cross-posted on www.guaranteedhealthcare.org
By Donna Smith, community organizer
California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee
WASHINGTON, DC -- Sometimes the pictures just tell the story without too many words.
I arrived in Washington this afternoon, and as I walked to baggage claim I saw a line of limo drivers anxiously awaiting their very special passengers. Each of the drivers held a sign with the sponsoring company -- in this case the Bayer folks -- and each had the name of one of the folks coming in to spend some time in DC at a conference like the one being hosted by AHIP -- the American Health Insurance Plans industry group. They'll all be sharing a little lobbying time together. Limos, fine wine, great food and a fabulous setting... what's not to like about that?
As I snapped my picture, I became even more confident in the need for some massive cleaning up of the healthcare system that has enough profit bloat in it to afford limos for some at the same time it denies life-saving care for others. Tonight in America, at least 75 families mourned the death of a loved one who might have been saved if they'd had access to healthcare while those lucky folks who were picked up in the limos this afternoon were treated to a bit of the fine life in our nation's capital.
Well, tomorrow, I am hoping to join a group of people calling for a clean-up of this mess.
Join us as we meet at the Capital Hilton at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22. The address in 1001 16th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. We'll send a message that we know Americans are not safe so long as we continue to rely on for-profit health insurance companies to decide who gets care and who dies.
It should be our health professionals who make those decisions in concert with us, not insurance industry "bureaucrats" who increase their profits by denying claims. We need a single payer -- publicly funded, privatey delivered -- healthcare system. We need a system that's basic reason for being is to provide care for those who need it.
The financial trauma of the past several days should cause us all great concern for our ability to get the care we need.
What do we suppose will happen as these insurance companies also see their investments lose ground in the current market meltdown? Does anyone seriously think that they will eat those losses and not pass them along to customers first -- and the only way an insurance company protects its financial interests in this sort of collapse is to raise rates and deny claims. Raise rates, deny claims. Families hurt, sick people die. That's the way an insurance company profits.
And God help us, as the situation grows worse, even more people will die not at the hands of an incurable disease or illness but becuase it wasn't profitable to save them.
And if the big pharmacueticals lost money in their investment funds, how do you suppose they will make up those losses? Raise prices, and get people to take more meds. Profit, my friends, drives this system, not healthcare needs. That's pretty sick(o).
So, join me. Let's gather for a little while and tell them we know how dangerous the situation really is -- we've got to protect ourselves. There are no limos waiting to take us anywhere. Those are reserved for those who are part of the profit loop.