Most of you know that I was laid off from my job back in May. That event, put me and my housemate in a very perilous position. For me, it meant losing health care coverage, something I need since I suffer from clinical depression. It also meant, that there was less income coming in to pay bills like the mortgage and utility bills.
It has been a struggle. I've done some temp work, but that is a pretty dicey opportunity. When work is coming in, it's good, but you never know when the company you are temping at decides they don't need you and you are without a steady income again.
I know we are not alone. Many Americans are feeling this kind of insecurity, this sense that they are only a paycheck a way from utter chaos.
This New Republic article makes a good case for some kind of "social insurance." I do think we need to find some way to repair and not shred the safety net for people. However, there is one part of this story that bothered me:
"The last two decades have witnessed a revival of the American credo of personal responsibility, championed by conservatives as an all-purpose tonic to every social ill."
I will agree that many conservatives use personal responsibility as the solution to all life's problems. However, I also get upset when liberals seem to run from personal responsibility too.
I think that this is a false choice. The fact is we need both personal responsibility and social responsibility. People need to responsible for the lives they are given and be responsible for their fellow man and woman. It's not an either/or, but a both/and.
I need to find a job. That's my responsibility, not the government's. However it should be the government's responisibility to make sure I have adaquate health care, and other stablizers in order to keep me slipping into poverty. That's what makes a social contract: I will do something and in return you will do something for me.
I think the reason that liberals have failed to make a case for government-sponsored programs is that they've only focused on social responisbility and not on the personal as well. Maybe that's why Barack Obama's speech at the DNC was so popular: he was able to mix the two.
As a pragmatic moderate who is experiencing economic insecurity, I know we need to have government play a more expanded role. However, let's not sideline personal responsibility in process.
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Posted by: Caleb at September 15, 2004 05:10 PMI just posted this on the Simianbrain blog and coincidentally jumped here next. Stacie and I both read your blog because we enjoy thoughtful intelligent opinions even though we are much more liberal than most of your readers.
"For anyone who is reading this and doesn't have health insurance, I want to recommend two web sites.
www.helpingpatients.org is a great site sponsored by a bunch of drug companies. You have to supply some personal information such as state of residence, annual household income, and which medications you take. You are then shown the contact information for all of the assistance programs available to you.
One of my patients has had problems using the site, but keep trying. She got it to work on the third try.
www.needymeds.org is another great site that offers free discount drug cards and also refers you to available resources. My patient mentioned above was referred here when she called about the TogetherRx discount card. Apparently that is only for those over 65 years old.
Each drug company has something called a Patient Assistance Program (PAP). You can find these by either going to the company’s web site and searching for it, or going to the drug’s website. Many of those, such as www.Advair.com, have links to the PAP for the drug.
There is also a group of volunteer physicians who provide care for people without insurance, but I have that information at work. I hope to remember to post that next week."
Good luck and enjoy the summer in Mlps.
On a personal note, I am willing to pay an outrageous amount of money if anyone can find me a copy of Farm Accident's "Southwest Corner". This was a popular band in Mlps in the early 90s when I was living there.
Posted by: kirkrrt at August 7, 2004 04:46 AMAs for health care, one interesting proposition I've heard is to allow the uninsured to buy into the same pool of insurance accorded to government workers. Economies of scale mean that the cost would be significantly lower than stand alone stuff. And it would actually save the taxpayers money for the same economies of scale reason; it would increase the pool, thus bringing down the per capita cost (which, on the bureaucrats side, is mostly paid for by the taxpayers).
Posted by: Brian at August 6, 2004 09:36 AMAmen. I concur wholeheartedly. I'm political progressive but fairly conservative (some would call me boring) in my personal conduct. This false dichotomy has always bothered me and it's why I've stopped labelling myself a liberal.
Posted by: Brian at August 6, 2004 09:34 AM