I would like to share a story about my dad and health insurance and how it was pre-Obamacare.
My dad has diabetes. He also owned his own business (a plumbing business, no, the humor is not lost on me), so he paid for his own health insurance. His premium was over $800 per month. This was… 2008ish? I was in my very early 20s.
He broke a toe and didn’t realize it until it got infected and went septic. He was hospitalized for over two months. He lost the toe. Because his $800/month insurance was garbage, and because he wasn’t working and making money, he also lost his insurance. My mom and I couldn’t keep up with everything, and somehow that payment slipped through the cracks. (By one week, and then it was gone.)
When we realized, we tried to get the health insurance back. They said because he had a pre-existing condition he would have to pay his premium like normal, but had to wait two years to receive any benefits.
We had to pay $800/month for NOTHING, for TWO YEARS, while also paying almost double for all of his medical needs.
My dad still couldn’t work, but still had hospital bills (that were now even more insane), insulin, medication, not to mention other normal bills, and business related bills.
I helped out where I could, but we were pretty much broke. I remember feeling guilty for buying fresh apple juice at the grocery store, instead of the frozen concentrate. It was my birthday and I was splurging.
I know the only thing that saved us was Obamacare.
Everyone likes to shit on it for not being good enough, or a whole slew of other reasons. But we somehow got my dad under the super early roll out.
His premium dropped to $130/month, and he received benefits IMMEDIATELY. His medication, even the insulin, was suddenly affordable.
I remember bawling my eyes out in the bathroom at work because I could suddenly afford to actually buy gas instead of putting it on my credit card.
I AM NOT PUTTING UP WITH THIS BULLSHIT ANYMORE, FOR US OR ANYONE ELSE. We are moving in the wrong goddamn direction.
Fuck Trump and the GOP and anyone who votes red. This has to end.
origamiaround
kianamaiart
stormborns
areudirty
