When I went to Columbia’s Earth Day Festival yesterday, I encountered some senior citizens who were asking festival attendees to write brief notes to the President and other lawmakers due to concerns about medicare and medicaid being cut, as well as social security and disability.
From what I understand, Social Security is in place for people who are so aged, disabled, or infirm that they are unable to obtain jobs to support themselves(to pay for healthcare, housing, utilities, food, and other expenses). Medicaid and Medicare are in place so that people who have very limited income are able to obtain the healthcare that they need in order to stay well. It is especially important for children. Getting health insurance if one’s job does not offer it is difficult and expensive. I cannot even get an offer for insurance because my weight is above what the insurance companies’ charts say is healthy. In spite of not having any obesity-related health problems in the past and not being a smoker, drinker, or recreational drug user, I’m still not a safe bet for insuring because their charts say I’m not.
It seems like what we have is a huge catch-22.