Cwabs!

My little health care rant.

A year ago tomorrow my sister discovered that her oldest daughter had an inoperable brain tumor.

Weeks of radiation treatments brought it under control, and my niece is doing fine, but she will require regular MRI scans for the rest of her life to make sure that the tumor remains stable.

The total cost of her treatment was over $150,000—insurance covered it, although I suppose that prior to the Affordable Care Act passing they could have just said that the treatment wasn’t authorized and my sister (and the rest of the family, I imagine) would be on the hook for the cost.

I suppose that when my niece hits twenty-whatever, she’ll have to get her own insurance, and an inoperable brain tumor would fall under the category of “preexisting condition” and wouldn’t have been covered, so the choice would be pay out of pocket for thousands of dollars in scans every year, or take her chances with having a resurgence that could kill her.

Fortunately, she won’t have to make that choice, assuming that the Affordable Care Act isn’t repealed.

When you “like” Mitt Romney’s page on Facebook, or spout Republican talking points about the cost of health care, or repeat the “job-creators” myths, I interpret that as only one thing:

You don’t care if my niece lives or dies.

Fuck you. You say you respect life? Here’s an ACTUAL LIFE you want to harm through your vote, and your propaganda is encouraging others to wish her harm. You might as well see a child drowning in a swimming pool, have lifeguard certification, and say “oh, I might get my cell phone wet, I’ll just stay here and see if someone jumps in.” You’re a hypocrite, and a coward, and a loathsome excuse for a human being.

I understand principles, but if your principles are aligned in such a way that you will HARM A CHILD in order to prove a point, your values system is messed up.

I don’t see Mitt Romney, or Donald Trump, or the Koch Brothers, or any other filthy rich ‘publicans offering to foot the bill for my niece’s well-being. Since Barack Obama is the only person (with a chance of actually winning) who’s got my niece’s back, I’m going to do what I can to make for damn sure he gets reelected. And that whoever comes after him will share those values.

Tagged: ACA BarackObama health care obama 2012 election 2012

Posted 8 months ago 36 notes

Engineer, actor, intellectual, mal vivant. Living in the wilds of East Nashville, next to the railroad tracks. I've been called abrasive, intimidating, and stiff, all of which are somewhat accurate. I am a lousy conversationalist, but a decent correspondent.

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