I've Stood In That Line....More Will Too

In a recent blog entry in The Huffington post, Ed Schultz made an emotional plea and call for those deciding the policies of health reform to actually get out there and truly see the faces and meet the people whom those policies would affect. This plea really spoke to me since I am one of those people who has stood in line for free healthcare. I am one of the people who have found themselves without health insurance and cannot afford to purchase it on my own. I am one of the people who will endure an illness, like the sinus infection I KNEW I had, for three weeks because I also knew that the doctor visit and generic presription, that is, IF, one was available, would cost me at least $100.I finally caved because my employer insisted that she would help cover the costs, probably to ensure that her children, whom I nanny, would not catch anything I might develop secondary to the sinus infection. I can also relate to one of those politicians who is completely insulated from understanding, not to mention, experience, what it means to be without healthcare insurance. For many years, I had full-coverage health insurance. It was great coverage and I was so accustomed to the coverage and manageable costs of healthcare that when I would hear of people having such a difficult time getting medical care, it was seriously beyond my scope of comprehension. The only way I have come to really appreciate this "healthcare" dilemna? It was to be in the trenches, standing in line for hours, and I mean sometimes, four or five hours, to even see a practicioner. I believe that it's only when our politicians hit the streets and visit the free clinics throughout our country, that they will come to appreciate what the faces of this population really looks like. With the present situation, many more people are going to know about this experience and believe me, the ripple effect it will have on business and missed productivity, will be felt.