Oakland, California (a great place for a post apocalyptic thriller) Delmira Maravilla (say that one three times fast) is anxious for a check-up — and for a timeline on the president's promise of health care for all Americans.
I bet you can guess why too, can't you? C'mon, give it a shot.
She's paying out of pocket for the exam... not what you were thinking? I know, that's not what I was getting at. She apparently represents 1/3 of Hispanics (approximately 44,852,816, not counting illegals who hid from the census which is anywhere from 7 to 20 million) and she has 9 children and doesn't have health insurance.
Now I have two problems with this. If you don't have health insurance why do you have 9 kids. I don't care what ethnicity you are, if you can't provide for them then you shouldn't be having them. Don't try to tell me "maybe she lost it, you know better."
The article goes on to explain that Latinos like this one have much to gain if the legislation taking shape in Washington passes. Among the major ethnic groups, they are the least likely to have health coverage through work. And Hispanics often face language and cultural hurdles to getting good-quality health services. They're far less likely to have a regular health-care provider, and to get the kind of routine screening that prevents serious health problems.
Now if you read my blog enough you probably know exactly what I'm about to say. The article conveniently leaves out whether this woman is or is not legal. When they leave out that particular bit of information it's usually because they're trying to put a feel sorry for her spin on it without killing that by telling you she's not allowed to be here in the first place. I don't feel sorry for her, I truly don't, not even a little bit if that's the case. I wouldn't just pick up and roll into some other country, buy some forged papers, and then complain they owe me and I don't respect others who do the same. I would say I'm happy she can't get the "routine screenings" of which they speak but I know she would just go to the ER and we would pay for it anyhow.
Maravilla knows how easily her family's carefully calculated budget can be overwhelmed by the cost of health care: her 6-year-old daughter's recent fall against the edge of a table set her back a devastating $1,500 in emergency room bills. Any accident, any unexpected illness, can be catastrophic, she said.
"I would be so much calmer, less worried, if I knew I had health insurance for my family," she said. "Health problems happen to everyone, but it's too expensive for us who are poor."
Of course they are, I would be so much calmer if I could have a lot of things but if I shit in one hand and wish in the other... well, you know the rest.
Experts say health disparities among ethnic groups are great, with one in three Hispanics and one in five African-Americans not having health insurance, compared with one in eight whites. And as the recession deepens, the gap is growing along with rising unemployment and cuts to work-sponsored insurance.
I'm not going to break down the statistics separating minorities from whites. All I will say is to take a good hard look at education levels, citizen status, and so on. And this is where the "Liberals" throw a tantrum and say that inner city schools are no good and it's whitey's fault and that's why this happens. If you want to go that route then you pay for their insurance. You become a teacher and you teach them so they can get into a good school. Or, you could even sponsor one of them to go to college. We'll see how well your money is spent.
"We can't have the status quo. It's just a disgrace. I don't know what other words to use," said Elena Rios, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association, a nonprofit group that represents Hispanic doctors.
Rios was among the advocates calling on legislators to consider measures designed to bolster care for Hispanics through preventive medicine, health education and increased diversity in the medical field.
Jane Garcia, the CEO of La Clinica de la Raza where Maravilla gets her checkups, sees the need for reform every time she makes her rounds.
I would like to form a group that represents white doctors and see where that goes. You've heard it before but it's the truth.
About 71 percent of her patients are Latino; 44 percent are uninsured, and that number has been going up. New patients range from the recently unemployed to undocumented immigrants who can no longer get care in neighboring Contra Costa County, where supervisors squeezed by a budget shortfall voted to cut services to them.
Couldn't have anything to do with the number of illegals flooding across the borders daily could it? Or maybe the fact that these "minority groups" pop out children like it's their job. Actually in many cases it is their only job.
"The number of people presenting for services are really overwhelming to the system," she said. "And more of them are coming in uninsured."
Well no shit. And the state of our economy in the first place surely isn't assisted in it's downward spiral by the wasting of taxpayer money on people who aren't even allowed to be in the country now I'm sure.
Although the House bill represents the most comprehensive effort to date to extend health care to all Americans, there is a significant segment of the population that will likely be excluded: illegal immigrants. Pressed by CBS News' Katie Couric about whether they should be covered, the president responded simply, "no."
