Dear friends and family,
I realize this message from me has come from out-of-the-blue... some of you haven't heard from me in years and must wonder why I'm suddenly emailing you now and others get my random blog posts but never a direct email. I have paced back and forth to my computer, wondering if I should "bother" people, especially knowing that not all of us share the same political ideas or values. Then I realized every single one of the people listed in my address book were people that have had some sort of impact on me and might be patient with me as you read on. I realize when talking about health reform political tongues can lash and minds can become muddled in right or left wings but I can't just sit behind the computer screen any longer.
Right now Daniel and I are in the middle of sorting out our own health care. He is in grad school and gets limited coverage through school but I am left with no care. I had to make a scary decision this summer: to be insured, be poor and be miserable at my job or be uninsured/or pay for private insurance, be poor and like myself again. As scary as it was, I lept, in faith, and jumped into the second option. I have been fortunate that this is the first time in my life I have had to make that choice but I realized that it just isn't right to be stuck in a job for the sole purpose of health coverage. For those in this situation, you'd probably agree that the view is much different from the "uninsured" side of things. It's rather ironic timing that this has happened in my personal life in the midst of this national health reform. Although I'm not always a sign-seeker, I take it as confirmation that I shouldn't sit idly by and hope others will step in to influence Washington for change. Instead, I need to be one of those people, one of those naughty, little
change-makers.
Change is such a loaded word these days. President Obama partly won his title on this courageous note of
change however now that
change is happening, many clutch their security blankets and conclude with a knee-jerk reaction of fear. Granted, change is
never easy but that doesn't make it wrong. Wasn't
change the impetuous during the Civil Rights movement, allowing all races equality? Wasn't
change on the agenda when the Americans with Disabilities act was passed and people with disabilities were no longer sterilized or institutionalized? Didn't
change allow the opportunity for women to vote, have careers and own land? During the era's of
these changes, there was also the same volatile fear we hear today, the need to clutch to what is familiar and safe. However, living as we now do, can you imagine our lives without these
necessary changes? Can you even imagine not being able to sit at a restaurant with friends of all races, all backgrounds? Can you imagine locking up a young child with autism or down's syndrome? As a woman, can you imagine not being able to pursue careers or influence politics as you do so now? Some may say my comparisons are dramatic and have nothing to do with the current health care debate but I firmly disagree. Those times of change were all about
freedom just as it is now. No matter the income, race, or status, all Americans should have the
freedom to take care of themselves. It is our basic right as human beings. If I truly live in the "country of the free," then I should have the right to choose and access health insurance so I can responsibly take care of myself and my family without financially burdening other Americans.
As the world of health care currently turns in our country, none of us are in the drivers seat, even those that have insurance. Instead, well-fed corporates take the wheel, making decisions on whether or not we "qualify" for coverage and how much it will cost. Their wallets swell as pre-existing conditions are discovered or essential non-generic drugs are prescribed. It is time for us to reclaim the wheel and take control over our own health care, our own health. If car insurance is a mandatory requirement in most states, why isn't health care? Do we really care more about our cars, our property, then our own bodies? Our own health?
So first, let me thank you for taking the time to read this long-winded email (for those that subscribe to our blog, my apologies if you received this twice). In addition to satiating my need to do something, to become that change-maker, I hope this email has encouraged you to do so as well. If it has, one really easy step is to log onto
this website and notify your congressmen of your opinions. It is a safe and secure site and provides an easy way to show support with the click of the mouse.
I do hope this email finds you and yours healthy, happy and you're able to pursue your dreams. Although my decision to take the job with no health care was risky, I am happy and a
healthier person for it. Hmmm.... isn't that ironic?
All my love,
Ashley-Anne Furner Brown
