Thursday, February 05, 2009

Pondering SCHIP…

President Obama has signed SCHIP…and yes, this is a very good thing.

Pause...do a happy dance up in my couch-based area...continue.

Even before the economy went to shit some 8 million children in the United States were uninsured. They are part of the 45 million uninsured Americans who do not have health insurance through their employer and do not qualify for government assistance.

When the uninsured are at risk…and there should be no doubt that being uninsured is a serious risk…our national security is at risk.

The signing of SCHIP was long over due and will help many Americans meet their basic medical needs without being forced to weigh the health of their children against the limits of their check book and the price of an emergency room visit.

As this bitch read up on the SCHIP signing I stumbled over this story about a family struggling to handle the demands of their autistic child. As many of you know, this bitch’s older brother is autistic and I grew up watching my parents try just about everything to help him handle the world.

For all the media coverage and morning news segments on autism there is a serious lack of coverage dealing with the financial demands. Autism is not a middle class or wealthy communication disorder…even though those are the children and families most likely to be profiled on the telly. And autism costs money…a lot of money…thousands of dollars that are rarely covered through insurance.

Now, before someone comments that we have to practice strategery in these fubaristic economic times, let me assure you that I understand that shit and remind y’all that 1 in 150 individuals are dealing with some part of the autism spectrum and those are just the folks who can get a diagnosis.

Sigh.

The signing of SCHIP should remind us that there are causalities resulting from our decades long experiment in the ownership society…all kinds of families without health care coverage and denied options because our government has had a twisted anti-logic definition of family values.

Even as we celebrate this signing we must not forget that there is work yet to be done…priorities yet to be adjusted…and barriers to treatment that still need to be torn down so that we the people can live life, experience true liberty and achieve real happiness.

So hell yes, one of our highest priorities is to ensure the health and well being of our nation’s children.

SCHIP is one small step for common sense pro-human government for the people…and this bitch hopes it takes us closer to one hell of a giant leap toward universal coverage...

7 comments:

SagaciousHillbilly said...

SCHIP and Equal Pay both beg the question; Why did the republican fight them both so diligently?
Which leads us to the question; What is at the core of the corpo-fascist neo-conservatives?

Infuriated Faggot said...

Again, couple this with marriage and breeding taxes, and we're golden. :-).

And while it's amazing that this bill is signed (i'm happy as well), the disparity among 'poor' kids with government insurance and 'wealthy' kids with private insurance; and their differential treatment in the clinic will not be erased. But, it's a step in the right direction.

When the disparity goes away, Obama will move from the 'good' category to the 'great.'

This was an issue in Holland when I lived there. Everyone had medical coverage....everyone. But those who could afford it could pay for better health care. Those people would come to the hospital I worked at and would be very different from the common-folk. I hate that disparity.

We will see how SCHIP plays out, so, you'll be eating pee-free cornflakes for now ABB. :-).

Have a good day!

xobekim said...

Fortunately the Compassionate Conservative crowd is out. Okay so they were really cruel and greedy, but their gone.

How society cares for its most vulnerable speaks volumes about our humanity.

Over there in Missouri Roy Blunt wants to be your next Senator. He voted against SCHIP. Don't let the cruel and greedy get back in. Please!

Dex said...

VERY exciting.

By the way, I just stumbled across your blog a few days ago via your NPR interview 'Offensive Language Can Be Empowering'. Love it. And your blog.

Anonymous said...

Happy as I am that this is now law, it's not nearly enough.

Inasmuch as we have an employer-based system of health insurance, and children don't have employers, there is always going to be a problem insuring kids. These are human beings who are in this bind through no fault of their own. They didn't wake up one morning and decide to go without insurance.

What we need is a program where every child under 18 is just automatically covered. I'll call it MediKids. No paperwork beyond a copy of a birth certificate necessary. In an ideal world, anybody 18-25 is covered as long as they can prove they are a full time student. Hell, make it 16-25 and create an incentive to Stay In School.

libhom said...

The healthcare provided in SCHIP needs to go to adults too.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad it passed, but the S-CHIP bill had one major failing. Using a huge increase in tobacco tax to fund it. Where's the logic in tying something you absolutely want to keep long-term (providing healthcare) to someting you want to stamp out in the short term (smoking)? As a counter-point, please note the proposed $75 million earmarked for smoking cessation in the "Bail Out" bill under debate. An "A" for good intentions, at best a "C" for thinking it through.

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