Do you believe that? From what I've read that isn't the case at all. You know there will be a provision for exactly that in there. It really wouldn't be the first time, or even a time under double digits that Obama (and the rest of the politicians on either side) have flat out lied to us to get what they want.
Absent immigration reform and a path to citizenship, that would mean millions could be left out of the system. About 59 percent of the 11.9 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States have no health insurance, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
Good, and I hope they are either forced to return to where they came from, or they can die as a result of not being able to get proper medical care and I won't shed a tear.
Advocates are split on whether to hold out for reform that includes them, or support change that would help the majority of Hispanics.
I can't even believe that statement. Advocates of illegals might want to hold out so that the American taxpayer has to pay for a non-citizen. Why not just include all of Mexico? Hell, while we're at it why don't we just pay for healthcare for all of Africa too, they're poor and sick and all that bullshit. Now that idea might be laughable if the Dems wouldn't try to put it into law in a heartbeat if they thought the American people would go for it.
"This has always been in the elephant in the room — all of our families are mixed, some documented, some undocumented," said Rios. "But we're so close to having health care reform. We'd be working against ourselves to let immigration issues stall the process."
It should be obvious at this point if it wasn't before. This shows you exactly who's pushing the hardest for these things. They're quickly becoming the majority. When the minority (which will soon be whites) has the better education (whatever the reason) and the better jobs (again whatever the reason) and they're asked to carry the majority, you get a Marxist society. Every group has to try their hand to realize that socialism fails. It always fails, it's fundamentally flawed. The groups who push these things through have nothing to lose. The whites who will ultimately carry this plan until their backs break will hit bottom far harder than those who will bring the beast down.
Others, like Jennifer Ng'andu, deputy director of the National Council of La Raza's Health Policy Project, believe any plan that doesn't include undocumented immigrants won't last. They make up about 15 percent of the nation's approximately 47 million uninsured.
The nerve of these "protective groups" is staggering.
"If we don't talk about integrating communities that have been traditionally shut out, we're going to be talking about health care reform again in 15 years," said Ng'andu, who has been talking to legislators and to health care advocates on their behalf.
To proponents of greater immigration controls, allowing illegal immigrants to benefit from federally subsidized health care and insurance would go against enforcement goals by legitimizing their presence.
Well no shit. And I'm sure half or more of those who read this will say I'm simply racist. Fact of the matter is that I don't care what race you are I don't feel that I should have to support you, black, white, purple, etc. I would be for a form of reform. If all adults in a family work full time and don't irresponsibly reproduce then I think they should get some assistance assuming they're legal. That's not what this legislation is trying to do.
Undocumented immigrants are the majority of Rogelio Fernandez's patients at the United Health Centers clinic in Parlier, a town of approximately 12,000 whose population swells and dips with field workers following agriculture's planting, pruning and harvest seasons.
We know this and yet it fails to be put to an end.
His clinic provides primary care on a sliding-fee scale and discounted medication to those who need it. But in this tough economy, he's seeing patients cut back on visits and on their medication because, without insurance, they can't afford them.
"Unless they are more inclusive, these proposals really won't help a lot of our patients," said Fernandez.
Studies show that inadequate access to regular, quality health care that meets their language needs has consequences. Hispanics are suffering disproportionately from chronic diseases such as diabetes and getting less preventive measures such as cancer screenings and obesity counseling.
You have language needs? Learn the goddamn language of the country you are in, that is your need. Again, I'm not going to go to Sweden and complain that they won't speak to me in English. That's not only ignorant, it's arrogant, and it's totally ridiculous. There should be absolutely not language requirements for Americans. If I want to live in a country I'm going to either learn the language first, or I'll expect hardship for a while when I get there.
Not taking care of this population now will have real costs in the future, said Rios. Hispanics make up 15 percent of the total U.S. population, but they represent 25 percent of children in preschools and kindergartens.
Promising statistic, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Mexico is a fucked up shithole, and soon the United States will be dragged into the abyss with it.
"We are at a time when we need change, or we're going to see an increase in obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart disease," said Rios. "It's not fair to them, to us, to the country."
Like I said, it's perfectly fair, in fact, it should be expected, and it should be allowed and used as a lesson. Where the hell is my free handout. Oh yeah, "to each according to his need, from each according to his ability." That's just fucking grand.
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