The New Reform Bill

I could go on a tyrade of various stories of how this issue effects me. Down to my credit score, believe it or not. I’ve always worked. I’ve always had health insurance. I’ve always paid the premiums every month for myself and my daughter, yet, like so many other Americans had a procedure for my daughters ear surgery (she had hearing loss due to a bad ear infection) that was pre approved then after the surgery and 10 grand later, got denied citing a pre existing condition. As a 23 year old single mother, I didn’t have 10k in my bank account to shell out for this procedure, though I can honestly say Ive paid well more than that in insurance premiums throughout the years.

When the senate nixed the previous bill with a public health option, I felt like I had watched my favorite team make it to the NBA Playoffs then at a final moment just as the buzzer goes off, while both teams are tied, the other team makes a shot. And we lose the game. (Hi NY Knicks in the 90s!) only this time, I couldn’t turn my TV off and mope for a minute and vow to never watch basketball again. This time, I felt defeated by what is now brazen corruption. Its not like 15 years ago when all this stuff was kept under wraps to be discovered by the press years later. This is all out in the open. Equivalent to being mugged in broad daylight with a gun to your head on Madison Avenue with a cop standing across the street. What’s sad is we have grown to accept it. We lie to our doctors so we don’t get denied due to pre existing conditions. I had a friend pay cash at a doctor other than her doctor to have a physical and gave false personal info so that it wouldn’t get back to her insurance. This has become a normal day to day occurrence for all of us. Not those of us on Welfare, who already get Medicaid, but those of us who pay ridiculous premiums for sub-par healthcare. To offer some healthcare reform bill without a public option is like drinking an alcohol free beer or decaffeinated coffee... What the hell is the point?

So I say my prayers that they will find a happy medium in this new bill that offers the public option. Infact, I have my senate navy bean soup on the crock pot as I type this!