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Orlando Mechanic?
Oct. 22nd, 2009 11:02 am Anyone know a good and cheap mechanic in Orlando? My car needs help fast!
Oct. 22nd, 2009
Rape Is A Pre-Existing Condition?
Oct. 22nd, 2009 11:13 amhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/21/insurance-companies-rape-_n_328708.html
OK, I am generally not a fan of the Huffington Post. I have been so disgusted with their lack of evidence-based journalism and their outright acceptance of pretty much any point of view no matter how wacky, or flat-out wrong it is, that I actually made a point of boycotting reading any of their stuff, even though some writers I respect are still hanging on to a sinking ship.
I am also hesitant to take the word of any article that uses anecdotal data as their primary source for information.
However, whether this is "routine" or not, as is debated in the article, the fact that it happens AT ALL is a symptom of a very seriously damaged healthcare system.
The representative of the insurance companies is very quick to point out that women are not being denied because they were raped, and that those who make the denial decisions have no way of even knowing that they were raped.
And this is true.
However, being denied insurance because you once took anti-HIV medication or because you once were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AT ALL. There should be no excuse for anyone going without basic medical care.
I am a freelance contractor so I do not have employer-provided health insurance. I also do not work often enough to afford my own private health insurance. I do, however, work too often to be eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Even my unemployment is too high to make me eligible for government-assisted healthcare. Did you read that? EVEN WHILE UNEMPLOYED I MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. Because of some identity fraud in my past, and a couple of outstanding debts (total debt, including student loans: less than $6,000), I am also ineligible for credit cards.
I cannot be treated for the most basic medical procedures without paying out of pocket. Do you know how fucking expensive it is to get a root canal without insurance? Do you know how difficult it is to pay for that root canal when your car breaks down at the same time?
Now how do you think it feels to be a victim of a violent rape, to then have to subject yourself to law enforcement who will investigate your claims of rape, have to re-live the torture over and over again as you are required to re-tell the story to convince the cops that you are actually a victim and are not lying, wait the months it takes to get any sort of resolution, go through humiliating and painful physical examinations, worry that your rape might also be a death sentence with a long and painful drawn-out death through HIV or some other STD ... only to have your insurance company drop your coverage because you had a "pre-existing condition" so now all of that bullshit and any future medical needs you might have must be covered out of your own pocket up front.
WTF?
OK, I am generally not a fan of the Huffington Post. I have been so disgusted with their lack of evidence-based journalism and their outright acceptance of pretty much any point of view no matter how wacky, or flat-out wrong it is, that I actually made a point of boycotting reading any of their stuff, even though some writers I respect are still hanging on to a sinking ship.
I am also hesitant to take the word of any article that uses anecdotal data as their primary source for information.
However, whether this is "routine" or not, as is debated in the article, the fact that it happens AT ALL is a symptom of a very seriously damaged healthcare system.
The representative of the insurance companies is very quick to point out that women are not being denied because they were raped, and that those who make the denial decisions have no way of even knowing that they were raped.
And this is true.
However, being denied insurance because you once took anti-HIV medication or because you once were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AT ALL. There should be no excuse for anyone going without basic medical care.
I am a freelance contractor so I do not have employer-provided health insurance. I also do not work often enough to afford my own private health insurance. I do, however, work too often to be eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Even my unemployment is too high to make me eligible for government-assisted healthcare. Did you read that? EVEN WHILE UNEMPLOYED I MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. Because of some identity fraud in my past, and a couple of outstanding debts (total debt, including student loans: less than $6,000), I am also ineligible for credit cards.
I cannot be treated for the most basic medical procedures without paying out of pocket. Do you know how fucking expensive it is to get a root canal without insurance? Do you know how difficult it is to pay for that root canal when your car breaks down at the same time?
Now how do you think it feels to be a victim of a violent rape, to then have to subject yourself to law enforcement who will investigate your claims of rape, have to re-live the torture over and over again as you are required to re-tell the story to convince the cops that you are actually a victim and are not lying, wait the months it takes to get any sort of resolution, go through humiliating and painful physical examinations, worry that your rape might also be a death sentence with a long and painful drawn-out death through HIV or some other STD ... only to have your insurance company drop your coverage because you had a "pre-existing condition" so now all of that bullshit and any future medical needs you might have must be covered out of your own pocket up front.
WTF?
