Health insurance provider Humana's recent announcement of a 65%
increase in their 3rd quarter earnings really got my attention because
last week I participated in a health care reform rally at their
corporate headquarters in Louisville, KY. After an outdoor gathering
attended by 150 or so people, many of those gathered walked peacefully
into the Humana building to stage a sit-in. One local newscaster
breathlessly proclaimed that we had "stormed" the building, even though
their own footage
showed that clearly didn't happen. They then gave a Humana spokesman a
fair and balanced opportunity to tell viewers that Humana agreed with
the protesters that there should be health care reform.
Oh really? Nothing says your definition of "reform" is slightly
suspect like a 65% increase in profits while increasing premiums in
double digit amounts and denying coverage for reasons that defy human
understanding.
And that is truly the crux of it. Despite months of cynical
political maneuvering in Washington, there really is nothing to debate
about health care. Health care is not a commodity, it is a
human right. What is being debated now is whether we will allow our
health to continue to be commodified to satisfy corporate greed. And
the answer to that absolutely must be NO.
The commodification of health care implies a hugely disproportionate
burden on women for many reasons. We are charged more, we are denied
maternity coverage and frequently are less able to afford it because we
are less likely to work full time for large corporations. If we are
assaulted, let alone seek treatment for possible AIDS exposure, we have
suddenly developed the pre-existing condition of having been
victimized. Health care companies may be profiting from this system,
but the cost to society is enormous and clearly not only unaffordable
but also extremely detrimental to our health.
The conversation we need to be having right now is not about
how to 'reform' health care but about reclaiming our health as a human
right. Profiteering from the denial of those rights is, if you
will, a pre-existing condition of a system that no longer works. What
is needed is a change of paradigm that recognizes the intrinsic value
of caring and the intrinsic right to be taken care of when you are
ailing without fear of going bankrupt in the process or simply being
denied care altogether.
When a person is sick or injured, they should be taken care of
without having to jump through bureaucratic and economic hoops so that
companies like Humana can make a 65% profit. When a woman decides to
have a child, it should be the standard of society that she receive the
best prenatal care possible so that she and her baby are healthy. When
she goes to a hospital to deliver the baby, there should never be a
question of whether she has enough money to do so. If a rape or
domestic assault victim seeks medical care, she should never be
penalized for doing so. And if she or her children are sick, she
should be able to stay home from work without fear of losing her job.
And women should NEVER be charged more than men for access to health
care as many are now. The benefits of such a re-statement of health and
care as a right would be significant.
Over the last several weeks, rallies for healthcare have been held
across the nation, and numerous people have been arrested for civil
disobedience. And no wonder, after months of dithering by politicians
who have taken so much money from pharmaceutical and insurance
companies that they have effectively been paid to not act on our
behalf, it is time to regain the commons. One of the protesters'
chants last week at Humana was, "Health care is is human right." And
it is.
You can read what other women bloggers have to say on health care as part of the Women's Day of Action on Health CareReformhere.