Tag Archives: health care

New Health Care Bill Seems Almost Assured

  By la Macha | March 22, 2010 - 1:11 pm |
5 Comments

Well, the weekend brought us some mixed good news. The good news seems to be that the US will soon have a health care bill that will make affordable health care a reality for all.

The bad news is, is that it’s just not true.

I am still trying to unpack everything that is being said about this health care bill, but it’s been difficult work as it seems that every hour another change is taking place. But the essentials seem to be most accurately described here at Fire Dog Lake.

Some of the more points that are not making me happy:

3) Individual Mandate

The individual mandate, which uses the IRS to force people to buy a product from a poorly regulated, private industry, is an affront to the American people.

4) Abortion

This bill is a massive rollback of a woman’s right to choose. It would take away the abortion coverage of millions of Americans. The system of exchanges and affordability tax credits could easily be modified to ensure federal funds are not used to pay for abortions, while still not taking away the ability of women and small businesses to buy insurance packages that cover abortion.

6) Immigration

Under this almost-law, undocumented immigrants would not be allowed to buy insurance on the new exchanges, even if they are willing to pay the full cost of the insurance with their own money.

I am rebelling against this legislation. I am trying very hard not to. I am trying to believe and listen when various news outlets tell me that this is some of the most life changing world changing legislation–as if it is a positive thing. I’m not going to go on a massive rant quite yet, as I know that a lot can happen in even the one week it is estimated that it will take to get the Senate to apply all their changes.

But…I’m am worried. And a bit scared. How many people do I know who can’t afford health insurance–even “affordable” health insurance that they get vouchers on? I know people (and was one of those people for a long time) that couldn’t even afford to go to the community clinic where they had a sliding scale fee chart because even the bottommost fee (15$) was too much for me.

Forcing poor people to buy health insurance that isn’t even going to cover them when there are surprises (abortion) is little more than a cruel joke to me. Penalizing those same people for not having health insurance (even “affordable” insurance) when that insurance isn’t going to cover them during times they need it most is nothing short of criminal.

But–it’s seems to be a wait and see game at this time. Wait and see, wait and see. How badly will we all be screwed over?

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Sign Petition So that Undocumented Workers Can Buy Their Own Insurance

  By la Macha | November 23, 2009 - 11:16 am |
3 Comments

Please please, before we move on, take just a moment to note the ultimate horrible irony of the title of this post.

Done?

Ok. I just got this in an email:

Dear Friends,

Please sign the following urgent petition to Congress and Pres. Obama telling them to allow undocumented immigrants to purchase health care insurance. The newly introduced Senate health care bill DISALLOWS undocumented immigrants from purchasing insurance even with their own money. This is an inhumane, deplorable, and unacceptable policy that we must vehemently oppose.

Please lend your voice to this very important effort.

In Solidarity,

Efrén Paredes, Jr./Tlecoz Huitzil

Petition Link:

http://healthcare.change.org/actions/view/allow_undocumented_immigrants_to_purchase_health_care#

Honestly, this whole health care debate is exhausting me. Over and over and over again, our public “representatives” seem to be deliberately searching for a way fuck me/us over in the most heinous and despicable ways possible. It’s weird how something that is supposed to be about making people safer and healthier requires a good beating before hand.

Needless to say, even if we can defeat this measure, it will be a largely symbolic victory. Undocumented immigrants don’t have the greatest paying jobs in the world–and poor people can always find better things to spend their money on than problems that may or may not happen in the future. Couple this “pay for their own health insurance” crap with the “pay a steep fine” crap that will surely come up again once immigration reform gets put back on the table…and what we have is basically debt peonage run and controlled by the U.S. government.

It’s weird how this clip is the only that can get a smile out of me at the moment.

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Michael Moore Sightings

  By la Macha | September 24, 2009 - 1:17 pm |
1 Comment

I already wrote that I can’t wait to see the new Michael Moore movie–the following clips show why. Especially pay attention to the Colbert video: if we had universal health insurance, we wouldn’t be in the middle of this economic crisis right now.

