In a discussion forum of which I’m a moderator, I spoke to someone today who was uninsured and scared. A mother of 6, she was terrified that her children were going to have to live without their mother. She had developed a lump on the inside of the arch of her foot and since she couldn’t afford medical care, she assumed the worst. In all likelihood, this is a minor problem.
The message in this….shouldn’t we be ashamed of how we care for each other? And how many times has this story been repeated? Ironically, when I talk to those in elected offices, they have no reference for what it’s like to be uninsured.
So here’s my proposal; uninsure the politicians and their families. This might be for a day, a week or a month. But let’s send a message that hits home. Have senators and congressmen try to work in their jobs with the fear that if they were to be struck down by illness while they’re uninsured, they’d be wiped out financially. Have them carry out their day to day lives with the stress of knowing that their son or daughter needs care, is hurting, yet can’t access care due to the cost of medical care.
Take away the politicians dental plans for a day, a week or a month. See how they feel going out into the public with teeth that are slowly failing due to lack of coverage. You can hide your hypertension or diabetes, but you can’t hide your teeth. You can see poverty in a smile.
We’ll call this plan ‘uninsure the politicians’. Unless the lack of coverage is felt by our representatives, we’ll never see change.
Jeff
