Angry and Speechless

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2010/09/17/huckabee-says-no-to-insurance-for-people-with-pre-existing-conditions/

Perhaps instead of "speechless" the right phrase would be "incoherently angry." This entry is an effort to work out some of my thoughts.

I read the above article this morning about Politician Mike Huckabee's stance on people not getting insurance who have preexisting conditions. I simply cannot wrap my head around a country that expects so much from its people, ("Pull yourself up from your bootstraps!") can neglect the fundamentals of needed healthcare. Or preventative healthcare for ALL. I don't know what really to say about this all (that's the incoherent part) except that I think the insurance system here is very ill done. Or rather, ill-focused, because I think it's zeroed in more on the bottom line than the well being of people. I know I'm always afraid to mark things on insurance forms "Just in case." Just in case it's considered right for the insurance company that I should be dropped or never considered for coverage.

My in-laws faced this. My father-in-law lost his job and, after his Cobra insurance ran out, he had to seek out new medical coverage for the first time in years. The result? Being denied for coverage for conditions that were now "preexisting." And it's all linked isn't it!? Everything is. Because if he hadn't lost his job in this terrible job market, his conditions, which have evolved over time because of that pesky little aging thing, would have continued to have been covered because they were not preexisting at the beginning of his coverage.

So it seems to me that the "right" time to get sick, is when you've got a good job with adequate heath coverage. Good luck on that because of the current employment situation and the dwindling economy. Blah!

This article addresses Huckabee's religious standpoint as well. This is the kind of man whose religious ideals and outward living simply do. not. make. SENSE to me. I think his political choices are inconsistent and insulting to the religious convictions he claims to live. If I were Christian, I would be trying to distance myself from this man who's statements fly in the face of the teachings of the faith's main religious figure - Jesus. This figure that I, as a Unitarian Universalist, admire and try to emulate.

I'm still feel incoherent, but time restrictions require that I step away from this computer right now. I'm grateful for the time to unravel my feelings and thoughts thus far and hope to continue to do so through other outlets.