Once upon a time, in a land not so far
away–Springfield, Mo.–I ran a free clinic. It wasn't something I
ever foresaw, it just happened. I made so many great friends there.
Oh, and it changed my life forever. When my mother found the lump in
her breast, our family didn't have insurance. She waited to tell even
my dad until we again were insured. There's a chance that she would
still be with us had things been different. Fast forward a couple of
years and we are living in my mother's beloved Kansas City. I don't
like to dwell on the past, but I liked my job–at MetroCARE–liked
my house–in Brookside–I was glad we moved. MetroCARE made so much
sense. Volunteer doctors would see needy patients for free in their
own offices. We closed on our home in August and I had my stroke in
March. Our neighbors were so kind, though we were such short-timers.
At the risk of becoming the family pariah, there are parts of
“ObamaCare” that I like. For example, I rather like the part that
made it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage for
pre-existing conditions. I likely wouldn't have given the bill a
second thought had I not worked with those less fortunate. I am
grateful for my non-profit jobs and the way they made me more
compassionate.
3 comments:
I love that God surprised you with your job at MetroCare. It was such a wonderful way for you to use so many of your gifts and abilities to help many, many people. I agree that no one should be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. I so wish things had been different for your mom. Finally, thank you for teaching me the word pariah. Love you so much. Keep blogging!
I agree dear dil. You are no pariah in this family!
I have the same reaction Alison. I hear about people making decisions based on whether it will impact their insurance. No one pays much attention to their insurance until they need it -- and then it is so complicated that rumor drives decisions. Maybe Obama-care isn't the right solution, but what we had was so badly broken. Hopefully we'll learn to fix "insurance for everyone" (and it really seems like it needs fixing) instead of going back to what clearly didn't work if you needed insurance!
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