There is no telling what President Obama’s health-care reforms will bring — but as someone who has lived with Parkinson’s disease for more than 20 years, I do know that something has to be done for the millions of Americans without access to health care.
While I don’t know whether this plan will solve all of our nation’s health-care issues, I believe that this is a huge step in the right direction.
I know a person who suffers from Parkinson’s who is paying $10,000 a month for treatment in a nursing home. Because of his condition, he doesn’t have a choice. This is not a wealthy person, and it’s not something he or his family ever expected.
I have friends struggling to pay for their medications, and I know caregivers who are considering bankruptcy to pay for nursing-home assistance.
When I think about this bill, I think of people in situations like theirs, and I hope it provides help for them.
If this bill just slightly reduces the suffering of those Americans facing the crucial decision of having to eat or afford their medicines, then I think President Obama’s plan has merit.
I am fortunate because I run my own small business and I can get insurance through my company.
Because of my disease, it’s vital that I have daily medication, and I have watched my co-pay and premiums increase for years. Hopefully, this bill will provide some type of relief from that.
Another important part of the bill that I strongly support is its pledge to increase funding to the National Institutes of Health to provide desperately needed money for research on drugs and therapies.
These are issues that concern us all. It’s important that we come together. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in the debate over health care.
A video that I find particularly disturbing was shot at an Ohio health-care protest. This video, which is making the rounds on the Internet, shows opponents of the bill taunting a man with Parkinson’s.
After accusing him of wanting a handout and insisting they weren’t going to pay for his care, one protester further belittled the gentleman by throwing a couple of dollar bills at him.
Everyone is or has been or will get sick at some point in life. The most compassionate and rational solution to preserve our country and our workforce is to come together to keep it healthy.
Karl Robb, of Fairfax, Va., is an advo cate for Parkinson’s disease research and awareness.