Some More Media Attention
Just wanted to let you all know I got a bit more coverage for my insurance woes and fundraising efforts. After having some “human interest story”-ish coverage via the local news piece that aired here a couple months ago, it was nice to speak to a reporter from The Nation about some of the bigger picture issues: the fact that what I’m facing with lifetime insurance caps simply shouldn’t be happening in a civilized society and the importance of ensuring access to quality, affordable healthcare for all. No one should be denied healthcare because they can’t afford it and insurers shouldn’t be able to discriminate against the sick simply because they are less profitable to insure. When millions of others are denied insurance like me, what is evident is how misplaced our priorities have become. Money for constant warmongering? Check. Money for ensuring access to the best healthcare in the world? Not so much. (I touch on this a bit in the piece: “Guha says the state of Arizona made matters worse when the state ‘decided it was more important to cut [healthcare] and distribute a few tax breaks to rich people than have a decent social safety net in place.’”)
While I wouldn’t have framed my story within the context of young people and voting for Obama had I been writing the story myself, I was glad to be able to have a venue to speak about the political side of my struggles. And given how rambling I can be when I talk, I was happy to see that the writer was able to rescue some fairly coherent and vaguely intelligent quotes from me.
While I’m very lucky that my fundraising efforts have gone so well, I think it’s important to note that the real story here shouldn’t be a heartwarming one of turning lemons into lemonade; rather, it should be an infuriating one of how our healthcare system in this country has failed insofar as it allows for people with serious medical issues to be denied insurance coverage. To quote, um, myself: “A sane, just, equitable society is one where we pitch in for one another when someone is needy.”
In our country, there is no concept of health insurance and government funding, when my mum had to go through treatment for cancer, my dad spent all of his life savings!! Now, me and my brother support my parents to run daily households(my dad’s retired).