This is the last issue of the IPPF Newsletter before the November election. Please register to vote. I know I talk about this often, but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to vote and hold our elected officials and ourselves accountable. This election will decide the turn which the country will take for the next four years. Since our healthcare system is overburdened and costs have skyrocketed, one of the big issues being discussed is how best to fix our broken healthcare system.
Personally, this issue is high on my agenda in deciding which person I will vote for. I also encourage you to check out the health plans of the two candidates. They are very different. You can find their plans on their websites. For John McCain’s health program visit johnmccain.com; for Barack Obama’s plan visit barackobama.com. But just don’t believe what they say, read descending opinions on both sides.
My level of concern is about making sure that everyone who has pemphigus or pemphigoid gets immediate coverage whether they have health insurance or not. I want the costs to be reasonable and accessible.
Although many of us have had insurance when we were first diagnosed, there are numbers of patients who do not. There are also numbers of patients who have lost their insurance because they lost their jobs for one reason or another. COBRA will cover people for a while, but the premiums are often exorbitant. If someone loses their job, what opportunities are there for a person living with a chronic illness to be eligible for employment especially if they have active disease and are over 40 Of course disability is an option, but you have to make sure that you fight like hell for it because it just isn’t that easy to get especially if you get rejected the first time. Sometimes it can take years.
For those who are doing well with insurance plans, I want you to consider the issues that all of us face with our health care needs when you vote. I have voted in every Presidential election since I was able to vote. I consider it a privilege to be in a country that allows us to pick the people we think would make our best leaders especially when, still, in this 21st Century, there are men and especially women unable to make these kinds of choices. Don’t take your vote for granted. Your vote does count! So, please, if you are not yet registered, Register! And, don’t forget to vote in November.
