From Inside the Health Care Crisis

Only a few weeks ago, I sat in my mother's car and listened to a certain republican talk show host talk about how, in truth, our healthcare system isn't that bad off. We have the best healthcare system in the world, he said. He railed about how no one ever mentions that no one can be denied treatment due to their inability to pay. He failed to mention how once that treatment has been granted collection agents will hound you for their payment, treat you like a low life scumbag who refuses to pay their bills, and employ any means necessary to get their cash. He failed to mention the many families that can't afford health insurance because they're too busy paying their over inflated medical bills.

My entire adult life I have stared the healthcare crisis in the face. It has been with me every moment, with me every morning as I look in the mirror, with me in the car as I make my morning commute, with me as I sit next to a patient at work, with me as I make dinner for my family, with me as I tuck my kids into bed, with me as I stand in the shower and wash the day away, even with me as I lay sleepless in the wee hours of the morning. The healthcare crisis has been with me as a constant anxiety, a tight panic in my chest, a cold fist of worry in my gut.

Don't tell me our healthcare system isn't broken. When my sister took her son to the emergency room because of a bad gash on his lip, she, not a physician but a worried mother, didn't know what to do when she saw the blood and heard his cries of pain. After taking a brief look at it an ER doc cleaned it up, put a bit of what was essentially super glue on his lip, and sent them on their way. For this the Emergency Room charged her $1500. The doc charged her an additional $200. My nephew is uninsured because even though my sister qualifies for low income housing, she makes too much for her children to qualify for schip, so those costs came out of her pocket.

Don't tell me our healthcare system isn't broken. Health insurance isn't available at my job because it's a small dental practice and my employer can't afford to help with premiums. In order to insure my family through my husband's employer's plan, it would cost our family about $400 per month. They contribute nothing even though they're a large company. That's more expensive than many private plans and it doesn't pay a dime until you meet your $1000 per person deductible except for a single checkup visit. Checkups are all well and good but since one of our primary medical concerns is the cost incurred when we have to take sick children to the doctor, the plan doesn't meet our needs. After the $1000 deductible we would still be responsible for 20% of the costs. With todays healthcare costs, that's still a fortune we don't have, especially since we'd be dumping all of our mony into ridiculously high premiums. Currently we are uninsured

I just had a baby without maternity coverage. We paid $200 per month just to cover basic prenatal care. My doctor omitted certain tests we agreed were unnecessary because I couldn't afford them. When it came time for my ultrasound I ended up going to a private business that performs novelty ultrasounds instead of having my doctor do it. We paid $75 for a former OB/GYN to perform the ultrasound in a mall. The clinic I went to wanted $300 for the same service. When I contacted the hospital to schedule my delivery they informed me that without $4200 up front they would not allow my scheduled c-section to be performed because it was considered elective surgery. As if the safe delivery of my child was the same as a nose job. I would instead have to wait to go into labor, putting myself and my baby at risk. We borrowed the mony from my parents. We still have to pay the separate $3000 physicians bill and the $1100 bill for anesthesia.

We've been shopping around for private insurance. Most do not cover maternity or they carry a separate maternity deductible of $5000 or more. Considering maternity is another one of our biggest health concerns this again does not meet our needs.

Don't tell me our health care system isn't broken. Millions of Americans are uninsured, many because they have been denied health insurance due to a preexisting condition. Last fall I faced the harsh possibility of long term medical care without insurance when after an inexplicable fainting spell my doctor sent me to a neurologist suspecting a siezure disorder. The MRI the neurologist ordered costed us $3500. I still have no idea what happened because when the MRI showed nothing wrong, I could not afford any further testing. My bet is the fainting was caused by an anxiety attack brought on by dealing with the high medical bills from my pregnancy. On the bright side, no diagnosis, no preexisting condition, or so I thought.

I figured overall I'm pretty healthy. I shouldn't have a problem being approved for insurance since other than the fainting spell I have never had any health problems. I assumed my problem would be coming up with the cash to pay the premium. That was until an insurance agent told me I may be uninsurable because my children have to be delivered c-section, and even if I told them I wasn't planning more I am a liability unless I have had my tubes tied. I'm only twenty three years old and I do in fact want more children. I shouldn't have to have my tubes tied or even lie about thr fact that I do want more kids in order to qualify for health insurance. Somebody tell me when human reproduction started being considered a liability!

All of these examples are reasons why I, an independant, am voting democratic this election year. Barack Obama intends to fix these problems. The obama health plan has alot of brilliant features, but let me share the points I'm most interested in.

The Obama plan requires health insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions. No more Americans who need health coverage most, out in the cold because their diagnosis predates their first premium.

The Obama plan provides tax credits for small businesses to help them pay part of their employees' health plan premiums. A tax credit like this would make it possible for my employer to offer health benefits other than the employee discount on dental services.

The Obama plan would require large companies to contribute to the health care costs of their employees. That would mean that we could afford my husband's insurance because premium prices wouldn't be so exhorbitant.

The Obama plan would expand medicaid and schip. When expansion of medicaid and schip was proposed President Bush said the bill went way beyond needy families. The truth is the governments definition of needy means you would practically have to be living in a card board box before you were considered needy. An expansion to medicaid and schip means children like my nephew and my own sons would have health coverage.

The Obama plan would provide a tax credit to Americans paying for their own health coverage. A credit like this woud make it possible for me to afford premiums on private insurance.

The Obama plan would create a national health exchange that would make affordable health insurance available to every American. The public plan would offer comprehensive coverage, including maternity benefits.

McCain's plan does offer some promises of reform, but to me his soft language means no guarantees of real change. Obama's plan would mean that I will never have to cry because I can't afford to take my baby to the doctor when he's running a fever of 105. That's why I'm voting for Obama this November.