I haven't blogged about politics in awhile because, to be honest, I've been slightly detached from what is going on. But there is one issue I have been following because, selfishly, it directly applies to me, and that is the business (and by business, I mean business) known as Health Care.
I am a middle class, (normally) very healthy 25 year old female. I am predominantly self-employed and cannot afford private health insurance. I am a member of an actor's union, but that only gives me coverage once I hit a certain number of week's worth of stage work every year, a mark I have yet to reach for 2009. In general, I don't need to see a doctor except for routine yearly exams, and I fortunately have access to a fairly decent free health clinic that is funded through my union.
I am by FAR a minor case in the grand scheme of things. I am lucky enough to even have access to basic free care. I have friends who are doctors who I can email for advice if I am in a real jam. As of right now, I am not (hopefully) suffering from a chronic condition that requires frequent treatment. However, if something were to happen to me that would require daily medication or the diagnosis of a specialist, I would be up the ole poop creek without a paddle.
Where does that leave me? I have made the choice to strike out on my own, in some respects, to pursue what I have always wanted to do with my life. That has meant working odd jobs (for lots of odd people, I might add), scrapping together ways to make money, having a weird schedule, all because I'm trying to go for it. That has also meant that I can't afford to pay around $300 a month for private health insurance. Should going for it mean that if I get sick, I have to stay sick? Should I not pursue what I want out of my life, suck it up, and get a job I don't want doing something I don't care about in order to have health insurance to avoid potentially being sick without proper coverage?
I personally don't think that makes any sense at all.
I know I am grossly over simplifying here. I know how fortunate I am - trust me, I do - but I am one of those tens of millions of people President Obama was talking about tonight. I took my antibiotics (which, had it not been for the free clinic, would have cost me $160) in the middle of that speech and I couldn't help but feel fired up. He repeated a few times that he still believes, "we can act even when it's hard." I am right with Mister Prez here, seeing as my motto I coined a few months back is, "Doing what's easy is the easy way to feel like a**."
This is going to be a long process, but it is a necessity. Wake up, people. And nothing that comes easily is every really that rewarding. Growing pains are painful for a reason, but the rewards are oh so sweet.
I am a middle class, (normally) very healthy 25 year old female. I am predominantly self-employed and cannot afford private health insurance. I am a member of an actor's union, but that only gives me coverage once I hit a certain number of week's worth of stage work every year, a mark I have yet to reach for 2009. In general, I don't need to see a doctor except for routine yearly exams, and I fortunately have access to a fairly decent free health clinic that is funded through my union.
I am by FAR a minor case in the grand scheme of things. I am lucky enough to even have access to basic free care. I have friends who are doctors who I can email for advice if I am in a real jam. As of right now, I am not (hopefully) suffering from a chronic condition that requires frequent treatment. However, if something were to happen to me that would require daily medication or the diagnosis of a specialist, I would be up the ole poop creek without a paddle.
Where does that leave me? I have made the choice to strike out on my own, in some respects, to pursue what I have always wanted to do with my life. That has meant working odd jobs (for lots of odd people, I might add), scrapping together ways to make money, having a weird schedule, all because I'm trying to go for it. That has also meant that I can't afford to pay around $300 a month for private health insurance. Should going for it mean that if I get sick, I have to stay sick? Should I not pursue what I want out of my life, suck it up, and get a job I don't want doing something I don't care about in order to have health insurance to avoid potentially being sick without proper coverage?
I personally don't think that makes any sense at all.
I know I am grossly over simplifying here. I know how fortunate I am - trust me, I do - but I am one of those tens of millions of people President Obama was talking about tonight. I took my antibiotics (which, had it not been for the free clinic, would have cost me $160) in the middle of that speech and I couldn't help but feel fired up. He repeated a few times that he still believes, "we can act even when it's hard." I am right with Mister Prez here, seeing as my motto I coined a few months back is, "Doing what's easy is the easy way to feel like a**."
This is going to be a long process, but it is a necessity. Wake up, people. And nothing that comes easily is every really that rewarding. Growing pains are painful for a reason, but the rewards are oh so sweet.
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