A plan for North Carolina
The NC Justice Center’s Health Access Coalition released a report this morning on how to provide affordable health coverage for every resident of the state.
It looks a lot like what Ga. Rep. John Barrow described when we spoke with him last week.
It’s a public-private partnership that would regulate insurance companies. It also would involve expanding coverage for working people and mandating insurance the way Massachusetts does now, with sliding-scale rates according to income.
As I’ve said before, I don’t care how it’s done; I want health coverage for every American. Whatever works.
I spoke with Adam Searing today, the project director.
“It’s a good plan if we can get somebody to enact it,” he said.
That’s the problem. There are still too many people who think the system just needs a little tweaking,
Searing said he can’t understand how anyone could still think access to health care in America is adequate.
I’ll lay odds none of those people has held the hand of a son or daughter as he or she died because they couldn’t get health care in time to save their lives.
Read the whole report at http://www.ncjustice.org/assets/library/1256_hachealthplanforall2008.pdf.
Then ask every politician you know why we can’t have this, or whether they have a better solution. Don’t let them off the hook. It’s election season and politicians need to know we’re serious about this.
Tags: Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a new peer support program for people newly diagnosed with chronic or serious illness or with a new disability and their caregivers.
Patient Pals are people who have experience with various illnesses and disabilities, who can help someone newly diagnosed or with a new disability work through the fear, frustration, confusion and grief often experienced in the first few months.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
People with new illness or disability fare better when they have a role model -- someone who can help them negotiate their new path in life.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
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