Did you know that in most American communites you'll see flyers promoting garage sales, bakes sales and all manner of fundraisers, all for one purpose: to assist sick people to pay their medical bills?
And make no mistake, many of these people holding medical fundraisers and begging for money are "insured". But we also know that in the United States being insured by a for-profit insurance company, is a guarantee of absolutely nothing.
Yes indeed, we see things like this constantly and don't blink an eye. I certainly don't. We've been inculcated to think this is normal. Well, it is normal in the United States. This is what they want us to believe. But it isn't. It's sick. It's SiCKO nation.
Perhaps some of you reading this diary will want to tell us about the sort of health care fundraising you've seen promoted, in diners, drugstores, movie theaters, schools, churches, YMCA's, etc. where you live.
Perhaps you or someone in your family has been the recipient of medical fundraising. Please tell us about your experience, if you can.
Let me assure you that this doesn't happen in the rest of the civilized world. In other industrial societies (with the notable exception of the United States, where healthcare is a privilege, not a right), of course communites come together to assist families mired in illness, but they do it out of a sense of solidarity--not as the payor of last resort.
In the United States, communites come together out of necessity--driven by fear. In the United States, we recognize today it's our neighbor, tomorrow it will be our own family.
Yes indeed, at this very moment, families across America are holding raffles to pay for their neighbor's healthcare.
Let's just say it's as American as apple pie. Garage sales, cakes sales, then . . .bankruptcy.
This is normal, this is just how things are in America.
This was recently in the Billings Gazette.
Medical bills leave many feeling 'there's no way out'
As Christian missionaries in Europe in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Melinda and Troy McInnis aided Afghani refugees hiding from the government.
Some of the refugees so feared being discovered and shipped back to Afghanistan that they refused to seek medical care.
"I almost feel like the same thing," said Troy McInnis, who moved his family to Billings after returning to the United States in 2003. "We cannot take our kids to the doctor."
They can't afford it.
They had insurance, yup, they lost it. He got laid off. This too is as American as apple pie.
The McInnises had health insurance when their older boy was hurt in October, but Troy had just been laid off from a local hotel and lost the family's coverage when the first-grader got sick.
. . .At one point, the hospital demanded $1,600 a month.
"I told the lady on the phone, that's more than our house payment," Melinda McInnis said.
Eventually, some of the McInnises' bills were turned over to two collection agencies, and one medical office won a court judgment against them.
The judgment allowed wages from Troy's new job to be garnisheed, and his employer began withholding one-fourth of his monthly paycheck.
The McInnises' can't understand why a Christian hospital would behave in such an unChristian American way.
If the holder of another delinquent bill takes Melinda to court and gains approval to garnish her wages, the McInnises said they won't be able the pay their mortgage.
"What we're trying to do is have them space it out so it's manageable," Troy said. "Especially as a Christian talking to another Christian group, (St. Vincent) never once asked to talk to us and meet us."
"It is Saint Vincent Healthcare, and it is a Christian organization," he said. "Jesus always met you where you're at ... We've come to the point that even for a Christian organization, it has become a business."
So what's an American faced with huge medical bills to do? Hold a fundraiser, of course.
Co-workers plan fundraising dinner, dance to help family pay medical bills
NASHUA – Co-workers of Brian Raymond at Gate City Rehab at Greenbriar Terrace Nursing Center are banding together to host a fundraiser for the Raymond family of Methuen, Mass.
His wife, Susan Raymond, has been diagnosed with stage IV brain tumors after being in remission for almost 15 years. She underwent brain surgery in April and is now concurrently undergoing daily radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
The family is facing costly medical bills and expenses and needs help from the community. A fundraising dinner, dance and raffle event is scheduled for Friday at the Harris Pelham Inn in Pelham at 7 p.m.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/...
And we Americans sell more than just cakes and cookies to help desperately ill Americans, we also sell pink bracelets.
Pink bracelets link community
Get Well Michelle fund helps pay medical bills for local teen
Michelle Butler, 16, isn’t acquainted with all of the 800 people sporting hot pink silicone bracelets in her honor, but they know who she is.
Although the Butler family is well-known in their hometown of Carlsbad, it wasn’t until after Michelle was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2006 that she became somewhat of a local celebrity.
Her brother, Brock, is a star athlete on Carlsbad High School’s football team, and her dad, Rocky, has coached Carlsbad Pop Warner football for 18 years.
Since June, family friend Jane Shuffer has been selling "We love Michelle" bracelets for $5 at various community events to help pay Michelle’s extensive medical bills. Shuffer also has collected donations at Kelly and Hope elementary schools, Valley Middle School and Carlsbad High.
And if you are the victim of an accident and don't have insurance, or if you are insured and still facing huge bills (which is the status quo in America), your family and friends will have to fundraise to pay off the hospitals and doctors. But hey, this is normal in America.
Lakewood Mother's Grief Spurs On Fundraising Walk
A Colorado mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver two years ago held a fundraising walk Saturday at to benefit a teen who was critically injured in a crash that also involved alcohol.
Becky Archuleta lost her 20-year-old daughter Melanie after she was killed by a drunk driver. So she organized a walk in Lakewood called "Melanie's Gift" benefitting Seth Mutschler.
Mutschler, 19, was critically injured after his car was hit head on by a teenage driver last March on Alameda Parkway in Lakewood. Police said they suspect the other driver had been drinking.
