Medicare for ALL

I support Medicare for all, in fact, this may be the single issue that is motivating me to be excited about the 2020 election. That is not withstanding my long time love and affection for Papa Bernie Sanders.

Why do I support full Medicare for all? One huge reason is that I have Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer. Cancer treatment in the United States bankrupts thousands of Americans every year, and kills many thousands who cannot afford cancer treatment. This is in part due to the very high cost of medications and the cost of medical doctors and nurses. It is also due in part to the inaccessibility of medical insurance that is affordable. Not only that but cancer patients need psychological help to deal with the overwhelming stress of the disease and treatment. And they need nutrition support to ensure that the immune system is functioning. All these costs add up and the lack of money is the root of many people not being able to receive adequate help.

I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer 6 years ago, this after faithfully completing self breast exams every month and regular female checkups. Less than one year of treatment bankrupted me even with some health care. Unfortunately this happens to too many people in this country. I love my country, but the health care system needs to change.

This leads me to a thought I had yesterday about the need for M4All that I have heard no one talk about yet. Patients like me are limited right now to what our healthcare plan dictates. If the hospital or clinic we are attending runs out of treatment plans for us, we cannot just pick another hospital and go to it without it being in our network or paying for it out of pocket. M4All would solve this problem. One could search for the best treatment out there. Without having to go bankrupt to do it.

I now have metastatic breast cancer that has moved into my bones. My history is too long and convoluted for this post today. If M4All had been around 6 years ago, I am not sure I would have gotten stage 4 (terminal) cancer. This is a sad recognition that I have had to come to terms with, and compassion tells me that I do not want any other person to feel this way. No more unnecessary bankruptcies or deaths due to preventable diseases.

Compassion dictates that I support Medicare 4 All, What does your conscience tell you to support?  https://berniesanders.com/issues/