Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sighs and Breaths

Healthcare reform has begun. I've let out a big breath.

I've explained before that the reason we made the move back to Illinois from Wisconsin had EVERYTHING to do with insurance. After nearly a decade of not having a lifetime cap, we were forced to contend with the implementation of a 1,000,000 lifetime cap. A quick calculation showed us that we would hit that cap when our kids were in high school, if not sooner. We knew we had about 5 years. And the question became, do we proceed pro-actively so that 'capping-out' will be less disruptive or do we wait to see....

We moved.

In the last 4 years we've wondered if my husband's insurance would implement a cap, would our insurance deem our kids too costly and thus, my husband be targeted for dismissal, would (in this shitty economy) he lose his job, lose insurance and then we'd find ourselves unable to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions?

I feel like we can breath. It's going to be o.k. My children will be o.k. They will be able to get insurance. They won't have to cut back on their infusions in order to avoid a cap.

And yet I sigh.

I look at the vitriol, hate, and fear and sigh.

This is supposed to be the greatest nation. Change is hard. Change is painful. We are a country who are supposed to espouse the virtuous and bring out all that is good and kind. What has happened to us?

If we are supposed to be a "Christian nation", doesn't that mean we're supposed to be Christ-like....as in Jesus? What about Matthew's sermon on the mount? Aren't we supposed to do things like feed the hungry? Cloth the poor? Doctor the sick?

So, this week, I breath easy knowing my kids will be ok.

2 comments:

Emerge Peoria said...

My sister has been suffering from debilitating back pain for more than a year now. It has been heart breaking watching her health deteriorate. ... I breathe a little bit easier knowing she has a chance of getting the medical care necessary to help her to get back on her feet and improve her quality of life.

Linda Wright said...

I too breathed that sigh with the Health Insurance Reform passed into law. And now there are those who see no need for ADA!