Mutschler had no insurance and his medical bills have now reached hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I could easily go on and on, but you get the picture.
Now I hope some of our presidential candidates will also get a taste of life in America.
What you're reading here is normal in SiCKO nation.
Crossposted at Daily Kos
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Talk about Timing!
I'll tell you about my experience - which is ongoing(?), but understand my comments reflect a lot of frustration and stress right now, but I promised at the beginning of "My Mom's Medicaid Nightmare: Updated - A turn for the Worse." , I would post much of the relevant information for whatever social value it might have; there were times when I'm sure I didn't say enough, and other times when I said too much. When you're attempting to remain unbiased when writing about your own family - it's a struggle, one I probably didn't win...
I had already decided I was going to let the above thread lie dormant - as it made me feel uneasy, especially when I reached a point I requested financial help, donations, or however you care to phrase it. It was embarrassing to ask in the first place, even more so on a forum where I was virtually unknown. I have been Blogging for almost three years - there's never been a donate button on my site, and I've been proud to save enough to handle all of the costs myself. It was a matter of integrity - and attempting to establish myself as a voice that wasn't "Blogging for Cash."
This nightmare started over two months ago, and admittedly, I made some bad decisions; pawning the title of my vehicle was one of the stupidest things I've ever done - and today I received a call reminding me that my payment was due Monday. I don't have a clue what I'll do yet, but will probably try and get a quick sale for my PowerEdge Server - which will at least solve the problem for this month.
I look back in retrospect and sincerely believe that if I hadn't moved my Mom to Georgia - where she has received excellent medical care, I would already have been attending her funeral. It sounds blunt and cold to state it in such harsh terms, but I believe it to be true. I live on a fixed income of $860.00 (Approx),almost exactly that of my Mom. I'd estimate the past two months have put me in the hole close to $4,000 - and while this may seem trivial to some, it's a mountain I see little hope of climbing.
When I posted the plea for donations, it was a measure made in desperation I wouldn't do again if facing the same circumstances. When hard times are present, it's counter-productive to place hope in wishes rather than reality. I risked my credibility as a Blogger, and in the process, felt guilty even posting something like that.
I received one personal email that was kind and supportive (who I replied to and thanked), and a slew of relatives popped-up in Ethiopia, London, and everywhere else that were holding millions of dollars for one of my relatives, or my deceased grandfather - if only I would allow them to keep 10% of the proceeds. Of course, I needed to start a new bank account, pass bogus checks I'm sure, and fall into the same trap that many people have who succumb to scams of this nature. It was good for a dour laugh, but other than that, all I did was embarrass myself and probably detract from the real issues at hand.
It did make me think, and after hearing stories much worse than my own, it was easy to understand why my plea fell on deaf ears. Actually, I believe there are two reasons:
One: I had first imagined our plight was somehow unique, but it isn't; it's played-out countless millions of times throughout the United States - and it's is a story you can hear anywhere, especially if you know where to look and listen. I'll admit I'm bitter for having to lose my car and laptop because I chose to be at my Mom's side, but the decision was mine, and I could have chosen another course of action. I initially believed that people put their parents in "rest homes" because of indifference and cruelty - easy to say when you aren't the one carrying the load. After this experience, I'm guessing some people do it purely for financial reasons. If I would have pressed the issue rather than bringing my Mom home from that rest home in Florida - I wouldn't be in this mess right now. There are consequences that arise when you decide to provide care for your parents, which is why I decided to begin the above thread. I truly believed I could help someone else evade the pitfalls which unexpectedly arrive - but now that I'm becoming battle-hardened and somewhat used to all of the baloney, I understand that each set of circumstances are different, and the only moral to this story is to save and prepare for the worst. If you don't, a health care crisis can easily cause financial trouble you may never overcome, especially if you're on a fixed-income.
Two: I think we all remember Katrina, and I doubt there are few Americans that didn't contribute to the cause. I did, twice, and I'd like to know where in the heck all of that money went!The city still lies in ruins, people who were displaced seem to have received little of what was actually donated - and still, we hear pleas for more money.
Remember the Tsunami in Indonesia, Tornadoes in our heartland, and flooding in New England - not to mention the earthquake in Pakistan, and the starvation in Darfur. America has always been a generous country, and we give until it's expected, even when we're trillions of dollars in debt, and I specifically remember the President of the United States himself asking Americans to give more to charity(s).
Frankly, I think Americans are "give out," exhausted by the many disasters we have faced, as well as higher gas and food prices. The majority of Americans are making less, paying more - and still, one commercial in ten seems to be pleading for money. If Katrina were to happen tomorrow, my heart would be heavy, but I can't fathom how I'd be able to donate a dime. I have to wonder how many other Americans are in that same boat, working harder to slow the rate of disaster.
When the Doctor called to tell me Mom was being discharged, he offered to have her discharged to a nursing home, at least for short-term treatment. I asked Mom, she said she wanted to go home - and here she is.
JAC
__________________________"The whisper becomes louder, then a voice is heard, and then crowds of voices, and eventually the whisper becomes the roar of change!" wjc
http://justanothercoverup.com
And yet I continue to see the argument that in an "ownership
society", if your finances don't rock, it's all about personal responsiblity.
Even if the mortgage counselor misled you, the pension plan went 'poof', no job you can get offers insurance or decent wages, education is not affordable, credit card companies have taken advantage or your relative lack of monetary and legal inside knowledge or even common sense (predatory capitalism = good capitalism)
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