The Political Voices of Women

Health Care Discrimination and the Middle Class - by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog)

I recently wrote a piece for BlogHer on how opponents of universal health care promote healthy lifestyles as a way to decrease health care costs. Sounds great doesn’t it? The trouble is, there is a fine line between encouraging healthy lifestyles and discriminating against the sick. It would be great if prevention and a healthy lifestyle could prevent chronic illness, but it just doesn’t, it’s much more complicated then that.

And the McCain plan (if you can really call it a plan), not only blames the chronically ill for the high cost of health care, but allows the insurance industry to continue to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions. This country can not afford the kind of health care plan that John McCain is suggesting, and if you have any preexisting conditions, you are not covered under McCain’s plan.

Here Mrs. Edwards speaks from the perspective of someone recently dealing with cancer — and warns that McCain’s plan has very serious limitations and dangers for middle, modest and low income families. While protecting the wealthiest Americans, McCain’s proposals endanger the health security of those less fortunate.

Another troubling fact about the health care crisis, is that it isn’t just hurting the uninsured anymore. Now, even if you have health insurance, you’re not as protected as you might think. For more information you can read, What You Don’t Know About Your Health Insurance, Could Soon Cost You Thousands.

Even the Ensured Feel the Strain of Health Costs…

The economic slowdown has swelled the ranks of people without health insurance. But now it is also threatening millions of people who have insurance but find that the coverage is too limited or that they cannot afford their own share of medical costs.

Many of the 158 million people covered by employer health insurance are struggling to meet medical expenses that are much higher than they used to be — often because of some combination of higher premiums, less extensive coverage, and bigger out-of-pocket deductibles and co-payments.

With medical costs soaring, the coverage many people have may not adequately protect them from the financial shock of an emergency room visit or a major surgery. For some, even routine doctor visits might now take a back seat to basic expenses like food and gasoline.

So how much worse can this health care crisis get? Would you believe that some at the Pentagon are suggesting it could affect our military’s readiness for war? This is from the Boston Globe…

Like the many major corporations that insist their competitiveness is undermined by rising medical bills, the Pentagon is warning that mounting healthcare costs could jeopardize the military’s ability to wage war.

Because of an aging population and skyrocketing medical fees, the annual cost of military healthcare has more than doubled from $19 billion to $39 billion since 2001, according to Defense Department data. That number is expected to climb to $64 billion by 2015, Pentagon officials estimate, consuming roughly 12 percent of the defense budget.

“Without relief, spending for healthcare will . . . divert critical funds needed for war fighters, their readiness, and for critical equipment,” Dr. William Winkenwerder , assistant defense secretary for health affairs, recently told Congress. “Healthcare costs will continue to consume a growing slice of the department’s budget.”

[Just a thought. Bring our troops home, and stop fighting this stupid war in Iraq! Maybe then our veterans can get quality health care? I think they deserve it.]

Also See:

Health Insurance Companies To Increase Profits

More specifics about the McCain Health Care plan.

How has the health care crisis affected you? If it hasn’t affected you yet, are you worried it will?