Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Murky
My twitter feed has been weird for the past couple of weeks.
I use Twitter to follow diabetes-related accounts and current events.
The tweets from the news accounts and politicians are usually easily distinguishable from those from diabetes organizations and bloggers. 'Earthquake rocks Italy' and 'Mayor jailed' fall into an obviously different bucket from 'Drowsy from a 3 juicebox night' and 'Just passed the 30 minute mark on hold with insurance co.'
I now have to take a closer look. Was the tweet about the cost of insulin a Bernie Sanders quote or was it from the American Diabetes Association? Will the link to the article on repealing the affordable care act take me to the New York Times or to a Blogger site? Is the anxious political tweet from a political commentator or from a person with diabetes afraid of losing her health insurance ?
It's getting very murky.
Health Care
Many people consider yesterday's Supreme Court decision an important event in American history. It was a momentous example of the court grappling with whether major legislation was backed by constitutional law. It showed the court struggling with ideology versus nuts and bolts legalities. Precedents have now been set for other laws which may follow. It could become a significant moment in the process of electing our next president.
Ever since taking a course in law in high school, and more in college, I've been fascinated by the legal process. I've followed cases which have ranged from O.J. to this health care issue in their content and scope. The politics involved in this one make it all the more intriguing. I read a lot about it, and found myself interested on the intellectual level in many aspects of the case.
This one held interest, though, outside of the intellectual realm.
I have a child with a pre-existing condition. My husband and I need to be able to provide her with medical care during her childhood. When she reaches whatever magical age is considered adulthood, our legal responsibilities may end, but we will not cease to care about her.
A few years ago, my husband was laid off, and for the 8 long months he was between jobs, we paid through the nose (with money we couldn't really spare due to the whole 'laid off' part of the story) to continue our insurance. We did this because if my child had required hospitalization, we could well have lost our house. We did this so that once a new job was secured, my child would not be denied health insurance. We did this because the cost of insulin, test strips, pump supplies and endocrinology visits is extraordinary.
The television, internet, and newspapers are buzzing with opinions today about the legal, political, and historical implications of yesterday's decision. That's all important, and it's pretty interesting.
For me, though, the bottom line is that under this law, my daughter has a fighting chance to continue to have health insurance coverage throughout her life. She won't be denied because she has diabetes, or charged ten times what her peers are charged. She'll never encounter a lifetime cap on her costs causing her to have to start paying for all of her own medical care. She'll be able to stay on our health care plan until she lands on her feet (she'll land on her feet by 26, right?). She will be able to afford insurance whether she becomes a world-famous concert pianist, an elementary school teacher, or a nurse who works per-diem.
Diabetes brings enough anxiety to our lives. This law brings just a little peace of mind.
Ever since taking a course in law in high school, and more in college, I've been fascinated by the legal process. I've followed cases which have ranged from O.J. to this health care issue in their content and scope. The politics involved in this one make it all the more intriguing. I read a lot about it, and found myself interested on the intellectual level in many aspects of the case.
This one held interest, though, outside of the intellectual realm.
I have a child with a pre-existing condition. My husband and I need to be able to provide her with medical care during her childhood. When she reaches whatever magical age is considered adulthood, our legal responsibilities may end, but we will not cease to care about her.
A few years ago, my husband was laid off, and for the 8 long months he was between jobs, we paid through the nose (with money we couldn't really spare due to the whole 'laid off' part of the story) to continue our insurance. We did this because if my child had required hospitalization, we could well have lost our house. We did this so that once a new job was secured, my child would not be denied health insurance. We did this because the cost of insulin, test strips, pump supplies and endocrinology visits is extraordinary.
The television, internet, and newspapers are buzzing with opinions today about the legal, political, and historical implications of yesterday's decision. That's all important, and it's pretty interesting.
For me, though, the bottom line is that under this law, my daughter has a fighting chance to continue to have health insurance coverage throughout her life. She won't be denied because she has diabetes, or charged ten times what her peers are charged. She'll never encounter a lifetime cap on her costs causing her to have to start paying for all of her own medical care. She'll be able to stay on our health care plan until she lands on her feet (she'll land on her feet by 26, right?). She will be able to afford insurance whether she becomes a world-famous concert pianist, an elementary school teacher, or a nurse who works per-diem.
Diabetes brings enough anxiety to our lives. This law brings just a little peace of mind.
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