SUPPORT LUCKY-NESS. Letter to the Editor, Billings Gazette. (The following letter, I am told, is scheduled for print today, Sunday, March 23, 2014.)
I am standing at the pharmacy counter in a drugstore recently. A young man comes to the counter to drop off several prescriptions, either one or both for his wife. "Do you have insurance?" asks the druggist. "No," is the reply. I look down at the two quarters and a penny I hand to the cashier for my prescription.
I know I am lucky. I have primary and secondary healthcare policies that come through the federal government. If it weren't for that, I'd be in this young man's position -- paying full price for my medications, something I could ill afford.
I realize then that he could also get good healthcare coverage through the federal government -- with the Affordable Care Act. If he would just access the website, www.healthcare.gov., he could examine possibilities, choose a plan, and explore subsidies. Why not? Why wouldn't a person want to pay less for medications? Why wouldn't we as a country want all our citizens to have access to good health care at a reasonable price? Why, in fact, would anyone try so hard (through repeal of Obamacare 50 times!) to obstruct this young man's efforts to provide good health care for his family? Why aren't we as a country pulling together to do just the opposite and, in particular, help young people to build their own luck? Why, indeed!
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
HOW DID I GET HERE: The First Risk, November, 2013
I am angry. I am frustrated. They are talking about the effect this law has on other people's lives. And they could care less!
Mid-morning, I sit down at the computer. My voice must be heard. I write, I edit, I click on the "Submit" button. My first Letter to the Editor is on its way.
Congressional hearings continue. The roll-out of the Affordable Care Act has been bungled. The "Party of No" milks the situation for all its worth. In the meantime, those without any health insurance have become pawns in their political game.
Around 1:00 pm, my phone rings. Could it be? Could it be who I think it is? "Are you the person who wrote the letter?" inquires the voice from the Billings Gazette. I'm flattered my letter draws some attention but my heart skips a beat. What have I done?
"Ye-e-e-s," I slowly admit.
"We plan to print it as soon as possible." And in my head, my voice is yelling, "No, no, no. Wait a minute! I'm not so sure I really want to do this thing. Let me think about it some more!"
Instead, my voice calmly responds, "That will be fine." And the push/pull of achieving my four goals in 2014 is off to a shaky start. I want to achieve my goals but am I truly willing to take the risks? (A similar feeling occurs in 2001 when my husband and I are accepted as Peace Corps Volunteers.)
How will the publishing of this letter affect my life? What will Roundup, my current hometown, think? This is the story of how unplanned it can be to do something so wild as to run blue for office in a red state. It can sneak up so innocuously. It happens as a result of unknowingly (on the surface anyway) planting the seed. With my first Letter to the Editor, I know something can result from it but I do it anyway. When the result comes, there's a feeling of confirmation but also of trepidation. There is happiness because my letter has been accepted but dread because I don't know how my letter will be received in Roundup. How will I be affected personally by this whole thing? (More later)
I am angry. I am frustrated. They are talking about the effect this law has on other people's lives. And they could care less!
Mid-morning, I sit down at the computer. My voice must be heard. I write, I edit, I click on the "Submit" button. My first Letter to the Editor is on its way.
Congressional hearings continue. The roll-out of the Affordable Care Act has been bungled. The "Party of No" milks the situation for all its worth. In the meantime, those without any health insurance have become pawns in their political game.
Around 1:00 pm, my phone rings. Could it be? Could it be who I think it is? "Are you the person who wrote the letter?" inquires the voice from the Billings Gazette. I'm flattered my letter draws some attention but my heart skips a beat. What have I done?
"Ye-e-e-s," I slowly admit.
"We plan to print it as soon as possible." And in my head, my voice is yelling, "No, no, no. Wait a minute! I'm not so sure I really want to do this thing. Let me think about it some more!"
Instead, my voice calmly responds, "That will be fine." And the push/pull of achieving my four goals in 2014 is off to a shaky start. I want to achieve my goals but am I truly willing to take the risks? (A similar feeling occurs in 2001 when my husband and I are accepted as Peace Corps Volunteers.)
How will the publishing of this letter affect my life? What will Roundup, my current hometown, think? This is the story of how unplanned it can be to do something so wild as to run blue for office in a red state. It can sneak up so innocuously. It happens as a result of unknowingly (on the surface anyway) planting the seed. With my first Letter to the Editor, I know something can result from it but I do it anyway. When the result comes, there's a feeling of confirmation but also of trepidation. There is happiness because my letter has been accepted but dread because I don't know how my letter will be received in Roundup. How will I be affected personally by this whole thing? (More later)
Friday, March 21, 2014
Neighbor Helping Neighbor Maybe Republicans in the current Montana Legislature could learn something from the community of Roundup. This is what Roundup citizens know about each other: they help out in times of need. Through the flood of 2011, the fires of 2012, and the flood of 2014, the community comes together with support, shelter, and provisions.
