Sunday! Sunday!! Sunday!!!

I was denied healthcare coverage January 2008 by Blue Cross/Blue Shield while working for JB Hunt Transportation in its lease program due to me having diabetes. I was also denied term life insurance and disability by some other company I cannot recall right now as well. It was cool though, I'm a veteran of the US Armed Forces. I got my back covered.

Funny thing is that I went out and bought my own coverage from BC/BS which cost much more than the Group Universal prices I was used to paying along with contributions from my employers over the years when I was an employee. I've always had some form of Blue Cross in my adult life. I also have been a federal employee most of my adult life until 2004...

So I was given less than a million dollars of lifetime coverages and my deductible back in 08 was high as hell...

I've had my setbacks since I was diagnosed as a diabetic in 1998. Most of my problems came in late 06 and throughout 07. In 07, I was in Houston and my host suggested that I go to the VA Hospital to care for pneumonia-like symptoms I displayed when I got down there from Chicago. It took 6 weeks to get an appointment because the Houston VA system is a bit crowded, I was skeptical about the VA, but I had no other choice but to go.

I went and was taken care of. My portion of care for me to pay for was minimal, right around 20%. There is a flat rate for prescriptions... If I weren't a married man first quarter of 2008, I would have never wanted to buy into the insurance system. I know that my other half was used to a certain amount of care plus she wasn't eligible for the VA CHAMPUS system.

So over the past damn near 25 years I've been aware enough to know, this health care shit (and I really mean that... it's bullshit) has worked against the people that attempt to support it in order to live.

My dad has been with his company for 25 years this summer, he has that Cadillac ish...
My moms works for a hospital system 21 years this fall...
My step-dad is 11 years in the City of Chicago's workforce and health care system...
My sister is a BSN and her husband is a financial broker. The money and care is there...
Little Bruh, 5+ years management with big energy. His wife, board licensed Chicago school teacher
Older brother like myself, business owner and med policy wrangler (for now) because there are employees...
My wife is self employed and also teaches in a university system and is married to me...
Mother in law is 17+ plus years deep working for a private hospital in Oklahoma...
Father in law is retired military...

I've only witnessed the bullshit from afar, mouth agape after listening to co-workers and friends off the old block. I'm fortunate to have basically all of my family covered either financially or coverage-wise that I have never had to wonder about paying for care as we receive it.

I don't know what feels like, and I don't ever want to know.

But I know that it exists. I worked for both Hewitt Associates and Mercer HR, two of the largest healthcare administrators in the country. The providers make, keep money and pay out to facilities, doctors and administrators when coverages can be cut. Nothing else has to be said. That's the business, literally. If you have the stomach to see this movie, see the latest SAW flick. If you have to hold your hands over your eyes and plug your ears from hearing people die in the various scenes...

Wait. No. Watch that shit. There is a message sent there.

Because no one cringes or covers their eyes when coverages disappear from your loved ones and friends. No one seems to really care if you're sitting there, blood pressure rising not because you have a medical condition, but because you're sweating over how to pay for this shit as you or momma or someone is being treated.

We have to worry about being able to afford to live. Now that's some shit right there.

Now I ain't nobody special. I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth or didn't come from money, but I don't have to worry much if and when someone in my immediate family gets sick. We have money to pay the outstanding balances, have the coverages to cover and some of us have legacy dollars going towards health care into retirement. We worked for that, and we do not want it to be taken away. Now imagine if I were some conservative cat from the other side of the tracks, never once being knee deep in the shit at the postal plant, the US Army or in a dank, sweaty call center making sales calls with NO insurance on a shitty hourly wage.

Imagine if I never had those friends and co-workers that had health care episodes. Imagine if I never had to go to the county hospital as a kid, waiting 14 hours for some fucking cough syrup for bronchitis or ampecillen for strep throat. Imagine that I never drove a truck and seen dudes out there for 7 or 8 months straight, just driving because their kid has spina bifida. This is real. This may not be the package that some desire, but the current health care adjustments (because both bills passed already) is necessary or else we will not be able to afford to survive sickness.

Having a political stance and walking lock step into a vote about the welfare of the people is an absolute wrong move. Talk about out of touch and uncaring? Like I said, it's been about 25 years since I've been in the know about these things only because I watched the cowboy president and his administration work people up against their own interests, take away regulations that would have safety netted us financially these past 20+ months or so and also break unions.

This Sunday afternoon about 2:30 pm eastern daylight time is too damn important to let roll by without 216 yea votes for approval for the Senate's revision of the health care reform bill. Keep that on your mind. It's imperative that we at least take first steps so we can afford to live.