Very early this morning local time, after debating for 14 hours, the Senate in Argentina approved a marriage equality bill. The President has promised to sign the bill, so Argentina now becomes the twelfth country on four continents to have marriage equality. This happened despite the Catholic and Mormon churches publicly opposing equality. Viva Argentina!
Meanwhile, here in the US, our Senate has decided to remove ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, from the calendar of scheduled votes. (ENDA would prevent employers from firing a worker simply because he or she is gay, lesbian or transgendered - yes, that is still legal in most of the US.) With elections in November, the Senate is afraid to vote on anything controversial - like equality.
I got another reminder today of how the bad economy, and the screwed up US health care system, affect my patients. I saw a middle aged diabetic woman today who had her blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes under good control last year. This year her diseases all all a lot worse. It turns out that her hours were cut back at work, so her paycheck is smaller, and her co payments for medications went up. So she can't afford two of her blood pressure medications or her insulin. But if she goes into a coma or has a stroke her hospitalization will be covered. How idiotic is that?
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Yeah, well at least the Argentina story shows the way for "the Leader of the Free World" to go.
ReplyDeleteTime for Democrats to look to their laurels - they've a heck of a lot of catching up to do!
The Democrats are too afraid of losing control of Congress in the November elections to do what they should. They may be right - they're getting blamed for the economic meltdown the Republicans caused.
ReplyDeleteThe healthcare issue makes me boil. I realize people don't like to pay taxes but there are certain things a government needs to provide its people and healthcare is one of those things. No one should be allowed to profit off of the sick and dying, it is disgusting. Those same TeaBaggers that scream about government takeover of healthcare don't seem care that we are giving tens of billions in subsides to oil companies yearly.
ReplyDeleteThank God for Canadian healthcare! I have been really really sick the past few days (it's either strep throat, some virus, or mono) with an extremely painful sore throat (my uvula is emflamed, yay me!) and have seen a doctor 3 times this week, and have gotten 2 prescriptions. Not once did I have to wonder how I would pay for all of this.
ReplyDeletethe administration/congress in office when something bad happens always get blamed, even if it is because of the poor policies of the administration that preceded it.... americums have short attention spans.. i blame tv.... and the interwoob....
ReplyDeletewait, what?
and dont get me started on healthcare.... its all about insurance companies making money....
btw doc, thank you... because of your blog roll, i found a blog i really like reading, exploding doughnut...
- cheers.... david
I think a lot of these topics are linked to a lack of conservative foresight. Preventative treatments are less costly and healthier (in my understanding), ENDA isn't a priority because it likely means losses for democrats (placing their own power over principle), etc.
ReplyDeleteAs for Argentina and the marriage issue in general, I think the LDS Church is digging itself in a trench that will only distance itself from the majority of people in the near future. As someone who grew up in the faith, it's sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy in which the world will become too wicked to do anything but ridicule its members. (Their words not mine). I am very interested in what's to come in the next decade.
Sean, the woman who is the original Teabagger is against government "interference" in healthcare, but is waiting until she qualifies for Medicare to get her hips replaced, because she can't afford it otherwise.
ReplyDeleteMadeleine, I wish that my patients could get the healthcare that you have.
Brian, others' blog rolls are how I found most of the great blogs that I follow. Glad to help. I should comment more to Exploding Doughnut.
GMB, yeah, Mormons and Republicans are doing that, I hope. Have you seen the Republicans in Texas? They want to bring back sodomy laws.
Sorry David, I referred to you as Brian for some reason. I apologize.
ReplyDeleteno worries g&p... i think brian is your newest follower..
ReplyDelete- cheers... david
I'm right there with you on the healthcare. I see the reverse side of it. Many of my patients are in crisis because they lack regular care and "hope to get better" without an visit to the doctor's office. Often they get worse and end up very sick in the ER.
ReplyDeleteOf course, then there are the kids. This one call I will never forget. It was for an toddler with aggressive cancer. The child had gotten worse and we were called. I remember walking into the apartment and there was nothing there. Just a (cheap) sofa and an IV stand where the parents were doing home infusion. Not even a bassinet for the child. They couldn't afford anything else. Both parents worked unskilled jobs with no benefits. Every dime of their money went to treatment of this sweet little girl. It was heartbreaking to stand in the stark emptiness of this apartment that echoed because it was just a big empty room.
The little's girls prognosis was not very good (she died later that night). The parents now faced mourning their child and extreme poverty. I'm sure they knew the odds of treatment working were low but how can you not try even if it means losing everything else. Those are the decisions and situations that our healthcare situation forces on people everyday.
So when people oppose universal healthcare, I wish that they could come on calls with me, see my patients and have to look people like that child's parents in the eyes.