green-eyed monster (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} tscheese) wrote,@ 2008-02-25 14:44:00 |
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Sorry for the FL spam, this is important.
Guys, I'm not sure what can be done about this, but I'm going to crosspost about this entry in crowhen's blog, because it's very upsetting.
Rachel Nabors recently had an orthodontic evaluation for a problem with her jaw. Due to a past injury and structural problems, her bones will weaken and she'll start to lose teeth if she doesn't have a procedure done.
The procedure will cost $15,000 to $25,000.
Yes, you read that right. Count the zeroes.
Rachel is a very hardworking, go-getter individual. By all accounts, she's the type of individualistic, ambitious, burning-the-midnight-oil sort of person who would make a great role model. She has her own business. She has won awards. She works for a subsidiary of MSNBC. Did I mention she's only 22? She's balancing school and a full-time job. She's a very energetic and determined person. And this cost will be out of pocket for her.
"Oh, she shouldn't have become an artist. No one who seriously wants to get ahead in life is an artist."
Think about what you consume. Think about your culture. Think about the things that are noble and funny and beautiful. Think about the things that make your life better, like music and literature. These were created by people just like Rachel--people who made sacrifices to do what they love for a living. Now imagine your world without artists. Everyone becomes...I dunno, an accountant! Everyone devotes their lives to getting four-year degrees and wearing neckties. Everyone does exactly what they "should" do in order to "get ahead". Is that honestly the kind of world you want to live in? Are you really going to dismiss professional artists as unnecessary?
And really, what good is that "shouldn't have been an artist" sentiment going to do for you when your job as an accountant or a banker is downsized and you're laid off with no insurance and no income and a mortgage to worry about? Don't tell me that artists deserve whatever they get, just because they didn't follow the same career path as you. Please.
Here's the thing: NOT EVERYBODY CAN GET INSURANCE. If I've said it once, I've said it a bajillion times. Hardworking, upstanding taxpayers are getting reamed by heathcare costs in this country. If you get seriously ill, or need a major procedure done, and you don't have tip-top insurance, you are fucked seventeen ways sideways.
"Oh, but if we give everyone free healthcare handouts, then we'll see lots of welfare queens!" Please. The income requirements for getting federal assistance are pitifully low. Depending on how many dependents you have or the level of care you need, you have to be below the poverty line to qualify for Medicaid. You can't own a vehicle that's worth more than $4000.00. More data is in this previous post I made.
"Well, she should have gotten private insurance!" Right, because that's so easy and affordable. Even if you can get one that doesn't ream you in the pee-hole, not all of the plans offer dental. They can deny coverage outright for preexisting conditions.
What are these people supposed to do? Are they supposed to just sit back and suffer and take a huge financial hit because, oops, tough luck, them's the breaks?!
Could YOU have afforded something like this when you were 22? At 22, would YOU have just said, "oh, them's the breaks?" I most certainly could not have done it out of pocket, and I spent half of my 22nd year with no insurance.
What can we do? The system is broken. The middle class is being killed slowly. Americans pay more per capita for health care than any other industrialized nation in the world. What can we do?
We can vote. Obama '08! We can write our congresscritters and turn their attention to issues of public health funding. We can raise awareness. We can talk about these issues and get people THINKING before they walk to that ballot box in November.
I don't know what we can do for Rachel, but goddamnit, I'm not going to be quiet about this.
Guys, I'm not sure what can be done about this, but I'm going to crosspost about this entry in crowhen's blog, because it's very upsetting.
Rachel Nabors recently had an orthodontic evaluation for a problem with her jaw. Due to a past injury and structural problems, her bones will weaken and she'll start to lose teeth if she doesn't have a procedure done.
The procedure will cost $15,000 to $25,000.
Yes, you read that right. Count the zeroes.
Rachel is a very hardworking, go-getter individual. By all accounts, she's the type of individualistic, ambitious, burning-the-midnight-oil sort of person who would make a great role model. She has her own business. She has won awards. She works for a subsidiary of MSNBC. Did I mention she's only 22? She's balancing school and a full-time job. She's a very energetic and determined person. And this cost will be out of pocket for her.
"Oh, she shouldn't have become an artist. No one who seriously wants to get ahead in life is an artist."
Think about what you consume. Think about your culture. Think about the things that are noble and funny and beautiful. Think about the things that make your life better, like music and literature. These were created by people just like Rachel--people who made sacrifices to do what they love for a living. Now imagine your world without artists. Everyone becomes...I dunno, an accountant! Everyone devotes their lives to getting four-year degrees and wearing neckties. Everyone does exactly what they "should" do in order to "get ahead". Is that honestly the kind of world you want to live in? Are you really going to dismiss professional artists as unnecessary?
And really, what good is that "shouldn't have been an artist" sentiment going to do for you when your job as an accountant or a banker is downsized and you're laid off with no insurance and no income and a mortgage to worry about? Don't tell me that artists deserve whatever they get, just because they didn't follow the same career path as you. Please.
Here's the thing: NOT EVERYBODY CAN GET INSURANCE. If I've said it once, I've said it a bajillion times. Hardworking, upstanding taxpayers are getting reamed by heathcare costs in this country. If you get seriously ill, or need a major procedure done, and you don't have tip-top insurance, you are fucked seventeen ways sideways.
"Oh, but if we give everyone free healthcare handouts, then we'll see lots of welfare queens!" Please. The income requirements for getting federal assistance are pitifully low. Depending on how many dependents you have or the level of care you need, you have to be below the poverty line to qualify for Medicaid. You can't own a vehicle that's worth more than $4000.00. More data is in this previous post I made.
"Well, she should have gotten private insurance!" Right, because that's so easy and affordable. Even if you can get one that doesn't ream you in the pee-hole, not all of the plans offer dental. They can deny coverage outright for preexisting conditions.
What are these people supposed to do? Are they supposed to just sit back and suffer and take a huge financial hit because, oops, tough luck, them's the breaks?!
Could YOU have afforded something like this when you were 22? At 22, would YOU have just said, "oh, them's the breaks?" I most certainly could not have done it out of pocket, and I spent half of my 22nd year with no insurance.
What can we do? The system is broken. The middle class is being killed slowly. Americans pay more per capita for health care than any other industrialized nation in the world. What can we do?
We can vote. Obama '08! We can write our congresscritters and turn their attention to issues of public health funding. We can raise awareness. We can talk about these issues and get people THINKING before they walk to that ballot box in November.
I don't know what we can do for Rachel, but goddamnit, I'm not going to be quiet about this.
