No Room for False Pride
(I was reading this over and realized that I originally said I was 59 years old with a 15 year old son -- that was wrong. I was 49 at the time, so have corrected my original post.)
If I ever had any false pride, I lost it somewhere along the way.
I was 49 years old with a 15 year old son when I found myself alone and hard-to-employ, with no income and no health care plan. It took me over a year to find a not-too-well-paying job, during which time I had Welfare help (Aid for Families with Dependent Children) for my son K. and me, a very tiny cash allowance, food stamps, and Medicaid-for-the-poor health plan. Without it we would have been among the ranks of the homeless, trudging to soup kitchens every evening for a free meal, and suffering without adequate care when ill. Soon after I found work, the Welfare program for heads-of-households over 50 years of age was stopped, never to return. I lost a job at age 62 and lived on Unemployment compensation for the six months they allowed, after which I had to take early Social Security retirement of only $418 a month -- it was not easy, and I never did find another job. At 65, Suplemental Security Income (SSI) kicked in, so I now get about twice that early amount along with Medicare and Medicaid coverage. I also live in subsidized elderly housing (very nice!) which only charges me 1/3 of my income per month for rent. I also get a few Food Stamps, again because of my below poverty level income -- also full Health care with Medicare for the Aged, supplemented by Medicaid for those below poverty level. My health care is now excellent, much better than anything I got while I was "insured".
As far as health care goes, I pray that evey American gets the good coverage I now enjoy with no co-payments and no deductibles, and best of all, no premiums to pay -- also, the Federal Government and the State Government pay for almost all kinds of conditions between them. Prescriptions, eyeglasses, dental, and everything. Thank God!
Universal Health Care - single payer plan? Bring it on! The savings in premiums and co-payments and deductibles alone should more than compensate for any tax increases to pay for the plan. Think of it! The money is taken out BEFORE you see it in the pay check. Yes, you have a bit less money in your pocket, but you would budget with what you actually receive. And the best part is when you have to see the doctor or go to a hospital or need a prescription, you dont have to pay anything out of pocket! So many people have been beggared by co-payments and deductibles - and non-covered services.....
My rant? In my building about 10% of the tenants are Conservatives who do not believe in government programs like health care. Meanwhile, since we are all over 65, all are receiving Medicare (government plan), subsidized housing (government plan), and several city-run senior citizens' benefits, such as discounted public transportation, etc. I never fail to point these things out to those people, asking them how they can be conservative and live HERE. Furthermore, if and when the day comes that they end up in nursing homes, once their savings or other assets are gone, then they too will end up on Medicaid. Ultimately all will be in the same boat, so to speak.
I hope I give these people something to think about.