Republicans in the current Montana Legislature, on the other hand, seem to deny help when it's needed. Take, for example, healthcare insurance. This is something, one would imagine, that most if not all Montana Legislators carry. Who wouldn't want to carry insurance to encourage disease prevention and help brunt the cost of healthcare? It only makes sense to do so. But what about those who have difficulty taking care of their basic needs let alone carry healthcare insurance? Wouldn't it make sense that, given the opportunity to help those in need (those whose families' lives may depend on the health of their caregivers), the Legislature would fall all over itself to do so?
It is true that all Montana citizens can access www.healthcare.gov website and explore possible healthcare insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act. As of March 1, according to the Billings Gazette, 22,500 Montanans now have insurance through this government program. However, for those most vulnerable among us, those with the least amount of means, cannot access help through ACA. Why not? In 2013, Republicans in the Montana Legislature blocked the extension of Medicaid, reports the Gazette. Consequently,...'some 50,000 Montanans earning below 100 percent of the federal poverty level--$11,670 for a single person -- do not qualify for federal subsidies to help buy insurance and therefore probably aren't able to afford it...' It was Medicaid, in other words, that was supposed to cover this group.
Neighbor helping neighbor? Maybe that's true in the Roundup community but when it comes to Republicans in the current Montana Legislature, one cannot be so sure.
Republicans in the current Montana Legislature, on the other hand, seem to deny help when it's needed. Take, for example, healthcare insurance. This is something, one would imagine, that most if not all Montana Legislators carry. Who wouldn't want to carry insurance to encourage disease prevention and help brunt the cost of healthcare? It only makes sense to do so. But what about those who have difficulty taking care of their basic needs let alone carry healthcare insurance? Wouldn't it make sense that, given the opportunity to help those in need (those whose families' lives may depend on the health of their caregivers), the Legislature would fall all over itself to do so?
It is true that all Montana citizens can access www.healthcare.gov website and explore possible healthcare insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act. As of March 1, according to the Billings Gazette, 22,500 Montanans now have insurance through this government program. However, for those most vulnerable among us, those with the least amount of means, cannot access help through ACA. Why not? In 2013, Republicans in the Montana Legislature blocked the extension of Medicaid, reports the Gazette. Consequently,...'some 50,000 Montanans earning below 100 percent of the federal poverty level--$11,670 for a single person -- do not qualify for federal subsidies to help buy insurance and therefore probably aren't able to afford it...' It was Medicaid, in other words, that was supposed to cover this group.
Neighbor helping neighbor? Maybe that's true in the Roundup community but when it comes to Republicans in the current Montana Legislature, one cannot be so sure.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
HOW DID I GET HERE?
It is January, 2014, and I record in my daily journal four goals I want to achieve this year:
Make hay while the sun shines
Make more friends
Make money from my writing
Make more professional connections through social media. Learn how.
Nowhere in that list (or in my head) does the idea occur of running blue for the House of Representatives in the red state of Montana. It just appears out of the blue, so to speak. But it doesn't really because I've planted the seed with my goal-setting. A willingness to take risks seems to accompany that exercise.
I believe that the Letter to the Editor, November, 2013, (in the previous post) is what brings attention to my name. On a Friday night in early March, as the filing-for-office deadline draws near, my phone rings. Before I can hang up, the request for putting my name on the November ballot comes through. I am taken aback. "I will think about it," I stutter. Another phone call on Monday from the Field Director, Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, seals the decision; my name on the ballot will allow Democrats to vote for another Democrat. Because my district is not competitive, I am not expected to win and can do as little or as much campaigning as I wish.
My campaign strategy is simple:
-Research
-Write (especially Letters to the Editor), maybe create a blog
-Answer questions
It's one of the first pieces of official-looking mail that almost drives me to withdraw. (More later)
It is January, 2014, and I record in my daily journal four goals I want to achieve this year:
Make hay while the sun shines
Make more friends
Make money from my writing
Make more professional connections through social media. Learn how.
Nowhere in that list (or in my head) does the idea occur of running blue for the House of Representatives in the red state of Montana. It just appears out of the blue, so to speak. But it doesn't really because I've planted the seed with my goal-setting. A willingness to take risks seems to accompany that exercise.
