Healthcare is a human right

I’m finally back after almost a week in the hospital. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to go to the ER and was admitted to the hospital. I’m very fortunate to have a good healthcare plan through my employer, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get the level of care I got, during a pandemic or at all.

Because of my experiences, and being reminded of how many family and friends don’t have access to quality (or any) healthcare, I’ve decided to dedicate this month’s belated poll for a $50 donation to organizations related to healthcare: Medicare for All, Reproductive Rights, Medical Debt Relief, and COVID-19 relief . We need healthcare reform, and especially during a pandemic, we need it now.

Here is the link to the poll for 4 organizations related to healthcare, or you can read my post followed by the poll below. You can also consider donating to or volunteering for one of these organizations.

*Click above to go to the poll, or continue reading below.*

To sum up quickly my experience in the hospital this time

I went to the ER after what I thought was just a few bug bites turned into a massive rash that kept spreading. The ER was overflowing with patients. It took me almost 24 hours to get fully checked out and for the decision to be made that I needed to be admitted.

People were being moved from the waiting room after waiting hours, into hallways to wait for hours more to be triaged and then hours more to be seen by a doctor. Lots of patients sleeping on gurneys in the hallway. And this was at one of the top hospitals in the state (Tennessee).

Once I was admitted to the hospital, I did get to see several specialists and stay in the hospital while they tried to figure out what caused the rash and until it (finally) stopped spreading. I had doctors stumped as to what it could be, but got a number of tests and doctors who came to see me. And now, I have follow-up appointments this week and next week. It could have been much worse, and very likely was for hundreds of people who were there.

The hospital bills haven’t come yet, but based on my and my wife’s unrelated previous hospital stays, and what the insurance agent said when she called while I was in the hospital — who called not to tell me I had to leave the hospital, which is what I thought at first, but to make sure that the hospital was going to get a specialist in to examine me — I’m hoping it will be like previous times I’ve been to the hospital, with the hospital bills and follow-up visits being expensive but a small fraction of what it would be if I weren’t insured or were underinsured.

So why do I care then if I got taken care of? In almost all so-called industrial countries, and even many countries that are considered “third world”, healthcare is considered as a right.

Millions of people in the US are either unable to get basic care, have to ration prescription drugs, go bankrupt, get chased by debt collectors, or die — just because they got sick without insurance.

Anyone who’s against Medicare For All (besides the CEOs, officials, and politicians who make big money of the current system) is either brainwashed by corporate media and politicians, selfish, or both.

Here is more information from TYT Army, a progressive organization I volunteer for that does research about, and spreads the word about, important issues like Medicare For All.

Overall single-payer healthcare costs LESS for everyone. Depending on how it’s implemented, some people (most likely the richest of the rich) may pay more upfront, but it will save trillions of dollars in large part because it cuts out the middlemen: multi-billion dollar companies whose main point of existing is to make money off of people getting sick or needing healthcare.

With Democrats in charge of the White House and both chambers of Congress, now is the time we need to fight to either convince Democrats to get on board or expose them for getting in way of the health and well-being of millions of Americans. And until we do, we need to demand our politicians support Medicare For All and donate or volunteer to organizations that

fight for Medicare For All
support people who have medical debt
fight for access to abortion and other reproductive health services
assist people who can’t afford or don’t have access to covid-19 tests and care

Here’s the $50 donation poll for September: please be sure to vote to help decide which of the four organizations (or a write-in vote) will get the donation this month.

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Which cause, organization, or show will you pick for September? Come back next week or follow me on Twitter to find out as soon as the next poll opens up.

Anyone who’s against Medicare For All (besides the CEOs, officials, and politicians who make big money of the current system) is either brainwashed by corporate media and politicians, selfish, or both.

Here is more information from TYT Army, a progressive organization I volunteer for that does research about, and spreads the word about, important issues like Medicare For All. Overall single-payer healthcare costs LESS for everyone. Depending on how it’s implemented, some people (most likely the richest of the rich) may pay more upfront, but it will save trillions of dollars in large part because it cuts out the middlemen: multi-billion dollar companies whose main point of existing is to make money off of people getting sick or needing healthcare.

With Democrats in charge of the White House and both chambers of Congress, now is the time we need to fight to either convince Democrats to get on board or expose them for getting in way of the health and well-being of millions of Americans. And until we do, we need to fight for Medicare For All and support organizations that fight for it or that support people who need financial assistance or medical supplies because they can’t afford it.

Here’s the $50 donation poll for September: please be sure to vote to help decide which of the four organizations (or a write-in vote) will get the donation this month.

<><><><><>

Which cause, organization, or show will you pick for September? Come back next week or follow me on Twitter to find out as soon as the next poll opens up.

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A health emergency