This is only my second diary but I am here every day reading and have been for about 6 years now. What I've learned here has turned me into someone that others come to for political knowledge, scant though mine is. But when I speak, they know I know what I'm talking about.
But today, I'm at a loss. My brother, living in rural Florida, has lost his young wife to suicide with no warning. No life insurance, no health insurance. He has a small construction company and can't afford health insurance for him or his family - including his teenage son. He never thought he'd need life insurance for her - she was 25 and had everything to live for. She stopped taking her anti-depressant last week after debilitating side effects. The side effects went away but she spiraled down and by Monday told my brother she didn't understand what was wrong with her - she was getting more depressed by the day. Around noon on Tuesday, my brother found her lying in bed with a gunshot to her head. As of this hour, she's still on life support as my brother is hoping that her organs can be donated. There are complications that are delaying that and he may even be denied the small comfort of knowing that someone else might live as a result of this tragedy.
And I think, my brother is a typical rural Floridian in many respects. Small business owner, family man, loves the outdoors and hunting and fishing, big NASCAR and Florida State fan, married a couple of times, struggling in this economy to make it. Respected and loved by his family, friends, and his community. Already promises of donations are coming in to help relieve the costs he'll have to face for they will be substantial. But how many more are there like him? How many more non-insured are in these small rural communities? Substantially more than the national average? I gander that would be a yes, but I'm not in the mood to scour the internet for the facts. My gut tells me yes. And how many more will have to rely on the donations of others to pay medical costs that they can't pay. The kindness is overwhelming already - people everywhere asking what they can do and how they can help. It fills my soul with gratitude, but at the same time, I'm furious that we have to rely on them because some insurance executive has to make several millions dollars a year and make his/her product so expensive working men and women can't afford it. But we're not talking a car, or a stove, or hell even a hair dryer. We're talking about playing around with people's lives AND livelihoods for profit.
People are struggling in these communities that have no or few jobs. In my hometown, what few jobs there are are low-paying and the higher-paying jobs that don't require a college education (which few have) only come to those who know someone or are in cahoots with the local government which is corrupt beyond measure. (Guess which party dominates). The biggest employer is also one of the largest polluters in the entire south east and few other businesses want to locate there due to the low standard of living. A vicious circle that entraps people whose families have lived there for generations.
And so as my beautiful, young sister-in-law today is removed from life support, my brother will start the process of burying her and how to go on with his life, all the while, trying to figure out how to pay the medical bills that could possibly wipe out everything. It's not a pretty picture.
This fucking sucks. Excuse my language, but GOD DAMN IT PASS REAL HCR NOW!