I believe that the Letter to the Editor, November, 2013, (in the previous post) is what brings attention to my name. On a Friday night in early March, as the filing-for-office deadline draws near, my phone rings. Before I can hang up, the request for putting my name on the November ballot comes through. I am taken aback. "I will think about it," I stutter. Another phone call on Monday from the Field Director, Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, seals the decision; my name on the ballot will allow Democrats to vote for another Democrat. Because my district is not competitive, I am not expected to win and can do as little or as much campaigning as I wish.
My campaign strategy is simple:
-Research
-Write (especially Letters to the Editor), maybe create a blog
-Answer questions
It's one of the first pieces of official-looking mail that almost drives me to withdraw. (More later)
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Letter to the Editor, Billings Gazette, 11/5/2013
Benefits of ACA outweigh problems
By Edith Sloan, Roundup
Unexpectedly, I learned much about the Affordable Care Act from the hearings on Oct. 30. It's probably the first time that Americans who paid attention heard detractors speak but also heard the other side of the story, the facts.
They heard Kathleen Sibelius speak with a calm voice while under pressure. They heard how the ACA is now helping Americans who previously had been unable to qualify for insurance.
And they heard actual facts given, such as the reason for insurance companies rescinding some current policies is that they were actually junk policies. It is clear that there have been initial problems with the ACA website, with some security, etc., but nothing that can't be corrected. The benefits of ACA well outweigh problems.
I appreciated hearing the facts clearly stated. Clouding the facts, spouting untruths and creating sound bites ad nauseam does nothing to help the American people; it only serves a political purpose. For shame!
Benefits of ACA outweigh problems
By Edith Sloan, Roundup
Unexpectedly, I learned much about the Affordable Care Act from the hearings on Oct. 30. It's probably the first time that Americans who paid attention heard detractors speak but also heard the other side of the story, the facts.
They heard Kathleen Sibelius speak with a calm voice while under pressure. They heard how the ACA is now helping Americans who previously had been unable to qualify for insurance.
And they heard actual facts given, such as the reason for insurance companies rescinding some current policies is that they were actually junk policies. It is clear that there have been initial problems with the ACA website, with some security, etc., but nothing that can't be corrected. The benefits of ACA well outweigh problems.
I appreciated hearing the facts clearly stated. Clouding the facts, spouting untruths and creating sound bites ad nauseam does nothing to help the American people; it only serves a political purpose. For shame!
Monday, March 17, 2014
ACA or Obamacare: According to Huffington Post (by Kevin Short, 3/5/2014), Obamacare is "actually putting money in Americans' pockets...it was responsible for about three-quarters of a surprising January rise in U.S. consumer spending and American income growth."
Why?
1. "It expanded the Medicaid program...adding up to a $19 billion dollars in benefits in January."
2. "...health care enrollees additionally received another $15 billion in the form of tax credits..."
Result:
These changes "freed up many Americans to spend money that would have gone towards health care premiums on goods and services instead."
Why?
1. "It expanded the Medicaid program...adding up to a $19 billion dollars in benefits in January."
2. "...health care enrollees additionally received another $15 billion in the form of tax credits..."
Result:
These changes "freed up many Americans to spend money that would have gone towards health care premiums on goods and services instead."
The Affordable Care Act: I click on Healthcare.gov this a.m. The website comes up immediately. I click on "Individuals and Families" since, out of curiosity, I am checking on health insurance for myself. After choosing "See plans before I apply," I answer questions. One of them asks for my age but it doesn't go any further than 64. To find out why, I choose the topic, "Get Started" and underneath, there is a "One-Page Guide to the Health Insurance Marketplace." I find that "if you have Medicare, you are considered covered and don't have to make any changes." Question answered. And if I were younger and looking for health insurance? This website provides all kinds of help, seemingly for all kinds of situations. Try it yourself. Explore. And do it all in the privacy of your own home.
Welcome
Welcome to this new blog. This is the beginning of a new journey: Running blue at 72 -- in a red state. I have filed as a Democratic candidate for State House in Montana at the age of 72.
My intention is to chronicle activities, report on issues I care about, and share my experiences. This path is not something I would have chosen but it is where I find myself. I will do my best to place an accurate spotlight not only on issues but also on the ups and downs of such a journey.
My intention is to chronicle activities, report on issues I care about, and share my experiences. This path is not something I would have chosen but it is where I find myself. I will do my best to place an accurate spotlight not only on issues but also on the ups and downs of such a journey.
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