I work with a young woman who doesn't like Obama. I have known her family for almost forty years and I KNOW that none of them voted for him. We generally don't talk politics because I really do like her but believe her thinking comes from years of listening to family members bash Obama (and they are DEMOCRATS!! WHY do you think they don't like him??? Hmmm.) Please note that we both have a wonderful company-paid health insurance plan.
Well, about six weeks ago her cousin--a very healthy 24-year-old--went to have his wisdom teeth removed. The blood would not clot and two days later he called the doctor. He instructed him to go to the ER. Well, they did a few tests and the man has a very rare form of leukemia. It is truly sad: he was planning on a wedding later this summer and they have a 4-month old daughter. Within four days of the diagnosis, the nurses on the cancer unit decorated his room and the hallway and they got married right in the hospital. (His mother still tears up when talking about the loving support from the nurses who "didn't know my son from a cake of soap yet they did all this out of their own pocket". She takes them fresh-baked cookies everytime she visits her son to thank them.)
My co-worker told me her cousin did not have insurance and they were going to be having a yard/bake sale to raise some money for him. She asked if I had anything I would like to donate. I got some stuff together and told friends and they gathered some things as well. They had the sale the Saturday before the ACA decision was handed down. I asked how they did and she said they raised over $1300.
Fast forward to the Day Of The Decision. After jumping all around my office in celebration, I sat down and a few minutes later my co-worker walked in. She said "Wow--you seem really happy today". At this point, I got out of my seat and went and hugged her. I said "You and your family must be so relieved". She gave me a weird look and asked "why?" I told her that with the Affordable Care Act having just been ruled consititutional, your family (and OTHER families) will never have to worry about having bake sales for hospital care again. I told her how her cousin could NEVER be denied coverage because of his pre-existing condition and there would be NO LIFETIME MAXIMUM that surely would have been met with his rare form of cancer. I told her this might change, though, because Rmoney has said he will repeal it on this first day! They really did have a choice: vote for Obama and preserve coverage for her cousin or vote for Rmoney and see it go away and continue to bake/beg/borrow for health care.
She had this look on her face like "what?". I could tell that I was hitting something there. I went on and on about how this news really did help her family and others as well. They would be able to go back to just worrying about their cousin's health and not whether or not he would be able to continue to receive care. I told her to go home and tell her family what a great thing this was going to be for them. NO ONE would EVER be able to withhold care for folks simply because they got sick before getting insurance.
Well, yesterday she came back to work and told me she had talked to some family over the weekend. She actually said "We never really THOUGHT about it like that". Let's MAKE THEM THINK ABOUT IT. When you get the chance, make it PERSONAL. Let them see how this decision IMPACTS their OWN FAMILY and I believe more minds will come to our way of thinking.
The commercials from Priorities USA about Bain are fantastic. I believe they should make some commercials in the same vain that talk about HEALTH INSURANCE and how Rmoney wants to take it away and leave folks, like a 24-year-old leukemia sufferer, high and dry. I want the public to THINK ABOUT IT!!!!
Thanks for letting me vent!