I will occasionally publish serious things on my comedy blog because... why not. I sent the following letter to CW Bill Young, my US Representative:
As your constituent, I'm writing to tell you why I'm such a strong supporter of health reform.
I used to sell health insurance, and one of the selling points I used to use was that nearly 50% of bankruptcies are caused by medical bills -- therefore you need insurance. (http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2005/02/03_bankruptcy.php)
What I started to realize more and more as I sold insurance, and what eventually drove me away from the industry for ethical reasons, is summed up well by the professors who published the study cited above:
"A broken health care finance system is bankrupting middle class America."
"We found that, too often, private health insurance is an umbrella that melts in the rain."
Insurance, like finance (and obviously these two industries are closely linked) desperately needs regulation. I say this as someone who has quite a bit of first-hand knowledge looking at policies; speaking confidently about something with a lot of smoke and mirrors; and telling people they don't qualify for insurance because they have a plate in their skull or that their daughter doesn't qualify because she was born with a heart defect.
Our way of life is founded on flux and equity, so that we all have access to the energy and talents that exist throughout the social strata in our country. This becomes less possible, the America that we all love does not function as it should, when people cannot protect their health without being willing to go bankrupt or spend all their savings.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
