Guaranteed Healthcare

Only by telling stories about Isabelle and countless others like her - over and over -- will we penetrate public apathy about the cruel tragedy of our insurance-profit-driven health care. You are correct. The indifferent blast of a nuclear bomb and our pay-or-die health care system have much in common. No caring exists in either of these doomsday scenarios. Notice how our nation's "leading" politicians love both our nuclear stockpiles and our non-health care system.

It's amazing how both Nuclear Power and no insurance or underinsurance can also kill. It's also amazing how the insurance lobby and politicians, all who have insurance, want to deny those of us who don't the right to health care.

It's almost like those who have want to keep us without so we can never empower ourselves to reach their level of financial success.

Well said!

And without even noting that Brandy's condition is now on the books in regards to Isabelle, and that Providence and other insurance companies would almost certainly exclude it as a preexisting condition for new insurance.

Whether Brandy has two other relatives with it or not.

After all, marriage counseling, C-sections, etc. are preexisting conditions - no doubt a mom with a condition that you've got a 50 percent chance for counts too.

And where else might this also happen? Well, sure. Lots of places: Paraguay, Zimbabwe, Burma. I meant in the industrialized world.

Shame.

p.s. Ave Cassandra says hi.

This is one more sad story in the thousands and thousands that nearly everyone can tell about inadequate healthcare because of money. Most people never realize how inadequate their healthcare is until they develop a serious problem, then they find out too late. My family's personal story: My wife Susan had multiple surgeries in the past for an injury received during college. She has completely recovered to the point that she no longer seeks or needs treatment for the problems that the surgery addressed. Nonetheless, she was denied when I went to get health insurance for our family. Since I pay my own health insurance, Susan had to get a separate policy from the State-sponsored plan for "uninsurable risks." I have a policy that covers my five children and myself. Ironically, the initial policies are issued by exactly the same insurance company, since the company that acted as middleman for the state-sponsored plan is Blue Cross, as is my self-paid insurance. Now, a few years later, the Blue Cross plan has been replaced by its local competitor but I could just as easily get the family's insurance (without Susan) through that competitor.
Why would a company split one person out from a family? Money--pure and simple. Adding Susan to the family plan would produce less revenue than having her insured separately, partly because of the higher rate she pays but MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY for each "uninsurable risk" that the insurer receives.
Something wrong with that?? I think so. The insurers are sucking money out of the government to boost their profits while at the same time lobbying intensively through John McSame et al (Harry and Louise redux) to convince Americans that "government health care" is the big baddddd bugaboo.
Think that's all?? NOOOOO. The insurers now recognize that universal health care is coming and they have gotten wise on how to continue their profits. It's a simple concept: they position themselves in the middle of the money stream and siphon off their 15% from a much larger river of money. That's what the plans of HillarackObamton are: a way to pretend that we have national health care when in fact we have a balkanized system of insurers getting the benefit of even more government spending, because they control the money stream. The author of both Democrat plans is Jacob Hacker and if you are a policy wonk, you can read all about the why the insurers love the Democrat plan in the latest Health Affairs (including an article by Hacker.) http://www.healthaffairs.org/
My story is not over: I have a 9 year old son with siezure disorder. Fortunately, i bought my current health insurance before his diagnosis, otherwise he too would have been excluded from coverage. But I am 58. When I turn 66 in 8 years, he will be 17 and my other kids will be younger. I will be on Medicare and will be INELIGIBLE to continue the family plan. What will my kids do? My wife cannot sponsor a family plan. The kids cannot get a family plan. Chances are, we will be buying an individual policy for each child and the 9 year old will be uninsurable, just like my wife. Terrific system we have isn't it?

they don't belong in health care because they're bullies. They profit at the expense of sick people, and when hospitals and doctors and nurses ask them to pay for the care sick people need, the bullies say "no;" so then, people get sicker and die. When something is wrong, we have a responsibility to fix it.

I would tell Isabelle that we are going to do the best we can
to make sure that they never hurt anyone again. We're going to get together in San Francisco on June 19th and tell the insurance company bullies they're not welcome in the health business anymore. We're going to tell our politicians that they have a responsibility to make sure the government serves the needs of the people. We want to take care of each other. We have a duty to take care of you, Isabelle, and your mother. That's good manners, and that's good public health policy.