To anyone with an interest in Vasculitis, you have to know that the words, "Preexisting Condition," strike fear in the heart of those who worry about getting insurance to help pay for health care.
The issue of health care reform is huge for vasculitis patients and their families. To me it is a great feeling of running out of time. Not enough time to write the letters I feel need to be written.
To learn more about how to contact your legislators, see the page at the VF website: Contact Your Federal Elected Officials. Also, be sure to also check out the page on how to prepare your message.
If you are like me, you are screaming mad about all the misinformation being tossed about on the airwaves, and in the streets, by people who don't care enough to discover the facts, or who have been convinced by a minority viewpoint that the facts are contrary to their interests.
It is hard to know what is right these days, unless you really spend some time getting knee deep in this stuff, and read all around an issue. It is not enough to watch one channel, or read one newspaper. You have to work a bit to learn why people are hopping mad, and some even mad as in the Mad Hatter.
I found two media references in particular that I find useful for framing the question, "What is going to happen, and what can I do about it?"
Opinion: Health care reform dead? Think again - Breaking Bioethics- msnbc.com
"Commentary By Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.
msnbc.com contributor
updated 6:40 a.m. MT, Wed., Aug 19, 2009
From all the attention focused on the rambunctious town hall meetings, ranting about “death panels” and repetitive shrieking against government health care on right-wing radio, one might think health reform is pretty much dead in America. Think again.
Health reform is a lock to pass. The only issue is in what form. You need to look past the noise, fear-mongering, misquotes, inconsistent claims, inaccurate assertions and political gamesmanship and pay attention to what is truly at issue as Congress gets down to the business of reform in the fall. "
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32468082/ns/health-health_care/
That gets the message across that you had better put your two cents in, because things are going to happen with or without your participation. Fire up the word processor, the fax machine, and the Email client, and send mail to your representatives and congress persons.
The other very interesting media bit that I came across recently was a roundtable discussion including several highly placed persons from multiple sides of this issue. It is a video about 45 minutes long, but well worth your time if you want to get a handle on this health care debate:
Hulu - CNBC Originals: Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Health Care
Watch the full episode now.
Speaking of the cost of health care, here is some data that might shock most Americans, but maybe does not come as a surprise to those of you with vasculitis:
An Unhealthy America: The Economic Impact of Chronic Disease
"In its groundbreaking study, “An Unhealthy America: The Economic Impact of Chronic Disease,” the Milken Institute details the enormous financial impact of chronic disease on the U.S. economy – not only in treatment costs, but lost worker productivity – today and in the decades ahead. It also describes the huge savings if a serious effort were made to improve Americans’ health."
http://www.chronicdiseaseimpact.com/
Once again, to learn more about how to contact your legislators, see the page at the VF website: Contact Your Federal Elected Officials. Also, be sure to also check out the page on how to prepare your message.
Whatever you do or don't do personally, be prepared for changes in the way health care is financed in this country. One way or the other, reform are coming. Act now if you want to be a part of shaping that future.
Joseph Carpenter
Parent, daughter with CSS (DX March '08)
Central NM Vasculitis Foundation Chapter
See us on the web: http://www.nmvasculitis.org - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org
Or, call Joseph Carpenter at (505) 255-1366 for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment