Health Care is the Economy

Dealing with the health care (BKA health scare) system with no insurance will make a person sick. Just ask the millions of people suffering through this nightmare today. Just ask me. I was once in the same boat. I found myself unexpectedly expecting. I am a stay-at-home mom. My husband is self-employed. We have no health insurance for us (just the children). So when I got pregnant with my youngest son, I had to tunnel through the maze we call public health care. What a joke. I applied for what Florida calls Pregnancy Medicaid. They denied me and gave absolutely no explanation. I tried calling. I dialed and dialed all day, for days. No answer. Just a recording saying to try back later because the representatives were all busy. I tried to go to the Department of Children and Families office where you’re supposed to get assistance in dealing with these matters. I got sent to a phone bank to call the same number I had been calling all day anyway. No wonder the representatives were busy. I went through this for months. So eventually I just gave up on talking to anyone who cared in the public health care system. I considered every other option, private health plans (which are not really insurance), private doctor payment plans, and birthing centers. I thought I might just have to have the baby at the house. (He came so fast that I actually almost did). Eventually, the public health scare system decided I would get what they call a "share of cost." Once the bills reached a certain amount in one month’s time, Pregnancy Medicaid would kick in. It wouldn’t reach that high until the actual delivery. The rest of the medical bills would be on me. Better than nothing. So that’s my health scare story. Now I call him my little bonus boy.

Some people are wondering why we are talking about health care reform when the economy is in such bad shape. You know the old saying, “It’s the economy, Stupid!” Well, even if you have health insurance, it’s important. Even if you never have to go to the doctor in your life, the problems with health care still affect you. Health insurance, prescription drugs, and other health care needs are expensive. Not everyone can afford it. Others say “That’s their problem.” Well, when people get sick and they don’t have an effective way of dealing with it, it affects the entire economic system. They may lose their jobs, making the unemployment rate go up. They can’t contribute to the tax system. Instead, they drain it because they eventually need public aid. They may lose their homes. We’ve seen how foreclosures have sent the real estate market and the entire economic system into chaos, nearly causing another Great Depression. There are so many ripple effects caused by a weak and flawed health care system. Often people go bankrupt because of ridiculous medical bills. A Harvard study found that 62% of bankruptcy is due to medical problems. (78% of those people started out with insurance and lost it during the process). Then they get on Medicaid, causing further drain on the public coffer. If they would have just had access to affordable health care in the first place, many problems might have been avoided. People don’t want to depend on the system. They do want an affordable option.

So all of us should be in on this debate. Politicians on the left are talking loudly against the current Senate bill. Politicians on the right are talking loudly against it for different reasons. Most of us regular people are somewhere in the middle, not saying anything. Most of the time we end up going along with the loudest talkers, thinking that must be the consensus. Usually the reasonable voices are overpowered by the loud talkers. We need to make our voices heard. Call your senator and let him or her know your take on things. In Florida, you can call Senator Bill Nelson at (407) 872-7161 or Senator George LeMieux at (407) 254-2573. All others can go to http://www.thomas.gov/ to find out who your senators and representatives are.

Great Expectations: The Challenges of Living in the Age of the First Black President

The President accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with grace and perfection. Just last week former Vice President Dick Cheney accused the President of showing weakness and downgrading the American image in the world. However, the President’s acceptance speech was right on. It answered those who criticize Obama as either weak on foreign policy or not deserving of the prize because of his decision to send more troops into Afghanistan. His speech, which included what some are already calling the Obama Doctrine, will certainly be recorded in the history books.

But am I happy the President put Cheney and others in their places because he’s my president or because he’s the first black president? Do black folk more passionately defend Obama, give him more passes and benefit of the doubt? On the other hand, do we criticize him more acutely and expect more from him? The election of the first African American president is a treasure to us. Because it is such a treasure, the day-to-day reality of life with the first black president is also a great challenge to African American politicians (including the president himself), African American leadership and everyday African American citizens of this country.

One challenge for the President and other black folk is unrealistic expectations. Some believed the election of Barack Obama signified the end of our problems. Others believed Obama would swoop in like a superhero and save us. They believe Obama is supposed to be the president for black America. Even some black lawmakers are pressuring Obama to focus on “black issues.” Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, criticized Obama’s handling of African American issues. She said African American problems are specific, concrete and require “targeted action”. In other words, black people need special attention. Obama has responded that he is the American President. His job is to deal with American issues. When asked what he was going to do about African American unemployment, the President said, “The most important thing I can do for the African American community is the same thing I can do for the American community, period, and that’s get the economy going again and get people hiring again.”

Even though the President doesn’t, as Al Sharpton called it, get up on a soapbox and preach to people about black issues, his policies have helped black people. This administration has given more aid to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He has developed the Choice Neighborhood Initiative, designed to bring progress to black communities. He has also directed $1.5 billion toward prevention of homelessness.

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t challenge Obama just because he is black. Obama has encouraged black politicians and leaders to challenge him just like blacks should challenge any president. He doesn’t expect or want black people to give him a pass. He knows, as a former community activist, that if no pressure is applied, nothing will get done. That is the nature of politics.

We are proud of Obama as the first black president. We want him to and expect him to do well. But he can’t do well as the American President if he is only attending to African American concerns. Attending to American concerns will help all Americans. Obama will then be able to leave a legacy of which we can all be proud.

There's Still Hope for Black Girls

My hometown is very small. If you’re not from Sanford, you probably haven’t ever heard of it. We very rarely make it to the national headlines. When we do, it’s usually not good. Some notable Sanford headlines have been ones like “Hurricane Sweeps Through Tiny Town” and “Tornado Wreaks Havoc in Florida City” and more recently “Teen Attacked in Local Laundromat”.

Now the last one happened just before Thanksgiving and had the town abuzz for a while. It was all caught on tape. A girl is minding her business folding up clothes. Out of nowhere, she gets beat down by a bunch of other girls. They even ran the footage on national news programs. From gangstas to grandmas, everybody was talking about it, shaking their heads, asking “Why are these girls acting a fool in public?” “Why in Sanford?” “Please don’t tell me they were black.” “These girls need some home training,” they said.

We all know our girls need grooming, nurturing and love. This incident just makes it blatantly obvious that they need it bad, and they need it right now. These are future mothers (some current mothers), fighting and snatching out weaves, cussing and fussing, not caring about anything or anybody (even themselves).

So what do we do? I wasn’t going to write about this incident, because I’m tired of only seeing evidence of depravity among my people in the headlines. However, right after the incident happened, I got notice about an upcoming local event designed to give just the training and attention these girls (and other girls like them) so desperately need.

The Hal Jackson Talented Teens Scholarship Competition is coming to Central Florida. This is not just a pageant. It is a mission to see the spark in our girls, stoke the flame and make them shine bright before the world. This competition began in 1971 to meet a need among black girls. It has grown to become an international competition. People like, LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder, and Sheryl Lee Ralph have been involved with this program. Girls get the opportunity to win scholarships. They also get an even more beneficial opportunity to be coached and to enhance their public speaking ability, etiquette, and self-confidence.

Girls ages 13-17 in the Central Florida area can become a part of this movement by calling (407) 488-4158 or e-mailing masterdanceseries@yahoo.com to schedule an audition. Auditions will be held on Dec.6 and 13 from 10 am to 5 pm.

Tell all the girls you know. Don’t just tell the one’s who are already doing great things. Also tell the ones that can do great things. Especially tell them. They are the ones that need this most.