When talking about Medicare For All we often talk about how many billions of dollars it will cost. What gets lost in the conversation is the cost of inaction. Currently, 26,000 people die every year due to lack of health insurance. That’s a 9/11 times 10 every year.
The 9/11 memorial in NYC is a very powerful memorial to those lost on 9/11. We need a memorial for those who have died because this healthcare system refused to treat them. So, I’m proposing we start one right here, right now. Let’s tell their story here on this thread.
We need to bring the human aspect of this problem front and center. We all know a friend, aunt, uncle, mother, father, brother, sister, cousin… someone who died too early simply because this healthcare system refused to help them because they didn’t have the money.
Since I suggested it, I’ll lead off:
My co-worker, Henry, died at the early age of 50 of a heart attack. He was a big fan of the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Reds. He and I worked in customer service which was a job he was uniquely suited for. He was probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. He loved his family and friends. We miss his shining light every day.
Thank you. I’d like this forum to be a place where people can come to honor those who have lost their lives from lack of timely medical care. Honestly, In our discussions of this subject we have minimized the human aspect of this. We should have a giant memorial for those victimized by this healthcare system. Hopefully this is a start. If this has touched your life in some way please share!
I was sitting here thinking of how lucky I am that my family is really healthy (no heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc), so this hasn’t been a huge problem. And then I realized that I’m kinda dealing with it myself. I have a rare genetic disease called fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), and while you can go on to live a long and healthy life with it, it can also be suddenly deadly. I almost died from it in the Fall of 2020 and spent about a month in the hospital, and then almost died from getting COVID that Christmas and ended up in the hospital again. My insurance has doubled twice since then and covers less. Anyway, I’m currently dealing with FMD again and am having a lot of difficulties with my insurance company now not wanting to cover things, so that’s a bit terrifying. Here’s to hoping my internal right carotid artery doesn’t dissect and get completely blocked off as my left vertebral artery did before they’ll do anything. Needless to say, this whole Trump presidency has me nervous.
What do you think about making it open to being a memorial and to stories like mine? Maybe titling it “For Victims of the Healthcare System.” Or “Victims of the Healthcare System.”
It feels like I’ve been battling healthcare and medical insurance issues for as long as I can remember. When I was just 10 years old, I had a seizure. My mom had to fight tooth and nail with the system just to get me the care I needed. Two years later, both my mom and brother almost died from pneumonia, and I watched her take on not only their recovery but endless arguments with insurance companies.
This didn’t stop when I became an adult. My stepdad, who served in the military, is now battling cancer because of the chemicals he was exposed to while working on naval ships. And then there’s my husband. He’s my rock, but his health feels like it’s always under attack. Diabetes, ulcerative colitis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, cystic acne, cancer—you name it, we’ve probably faced it. It’s like if something can go wrong, it will.
Now, in my mid-40s, I’m grappling with another devastating reality. IVF is being debated as a healthcare benefit, and it’s terrifying to think that it could be taken away. For someone like me, this might be my only chance to have a child, and the idea that it could vanish because of politics or cost is heartbreaking. I’ve already spent so much of my life watching healthcare fail the people I love, and the system continues to fail me too.
The medical issues are overwhelming on their own, but the constant fight with the healthcare system makes everything worse. The endless calls, denials, and crushing costs—it’s a cycle that breaks you down. I’m sharing this because no one should have to face a health crisis and a system that makes you feel like you’re fighting alone. And no one should have to watch their hopes for the future slip away because someone decides their care isn’t worth it.
Title updated! Thank you. If you’re familiar with the vietnam wall in DC, that’s the basic idea here. I want to see a wall for people who have died from this sham of a system.
Very sorry to hear @drea_m_r_76 you lovely people over there deserve so much better.
As for the point of this thread, bloody great idea. You are right it would take a richie richo to pay for building a proper memorial, but maybe a DIY version? make heaps of stencils with the victims names and someone spray paint it over those stupid hollywood stars. Just an idea.
Maybe we can just start with this thread. Make it a tribute to those who have died and who are struggling as victims of this immoral system. I just think we need something similar to the Vietnam Wall to bring the issue front and center. Is there a way to get the higher ups at TYT to catch the vision and help us run with this.
I am so sorry that you’ve had to and continue to have to deal with not only serious health issues but also to have that pain and stress compounded by our disgusting insurance and healthcare systems! My heart goes out to you. I firmly believe that you are going to be an amazing mother someday!
My 15-year-old daughter has borderline low-functioning autism, which is exactly like Ana said recently; since she was a toddler she has had a lot of trouble controlling her emotions and socializing and has had a difficult time with public schools. She has tried public school every year because she wanted to make friends and the schools always promise to help, but it has never worked out for more than a month or two (except for preschool and second grade) because they never came close to holding up their end of the bargain. She has been horribly bullied and/or assaulted at school each time she’s tried to go. I have always stayed home with her and her older brother, and she and I have done school online. My daughter is seriously brilliant and absolutely beautiful, and I have almost lost her because of shit insurance companies. Throughout the years, different insurance companies have denied providers, treatments, and medications and increased our family’s rates numerous times, doubling them twice in just the last few years. Denying her the care she needs has resulted in her becoming so depressed that she has made plans numerous times in the past, since she was seven years old, to kill herself. Luckily, I have found out, or she has told me about these plans, and we got her admitted into mental health facilities each time. Her father and I are not together, but we live together to afford her care and to allow me to stay home with her. Needless to say, the healthcare she needs is costly and time-consuming, but she needs it to function and want to live so I’ll do anything to get it for her. The health insurance and healthcare systems are broken. We all deserve universal healthcare, especially our children.
