Sanity is madness put to good use. – George Santayana
Rally For Health Care
6Jul2009 Author: Mother Jones, RN
Have you ever wondered what nurses do on their day off from work? Some nurses catch up on their housework. I’d rather go to a health care rally than chase dust bunnies under my bed. So would these ladies. Bertha, the lady on the left, is a friend of mine from work. The lady on the right is a doctor from Ohio that we met in Washington, DC. Her name is AJ. She and her husband drove to DC to attend the rally and to visit her congressman because she is sick and tired of seeing her patients suffer under our current health care system.
Bertha and I bumped into AJ at a breakfast that SEIU sponsored, and she graciously invited me to chronicle her trip to Capitol Hill. She planned to visit her member of Congress, Steve Driehaus. Unfortunately Representative Driehaus wasn’t in his office when AJ and I dropped by, but we got to meet with one of his Legislative Correspondents. Meet Sarah McHugh. AJ also got a chance to chat with the Congressman’s Press Secretary, Tim Mulvey. AJ spoke from her heart about the current state of health care while Ms. McHugh and Mr. Mulvey listened intently. They said that they would pass AJ’s thoughts onto the Congressman.
AJ, Bertha, and I attended a rally in Upper Senate Park after visiting Congressman Driehaus’ Office. This is Edie Falco, the actress who plays Nurse Jackie, giving a speech in support of health care reform. She’s in favor of the public option health plan. Edie said that she still remembers how scared she was when she didn’t have health insurance. She said she was always worried about how she was going to pay for medical care if she got sick and had to go see a doctor. Edie still has a lot of friends that don’t have health insurance, and that’s why she’s in favor of President Obama’s plan for health care reform. Go Edie! Maybe I’ll stop knocking her show now, even though I still think it stinks. Sorry, Edie.
AJ, Bertha, and I went to a town hall meeting for nurses and doctors in DC after the rally. This is Doctor Howard Dean, the former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Doctor Dean is also campaigning for health care reform. He, too, is a proponent of the public option health plan. Howard can fire up a crowd. You could feel the energy pulsating in the room. Doctors and nurses were sharing stories and ideas, and working together in an united front. It was awe-inspiring. I wished that the afternoon could have gone on forever.
I urge all health care professions to join the cause to promote health care reform. Whatever you believe, get involved. Lawmakers need to hear your stories. They respect doctors and nurses. AJ took time out from her busy practice to come to DC. Call your member of Congress, or write them a letter. Let them know where you stand. Tell them you want the best for your patients.
12 Responses to “Rally For Health Care”
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Disclaimer
There has been a lot of chatter in the blogosphere about medical bloggers and HIPAA regulations so let me make this very clear: I write composite stories about many different people that I've cared for over the years.
Close encounters « DUNCAN CROSS
July 7th, 2009 at 11:05 am
[...] like Nurse Ratched was at the same rally I went to a couple weeks ago: Have you ever wondered what nurses do on their [...]
Pattie, RN
July 7th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Oh, I am VERY involved..in making sure this boondoggle of a horrible idea dies a natural death before it bankrupts this country any further. We see every day how well the government manages Medicare and Medicaid, why in the name of all that is good and holy would anyone want their grubby fingers further in the mix anyway??? Take a good long look at the VA system for a preview of what a mistake this would be, especially when NOT accompanied by tort and malpractice caps and reforms.
trekfan
July 7th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Well, Pattie, under this plan, if you don’t like the government’s insurance you, and your patients, are free to keep what ever insurance you want.
danielle
July 8th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I grew up an Army brat. Made it thru the GOVERNMENT medical system of military hospitals. Like all hospitals, they have their pros and cons. But the only argument I hear against government run medical care is Medicare and Medicaid – maybe those are the examples to use on how NOT to run the system. But how can just about every other country in the world have a government run system except for this one???? Are we that arrogant that we will allow the private sector to bankrupt the health system as it is oh so quickly doing????? – without trying to find an alternative??? I dont know about the rest of you – but once I retire I will have no health care except medicare because jsut like so many other businesses – my employer’s retirement benefits SUCK and they dont take care of their own health care workers (yes, I work for a hospital) and I would like something in place that I can count on!
Change of Shift Begins Fourth Year: Volume Four, Number One // Emergiblog
July 9th, 2009 at 12:16 am
[...] Place has been like a second mother to CoS, having hosted nine times! She recently attended a Rally for Health Care in Washington, DC.
Pattie, RN
July 9th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Trekfan, I don’t see private carriers lasting very long once the government gets involved. Federal funds tend to turn into the 900 lb gorilla in the room. I see this a prelude to one-payor socialized medicine. I am an Army vet and haved lived in Europe, and neither military medicine or government health care is very pretty up close/
trekfan
July 9th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I was in the military. I don’t have any complaints about the care. I would rather have heath care than not. I have been out for a few years and uninsured the whole time. I don’t think that the public option should be rejected based on predictions about the future. The public option is going to force insurance companies to be competitive, something that is not happening now. According to The World Health Organization, the USA is ranked 37th in terms of health care. 16 of the 36 countries above us are European, so their system must not be all that bad.
Ken in Minnesota
July 10th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Thanks for being at the rally and making the rounds in the reps’ office building.
tammy swofford
July 12th, 2009 at 6:33 am
I am not quite sure where the answer lies, as things are so complicated regarding these issues. It does seem that a large majority of the care goes to a minority demographic who are obese, deconditioned citizens who also smoke, have unhealthy lifestyles. And that demographic is growing, pardon the pun!
But there is that 20/80 ratio, where approximately twenty percent, use up eighty percent of the resources.
Tammy
Pattie, RN
July 14th, 2009 at 9:15 am
The WHO has a serious political agenda. Their rankings are based on a unicorn-inspired worldview of distribution of care, not of quality and effectiveness of said care.
And Trekfan, what horrible catastophe has kept you from purchasing insurance?? Because I have never been uninsured, even when I had to pay for private policies. Oh–and at the time four of us were living on$20K, so don’t tell me you “can’t afford it”.
trekfan
July 16th, 2009 at 7:58 am
As a point of fact it is a preexisting condition.
TraumaDiva
August 7th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Great Job!!! You look fabulous by the way!