Kate Loving Shenk

Dear Godess, To those of you who know me well, by now you realize one of my greatest passions is Universal Health Care For All, a delivery system  that works with out Health Insurance Corporations.

Because President Obama did not exclude the Health Insurance Companies from his Health Care Reform Plan, we cannot call what we have in this country health care reform. Health Insurance Corporations are still denying claims and causing tragedy all over America.

My nursing colleague, for instance, has her husband on the health insurance plan through the hospital where we work. He recently had a $30,000.00 orthopedic surgery with resultant complications which the Insurance Company is refusing to pay. The reason? He is a self-employed Dairy Farmer and he injured himself  while caring for his magnificent Jersey Cows. (Aren’t they pretty?)

My friends are just about to become another statistic of the more than 67% of Americans who declare bankruptcy due to an inability to pay for exorbitant health care costs.

Here is my 5 pronged  plan to help my friend: 1) Schedule a fund raiser 2) create publicity for the fundraiser and the problem in the context of the fundraiser 3) my friend contacts her State Rep 4) We find a lawyer among our progressive Single Payer friends and ask her/him to write a letter to the Insurance Company 5) alert the Docs who did not bother to find out what my friend’s insurance covers and does not cover.

This is my belief: It is the health care provider’s responsibility to prevent catastrophe in the form of medical bankruptcy, which by the way, is strictly an American phenomenon. Doctors et al need to become better informed about what is covered and help to get coverage when needed.

Wendell Potter, former Cigna CEO and author of the newly published book “Deadly Spin,” was in Philadelphia last night and we took the trek in rush hour traffic to see him. He told his story of his “Road To Damascus” that aha moment when he saw first hand the suffering of the uninsured at a free clinic set up in rural Tennessee. Hundreds of people were lined up for hours, waiting to see a doctor or Nurse practitioner or Physician’s Assistant. Some were undoubtedly turned away at the end of the day.

Wendell took responsibility for the suffering because of the role he played at Cigna, and had to leave the job to free his conscience.

Wendell told the audience to “Speak Your Truth.”

“Do the right thing.”

And Wendell Potter also reads this Pray To Heal Blog, something I did not know until he told me last night!

Om Peace Amen

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