January 15, 2017
11:27 p.m.


Recently I saw a meme:



I shared this on my page, but do I take my own advice?

I tried. A friend posted this after I shared an article about the recent attempts by Republicans to repeal Obamacare:

"You do realize the dems have lost over 1K seats. And the Rs control the house and senate. Complete control. Curious, what was BO care like? What did it cover? Cause it was cheaper for my nephew to pay the fine. 15K last year."

Oh boy. After my post yesterday, you'd think I'd be over it. I researched for that post, fact checked for that post. Of course, he would never have read it, any more than he'd read what I first typed up:

They are voting to eliminate protection for people with pre-existing conditions--aka me. I PAY for my insurance coverage, I'm not getting a free ride, but if I lose it, I won't be able to get any other coverage, because I have chronic PRE-EXISITNG conditions. It would cost me thousands of dollars to pay full out-of-pocket prices for my medications and if I had to pay full price on medical visits and treatments on my disability pay, I would be living in the streets in three months. (Yes, my insurance pays for things!) I don't give a flip about Dems vs Reps--the whole conflict between parties strikes me as petty and vengeful and childish. But I CAN'T afford to be uncovered. And I'm not saying Obamacare is perfect--far from it. Things need to be fixed. FIXED, not abandoned completely with NOTHING to replace it. They say they have a plan, but--where is it? Has anyone I trust seen it? Bottom line--thousands of people will lose coverage, many of whom will DIE without medical care. Thousands more will lose the jobs this plan created. Then they, too will be uninsured. I notice that not ONE of your wonderful Republicans is going to lose their insurance--which they don't pay a cent for, by the way. I pay for it. So do you. And I guess you're okay with that. (And please don't bother to remind me that the Democrats have the same coverage--I'm not stupid, and that's not the point. They're not the ones trying to keep me from being able to seek the medical care I need.) By the way, you're very concerned with murder (abortion). They are also voting to make birth control an uncovered service under insurance plans. That's a GREAT way to reduce the number of abortions, huh? Abortion rates went WAY DOWN under Obamacare. Repeal that, and watch them go back up. Destroy Family Planning, and watch them go back up. (Just an FYI, only 3% of services at Family Planning have anything to do with abortion, and federal funds pay ZERO dollars for that service.) I'm curious how you justify your stance. What they are planning to do will KILL more people--not just the unborn, but men, women and children--than anything Obamacare ever set out to do. How is THAT not murder? And you support that? Just curious.

I'm of the opinion that this would have been scanned and slammed. I'm certain the same could be said of yesterdays blog. So I backspaced until the whole thing was deleted, but somehow, I just couldn't let it go. I just could not move on! Dang it! Moving on is great advice, but no! Once again, my goat had been gotten. So I posted this:


You know, Mike, I am curious how you justify your stance. I don't actually care about the petty, childish Dems vs Reps conflict. The bottom line is that they are voting to end birth control as a covered service under insurance plans. Guess what? That will effectively INCREASE abortion rates. How is THAT not murder? Do you have pre-existing conditions? Great! You've lost your coverage, and no one HAS to cover you now, so go home and die. They don't care, as long as they can line their pockets. I don't make 15K in a year on disability, and I still pay for my coverage, my co-pays and my deductibles. If ACA is repealed and I lose coverage, that minus 15K a year could be gone in medical costs in the first quarter of the year, and I would be a bag lady and die on the streets. I'm not okay with that. Last year's medical costs would have completely wiped me out. Insurance covered a LOT. I need it. Thousands of people do, and many will die if they lose it. Repealing the ACA will effectively kill thousands. THAT is murder my friend. You're okay with that? Just curious.


Yeah, I posted it, and I imagine there will be a response that will reflect that it was not actually read. Mind's made up, nothing I can say will change it, and I don't know why I bother.

But it blows my mind that anyone could actually be okay with people losing coverage that saves their lives on a daily basis. Sure, I know that the Affordable Care Act needs a lot of tweaking. It is far from perfect. Lack of competition between healthcare plan providers makes the price of coverage astronomical in some states. And I don't believe that anyone should be fined for not buying coverage; if they end up paying out-of-pocket for their healthcare, that's on them, and certainly enough of a punishment in itself.

I wasn't kidding that last year's medical costs would have completely wiped me out. I get statements from my insurance carrier that shows me exactly what I would have had to pay if I didn't have coverage, and it was not a pretty picture. I would have had to sell my house and everything in it. I don't have a car, so I would have literally be left on the street.

How can anyone be okay with that picture? What will I do if I lose the coverage I have? I have medications I need to take. I have periodic checkups to make sure things are in control.

Do I think I would die without coverage? I don't know. I DO know that I wouldn't go to the doctor, not unless I was so sick I didn't have a choice, and then it would be to the emergency room, I guess.
And it could happen, especially if I quit taking my medications because I could no longer pay for them.

What I know for sure is this: there are thousands of people in this country in ill health who really will die if they lose their insurance and cannot pay for their medications. There is nothing okay about that, and anyone trying to deny them their basic human right to life is therefore effectively a killer.

What has this country come to?

(You know, some of my ancesters came here on a ship from Liverpool, England. What do you think my odds are of being granted permission to go back to my ancestral homeland? The government there won't let me die due to lack of healthcare coverage.)

Ah, crap. Maybe I should just go back and delete that post. I don't want to fight with anyone.

Except now I am curious what will be said next.

Oh, gosh. Aren't you?

*Sigh*
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January 16, 2017
12:29 a.m.

I swore my next post would be a positive, Pollyanna post, but that ship has sailed. Bummer.

But as of 12:01, this is a new day!

So...

I am enjoying the time with my parents, and am ever grateful to be able to have this time.

I am planning to catch up on some shows I haven't watched since I got to Wyoming. I think I am behind on "The Walking Dead". I'm not sure. I know I'm behind on "Jane the Virgin".

Beyond that, my most pressing plan for this morning is to go to bed and hopefully fall asleep and stay that way for a few hours.

Goodnight!