I just finished reading the speech on healthcare reform that Obama gave earlier this week. Good work, Team Obama, at calling out the talking heads, the politicians, all those responsible for spreading the seeds of misinformation. Congratulations on figuring out a promising solution that can appease the majority, and most of all, thank you for not giving up. For the past couple of years, I have been one of those risk-taking youngsters who didn't have the money (or didn't want to shell it out) for health insurance. When given the option to register for vision and dental coverage, I took it. I know the value of preventative medicine. For general health coverage, I paid out-of-pocket for routine examinations and tests, finding the health services at my alma mater to be the cheapest option. There was no way I was going to pay $32 a week for the health insurance offered by my employer. I'm young, athletic, a non-smoker, a relatively good driver. I take vitamins. But at the same time, there was always the fear that something big could happen. A car accident, a skiing accident, a bookshelf or a mannequin that takes a tumble onto my foot. (Why else do you think I wear thick, leather cowboy boots?) I learned from someone -- a friend, a fellow blogger, I don't remember -- that it was possible to lie at the emergency room, that they were required to treat me even without insurance, and that I could give a false name and address to avoid ever receiving the bill. I prayed this wouldn't happen for my physical well-being as well as my ethical and emotional well-being. That's reckless, but what else can be done when one is earning $8 an hour and faces an $8,000 medical bill?

Last night, just before falling asleep, I started a post on yet another side of the healthcare debate, that of Michael Pollan. Stay tuned for more to come.

And while you're waiting, you should also read this short column, "Summer's End," by Judith Warner. Really, I do things besides reading the Times online!

1 Comment

1. Ellie on September 12, 2009 at 4:01 PM

   Thank you for the link to that insightful essay. You may share her attachment for a 'house in Normandy' and wonder if your real life is (there).
   Just thinking on this chilly Saturday morning.
   To change the subject, I am off to the farmers market.