So I made this movie to do a number of things. One, to just go head on at this system. I’m not a reformer. I’m not looking for Congress to pass a few new regulations, which, by the way, it’s been a year since the crash, and they haven’t passed one of these things, which is what they said they were going to do right away, right? “All we need is a few rules. Don’t get rid of capitalism, just a few rules, and we’ll get everything back in shape.” Of course, they have no intention of doing that, and the banking industry has lobbied them successfully over the last year to leave them alone so that they can keep doing their crazy schemes. That’s one reason.

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Capitalism’s Enemy – Michael Moore
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

I wonder what the politicians (and my Libertarian friends) response to that assertion is.

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Health care debate gets worse and worse

  By la Macha | September 17, 2009 - 11:38 am |
3 Comments

Mala already pointed out the horrible way this health care debate has turned on immigrants–even the “good” immigrants here legally that we all “don’t have a problem with.” Now, news if floating around about how the proposed legistlation that is most likely to pass through both houses of Congress just so happens to not have the public option, AND imposes pretty harsh fines on those who don’t have insurance:

With some exceptions for very low-income individuals and those with religious objections, the Baucus proposal would require that individuals buy health insurance every year.

The penalty for not buying insurance would be a fine running as high as $3,800 a year for a family that makes more than 300% of the federal poverty level. For families that forgo coverage and make less than that, the fine would be $1,500. The fines for individuals would be, respectively, $950 and $750.

I feel like I’m in bizarro world. At one time within the past few weeks, I desperatly wanted this health thing to pass. I very rarely get involved in mainstream politic-y type organizing because I feel it accomplishes so little–but health care for all? Even my oh, so, radical butt has been signing petitions and talking with family members about why they need this.

But now, as more and more bad news keeps coming in, the only thing I can think is that my family can’t afford to buy ANY insurance–we’re living on a shoestring budget as it is. We also can’t afford to pay any of those fines–and what’s more, we shouldn’t have to. This is where I am just libertarian enough to say, if I don’t won’t to buy fucking health insurance, ain’t no government on earth gonna make me.

Living in a state that has unemployment around 15% (and when you figure in underemployed and those who have stopped looking for work, it’s closer to 25%), that any elected official is even considering a bill like this is laughable–no, actually, it’s more criminal.

Because we all know who is benefiting off of requiring health insurance–with no public option. And I’ll give you a clue, it’s not me, it’s not you, and it sure isn’t the Grandma we were all so concerned about a week ago.

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Hurricane Katrina Horrors Linger On

  By la Macha | September 2, 2009 - 3:01 pm |
1 Comment

I just got finished to listening to this interview on Democracy Now! about the effects Hurricane Katrina had on a particular hospital in New Orleans. As waters rose and electricity and water pressure was lost, the situation in Memorial hospital became desperate–pushing some doctors to allegedly kill their more vulnerable patients. Some of the doctors allegedly killed their patients so that they (the doctors) could escape the situation, others allegedly did it as an act of kindness in the middle of hell. One doctor denies killing her patients at all–despite evidence to the contrary.

It’s a hard story to listen to–one that really opens the “death panel” discussion in a way that is much more relevant and necessary to reality. Namely: in moments of crisis and few resources, how do we decide who is going to get resources and who is not?

No doctor should have death on his or her hands because as a society we are so unprepared and unable to handle frank discussions about death. The fact is, especially in crisis moments, and ALWAYS under capitalism, resources are in short supply. And I personally would rather that there is a public debate over who is allowed to live *specifically because capitalism is its own death panel* and who is not.

But, to have that frank conversation, we first need to be able to redirect the conversation to reality. We need to be able to admit that unrestricted capitalism has its consequences. And that individual humans making decisions forced on them by capitalism become scape goats so that capitalism can remain hidden and unchallenged. When we all finally admit that capitalism is a horrible game of parceling out resources to the people who have the least need of them…then we can begin to have frank discussions that might possibly save doctors from making horrible decisions and vulnerable people from being killed simply because there was no other way.

