http://redeyesfrontpage.blogspot.com/2010/02/who-are-these-people-who-dont-want.htmlSaturday, February 27, 2010
Every time I hear the republicans say "polls show the American people are against government run health care" I wonder who in the world are they polling? Due to the illness of a family member, I've been dealing with the health care system up close and personal for past six months. Thankfully my family member has health insurance and is getting quality care, but I wonder about the 46 million Americans who don't have access to health insurance and quality health care. Do they ever poll these people?
My Senator (sic) held health care town hall meeting this summer. The location couldn't accommodate the crowd, so a lot of people like me had to watch on closed circuit television in the parking lot, which turned into a shouting match between pro/anti health care reform. There was a very pregnant and vocal young lady protesting socialism (government health care) and socialist (President Obama). In an attempt to reason with, her I told her if she was happy with her present health insurance she could keep it and would have to change. She looked me dead in the face and bragged "I don't have insurance". I remember thinking, so who is going to pay to pay to deliver your baby? And after the baby is born, who is going to pay for the medical expenses that go along with children?
I asked another "protester" what were people without health insurance supposed to do when they needed treatment, they replied "the emergency room". Who do they think pays for that? And the emergency room doesn't provide preventive care or screening. I thought the emergency room was for, you know, emergencies.
On another occasion I was in the emergency room with a family member and overheard a the parents of a sick child tell other assembled family members the ER doctor was referring the child to a specialist, but if the specialist wouldn't see the child because they didn't have insurance they were going to come back to the emergency room. I saw in them parking lot getting in a truck with a McCain/Palin 08 bumper sticker. I just shook my head, and said a prayer the specialist would treat their child.
If you think people without health insurance aren't treated differently, think again. They have to go to back of the line behind patients who have insurance. I saw how a woman no insurance trying to have CT Scan. She was still waiting when I left 3 hours later. I hope she eventually got her Scan, and hope it wasn't life threatening.
I'm saying all of this to say what Booman said:
I am not advising Obama to start saying this, but the real response to Mitch McConnell touting polls that say that the American people don't like the health care bills is to say that it doesn't matter because the American people need a health care bill.
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