

Thanks, all. :-)

[DeadEyeDyck]

105. long as I am a sudent (grad)

I am covered by dad's care. I thiks

[meowomon]

107. Yesterday my insurance company United denied me a medicine...

that my doctor said I needed to stop the bleeding behind my retina. The kind doctor had a "reserve" of left over medication that other patients did not use up and he kindly used it for my problem. All the time we were both ranting on insurance companies and that "Obamacare" was a giveaway to these corporations. We both agreed that "Obamacare" did not go far enough! I love my opthamologist!

[Systematic Chaos]

108. You're extremely lucky.

I'm glad you had a doctor with a conscience and some foresight. With a good many of them you'd have been shit outta luck. :grr:

[Hugabear]

109. Living with no health insurance means you hope that pain in your chest isn't a heart attack

Or that pain you're feeling inside your body isn't something really serious, you just hope that it goes away on its own within a few days.

[DesertDiamond]

111. Oh geez. I'm reminded of an old bumper sticker, "Wouldn't it be nice if...

education were fully funded, and they had to hold a bake sale to build a bomber?" The priorities in this country have bass ackwards since at least the Reagan era.

[HughBeaumont]

131. That is a great sticker.

"Yew libs just don't underSTAIND thet we NEEDS a strong militarah".

Yeah, that strong, well-prepared and fully-funded-out-the-ass military, intelligence and what not did us a WORLD of good on 9/11, didn't it? :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

What happens when that "strong military" is severely crippling us as a nation? How long can we go on funding this bloated monster? Is it really being used for defense anymore, or for being a world bully cop? How long are we going to let our infrastructure rot while we're off on purpose-void ass-kicking excursions?

[bobburgster]

112. For a minute....

I thought it was Sarah Palin in that picture, donating her time to help a family in need. :sarcasm:

[Enthusiast]

127. She won't even donate time

to her own family. Too busy on the gravy train.

[bobburgster]

137. Yeah, for some reason I don't see her donating to DU either.

;)

[Mari333]

134. I have a friend with severe fibromyalgia who has no health insurance

so she has no meds. she just sits in severe pain and takes it. nothing. spinal stenosis. nothing. she knows it will eventually kill her, but she is 60 and has nothing . no money, no job, she gets a little money from working for her dying stepfather where she has POA. otherwise, shes too sick to work.
problem is, to get disability in this state takes years. she has applied and re applied.

so its a crap shoot now for her.

lots of people I know who just gave up and accepted disease and death. they know they wont see any help.

in the meantime, we have reached over a trillion dollars spent on wars.

[area51]

136. Kick for this important issue. (n/t)