Today, Elizabeth Edwards told Good Morning America that Hillary's healthcare plan is better than Obama's. While I don't particularly like Barack's plan, I respectfully ask that Ms. Edwards come to Massachusetts and say that to those of us who currently live with mandates. This rhetoric - that universal healthcare is the same as guaranteed healthcare - is simply not accurate, and has got to stop.
The mandate system is very young and much research is needed to actually comprehend the mess we have on our hands. Unfortunately, because this system is so new, I don't have any convincing links or interesting op-eds to share with you. All I have is my personal anecdote and stories of those around me. But one thing is for sure; it is becoming clearer by the day that mandates are not the answer to our nation's healthcare crisis, and we should continue looking (perhaps North) for alternative solutions.
More on malicious mandates below...
As this is the first beautiful day in New England, I should be outside playing basketball or frisbee, but I'm not. I can't. Unfortunately, almost three months ago, I injured my right ring finger, and despite several doctors appointments and hundreds of dollars, it has no signs of healing. And at this juncture, I simply cannot afford to continue paying for more specialists.
I live in Massachusetts, where by law I must purchase health insurance or get kicked out of graduate school. So instead of my state wanting to invest in me (by granting free and full insurance), it forces me to invest in insurance companies, which offer me (as if I am a car) minimum coverage. They give me just enough so that I don't get in trouble from the state, but not enough to actually cover me in the event of an accident - like a measly crooked finger. And the scariest part is that I am one of the lucky ones. I'm young and healthy, I know the system, I speak English, and I have great support from people around me.
In front of me I have a stack of insurance bills that my partner and I must pay: $365 for a routine test, $65 for a few co-pays, $20 here and $40 there, and still this doesn't include the over $2,000 for our normal student insurance bills. Beyond this, there is another, more important test, that we cannot afford to get because we owe so much in other medical bills (I'll have to wait for my go-shopping tax credit, and pray that nothing happens in the meantime)!
Even worse, the insurance that I'm forced to get is paid for 100% from student loans, which means that I will be paying for this stupid finger for the next 20 years of my life. Simply put, I have to ask you Ms. Edwards: Is this really the best we can do?
I think not.
**UPDATE** Apparently Elizabeth Edwards was in Massachusetts today. My apologies on that note. However, I would like to mention that the point of this diary is not to bash Clinton or Edwards, or to lift up Obama. I think all three of their plans are rubbish. I would, however, like to see a continued dialogue on this topic. After all, I think we can all agree, mandates or no mandates, we need to make sure everyone is getting the healthcare they need.