Sometimes, complaining works

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Tuesday November 04, 2014 · 2:42 PM PST

2014/11/04 · 14:42

8 years ago, we moved to a pretty Republican town. And the polling place had long lines. Not many stations, but all lines moved pretty well, and I was younger, and my back could handle standing in the line.

But, we got a new, strongly Republican mayor about 4 years ago, and two years ago, our precinct, which is the most Democratic precinct in the town, suddenly had 4 polling stations fewer than all the other precincts.
Hmm...
So, I made a formal complaint to the voting board.

This year, all the precincts had additional voting stations, and we have the same number as everyone else.
So... let them know you are looking!

Texas' "other" death penalty

ICanDoThis

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Friday November 15, 2013 · 6:50 AM PST

2013/11/15 · 06:50

Several years' ago, after my breast cancer was successfully treated, I became active in supporting a group of young breast cancer survivors. As a group, they are amazing - they know that their cancers are usually more aggressive than breast cancers in older women, their treatments are usually harsher, and they don't have many of the resources that older patients do. Many have small children (or they are too young to have had kids yets), and poor health insurance. Even those who have good health care struggle to meet their day-to-day obligations.

As a result, they know a lot about things that young women shouldn't have to know about - Medicaid, emergency room charges, divorce, bankruptcy, the gotchas in health insurance.
And their stories are scary...
Take, for example, a young woman diagnosed at age 27. Moved back home to Maine, to the support of her parents. Now, several years's ago, Maine was a pretty normal New England state, poorer than many, but she got good basic care.
She got a job, and got health insurance.
But her type of cancer requires follow-up and treatment for several years. And Paul LePage became governor. And the hours at her job were cut back, so she no longer has company health insurance.
The funding for breast cancer treatment in Maine dried up. And Medicaid funding is now very limited.
So, when her doctor's office calls, and says that they want her to come in and see the oncologist, she doesn't go, because she cannot run up her bill any more. And when they ask her to get a scan, the hospital asks for $2000 up front, so she doesn't go.
There is a good chance she will die of this disease.

ICanDoThis

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Wednesday October 30, 2013 · 8:06 AM PDT

2013/10/30 · 08:06

There is one group of health care users who are being buffeted hard, and totally unfairly, by this whole ACA rollout mess.

I am talking about the men and women who are currently in their states' assigned risk pools - most of whom are struggling with illnesses like metastatic cancer, multiple sclerosis, and end-stage heart disease.

Most of these people really do not need pregnancy coverage, or preventive screenings - they've already gotten their bad news - but they are paying for it in so many ways.

ICanDoThis

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Tuesday August 27, 2013 · 6:57 PM PDT

2013/08/27 · 18:57

I am so tired of all the articles about "working moms" vs "stay-at-home moms."
We are all on the same team,struggling to give our children the best that we can.

This article expresses this perfectly ref="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/08/201381615448464851.html">

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Sometimes, complaining works

Texas' "other" death penalty

Assigned-risk insurance and the ACA

All mommies are already on the same team