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Legislators for sale

  By la Macha | August 4, 2009 - 9:53 am |
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Keith Olberman can often be over the top to me, although he is regularly amusing. For example, his constant airing of the Palin turkey video was really amusing even as I had a hard time considering it news and was, frankly, rather grossed out and horrified by the whole thing.

But having said that, I think he hit one out of the ballpark with last night’s special comment.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

To see a partial transcript, click here.

Of course, with Olberman comes problems. His use of the innocent white woman to tug at our heart strings and his casual references to the evils of prostitution are par for the course with Olberman. But…his overall point? That corporations run this country? Right on.

Maybe he’ll become a good old flaming red socialist soon, and join la Macha out on the protest line soon.

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Give Us your tired, your poor, Just Not Your Sick cuz We’ll Deport Them

  By Maegan la Mamita Mala | July 30, 2009 - 7:39 am |
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ALeqM5h0qhiSlkyxfMLkaB3hCjU4jGccNAIs it too radical to believe that hospitals should be like churches? That they should be safe spaces where people can get what they went their for, health care? Instead a court decision has legitimized hospitals acting as ICE agents and Homeland Security.

A hospital that sent a seriously brain injured illegal immigrant back to Guatemala – over the objections of his family and legal guardian – did not act unreasonably, a jury found Monday…

Health care and immigration experts across the country have closely watched the court case in the sleepy, coastal town of Stuart. The hospital had cared for Jimenez, who was uninsured, for three years. But it was unable to find any nursing home to take him permanently because his immigration status meant the government would not reimburse his care.

(more…)

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Senate Passes Health Care Bill for Children, Including Immigrant Children

  By Maegan La Mala | January 30, 2009 - 8:50 am |
2 Comments

nohealthcare.jpgThe Senate passed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which helps countless numbers of uninsured children (including my own) access health care. It now moves to the House to be voted on.

One of the more controversial parts of this latest incarnation of the health care bill, is changing the current law that bars legal immigrant children and pregnant women from accessing Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program for five years after they enter the United States.

What is unclear to me is how legislators can talk up the importance of legal immigration and yet have no problem blocking access to basic health care to those who have legal status? Would they rather have people become sick and access medical care through emergency rooms, costing more money?

Via / The Sanctuary

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U.S. Hospitals to Undocumented : Back Where You Came From

  By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo | August 4, 2008 - 12:00 pm |
5 Comments

hospital460.jpgIf anyone wonders about the veracity of current immigration policy being partially responsible for the gap in health and health care access between Latinos and other groups of people, one needs only to read the recent NYT article that tells of how U.S. hospitals are dumping and deporting undocumented immigrants in critical need of care.

The reason, undocumented immigrants lack health insurance and the hospitals are other critical care centers (i.e. rehab centers and nursing homes) don’t want to have to pay the bill. In a country where health care is more about big business than about caring for the sick, hospitals are leasing planes to “take care” of their patients.

(more…)

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A moving story brings victory for janitors

  By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo | November 24, 2006 - 5:42 pm |
1 Comment

A group of janitors in Houston have won a tentative case for higher pay and health insurance, helped by the SEIU (Service Employees International Union). The win comes after the moving testimony before attorneys and executives during which one Salvadoran janitor, Ercilia Sandoval (see video), told her story of battling cancer without health coverage:

Last September Sandoval began feeling worn out on the job. She scrubbed bathroom fixtures through headaches and fevers, emptied trash cans with sore arms and a tight back. Lacking health insurance, she couldn’t afford to see a doctor. Nearly a year passed before she forked over $200 for a consultation. A mammogram confirmed her worst fears: She suffered from advanced-stage breast cancer. Yet hospitals in Houston wouldn’t treat her because she was uninsured. She waited two months to be approved for state disability coverage. In June, doctors finally began chemotherapy treatments but say she probably has only a few months to live.

(more…)

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