Health Care?

 (Written by, Angela Kaye Mason)

I can't pretend to know very much about this new Health Care Reform thingy the president is pushing so hard. I mean , after all, from what I understand it is many many pages long and not even all the people who are voting on it have probably read and understand it all. When it was first introduced, I thought it was supposed to help those of us who cannot afford health care to get it. Of course I was already skeptical. The country is falling apart, the economy is broke...and can't get fixed. Social Security, Welfare, etc, is already in crisis. How could we possibly add any more help to the poor?
I have friends who were all for it, and from their point of view I guess I understand. They wanted to lower the costs of the Health care they are already paying for. They wanted the Government to step in and force Insurance Companies to  give customers what they are paying for, instead of refusing treatment to people who have had their policies for years, and missed the fine print, or didnt understand the ''clauses'' the company used to get out of the help the customers were due. It all sounds pretty good...just the little bit I am able to address in the blog.
Here is my issue with it all. I saw in a newscast last week, that the reform that is going through now, says that every American will have to have Health Insurance the same way we have to have car insurance. That to NOT have it will cost the citizen ''small penalties'' or fines just like the tickets we get for driving without insurance. The reporter, who I actually like, but did not agree with on this one, even stated that he felt it would not work because the ''young'' people would just decide to pay the penalties and not get insurance, thus leaving the older more responsible people to foot the bill, and Healthcare costs would just rise even more.
All of the opinions are forgetting one important detail. Some of us are not CHOOSING to not have insurance now. We don't NEED the government of this ''free'' country to force us to have insurance. If we could afford it, we would already have it. In 2000 I was diagnosed with lyme disease. I also don't produce enough blood so I am almost always anemic. My normal blood pressure after activities is 90/60. I have had to have blood transfusions, and cannot afford the treatment I need now. Trust me, if I could afford healthcare., I'd have it. no one would have to force it on me.And they are saying that this reform would make it more affordable. I actually laughed out loud at this one, because, as I said , it shows that they have NO idea what it's like for the real people out here.There are people I know personally who cannot afford to feed their family...literally. We can't afford to go to doctors, and we don't. They want to make us have insurance that we won't use because we will never go to the doctor unless it is life threatening. That is how we live. We can't afford it..period. I don't have enough to pay my bills now...so even if they could make it only 5 bucks a week....which they won't...I don't have it. And what happens to those who can't afford the ''small fee''? Do we go to jail? Get probation? Owe the courts/government even more? Brilliant idea for decreasing the deficit by getting money from poor people. Terrible idea for helping poor people have healthcare.