I had the privilege -- and terror -- of sharing my "personal story" at a press conference held Thursday by the Obama/Biden campaign.
In the Georgia Capitol Building's grand rotunda, Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael L. Thurmond talked about the economic hardships of Georgia residents and the impact this has on the presidential race. There were three stories shared.
One came from a highly qualified man who's been job-hunting forever; the other from the owners of a small business who are struggling to stay alive.
Telling my story was incredibly hard -- it's not the kind of thing you want to yell from the rooftops -- yet in a way, I feel lighter for having shared it. So now I'm going to share it with you, and I'm hopeful it may somehow, in some way, touch someone enough to take action.
Here's the gist:
I'm fifty years old and have a beautiful daughter. I graduated from university and went to graduate school. I've had some wonderful jobs, working at museums, writing and editing, and with the Atlanta Olympic Games.
I've been on disability since 2005. I became disabled and applied for disability in 2002, and it took Social Security three years to decide. Three years. I couldn't work, and was forced out on the streets and homeless, for three years.
Now I live in subsidized housing, and have $20,000 in medical bills which Medicaid won't pay for. Rising costs mean I either pay rent or health care bills.
I'm voting for Senator Obama because I don't want other people to experience what I did.
I support Obama because of his health care policies, and in particular, how he'll deal with prescription costs, and creating a safety net for people like me.
As I continue my diary, I'll explain what "people like me" means; suffice for now, as briefly as possible: I'm disabled, so I'm qualified for Medicare but I'm not a senior, so I'm not qualified for Medicaid. That means I have huge gaps in medical coverage, the worst of which is the "Donut Hole" built into the highly-touted yet much-despised Medicare Part D Prescription Plan.
I used to be one of those people who was one medical condition away from poverty.
Now I'm one of those people who has to choose between paying rent or buying prescriptions.
Like they say, no one is immune; there's thousands and thousands of us falling through these cracks. If any of you are reading this, I'd love to hear from you.
Did you know the Administration never used its huge buying power to negotiate the prices for medications? The VA did, and they pay 58% less for them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Did you know that Part D Prescription was specifically written so that patients would have to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket, buying medicine at retail price, until they reach the end of the coverage gap?
Did you know that the congressman who steered the bill through the house retired soon after and took a $2 million position as president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the main industry lobbying group?
http://www.nytimes.com/...
My diaries will go into these issues in greater detail.
This is the first instance in a lifetime of voting -- one I never imagined for myself -- that health care and Medicare and being able to afford medicine are my key voting issues.
If you're not familiar with the Obama/Biden stance on health care (and why not?!) visit http://www.barackobama.com/...
I spoke up today, and I'm voting for Obama, because I don't want other people to experience what I did.