To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:19:45 -0400
From: dhpuppet-AT-aol.com
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] No one should die because they cannot afford



Here is a good example of the insurance companies strong hold on the American public. In the last few years my health insurance has been going steadily up. When it reached $925 a quarter I started looking for new insurance. I kept getting the same response, turned down due to preexisting conditions, or they would not insure the preexisting conditions.??Finally my premiums got up to $2084 per quarter, I struggled along ,all of this happening ?when shows were down due to the economy. I should also mention that I also pay my partners cobra payment as he is disabled due to Parkinson's disease and had to retire a year ago. We of course lost more than half of our household income at that time. He was a high end jeweler I'm a puppeteer, do the math.The cobra payment is?$469 a month. ?For my 55th ?birthday this June American family insurance raised my premium to $3045, an increase of $961 a quarter. Mind you this is with a $5000.00 deductible and a 20 percent co pay of the second $5000.00?American family sent me to a new company and I was able to get new insurance with the premium locked in to $1,994 per quarter for three years with a $7,500 deductable.?In other words it will take about 30 puppet shows a year just to pay for health insurance premiums and?then?of course more shows to cover out of pocket medical costs.?The new policy does have a $600 deductible on prescriptions after which I will pay $30 per script. It also has a $30 co pay on office visits, so I can get to my doctor for med checks more often and a physical once a year. If the private insurance companies want everyone insured then they are going to have to?make rates affordable for the average working?American. This can only be done by some sort of regulation making this kind of price gouging illegal. My story is typical of the horror stories faced by many Americans. By the way I favor a sliding scale method of premium calculation?based on?average adjusted gross income.??? 


-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Dunfee <joe-AT-dunfee.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Sent: Thu, Sep 3, 2009 10:34 pm
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] No one should die because they cannot afford healthcare




As a person with insulin dependent diabetes, I am a strong supporter 
of gaining independence from an employer for insurance.  This is a 
fundamental purpose of government, to make sure companies do what 
they are supposed to do.  And, the current laws essentially force 
insurance companies to not cover people with pre-existing conditions.

This problem is part of what kept me from being a self-employed 
person and being more involved with puppetry as a profession.

But, I don't want dependence on an employer to be exchanged for 
dependence on the government.  There are things, such as utilities, 
that must be done by government. But health care is not one of them.

When charity is no longer charity, and the government takes over that 
role, something is lost in the process.  In my involvement with 
homeless ministries, and youth-at-risk programs, it is the personal 
involvement of volunteers that is the most powerful aspect of their 
work.  When someone voluntarily gives of themselves to another 
person, they reach that person in a special way that is less like in 
a professional relationship.  I am sure that you all have seen this 
sort of thing.

It has been seen in many instances, that places where government 
takes over a task formerly done by charities, the charities simply go 
away. Charity is, historically, a word for love.  Lets not loose the love.

Here is a link to a petition for the above issues.  As I mentioned 
before, it should be something of special interest to self employed 
people like puppeteers. www.freeourhealthcarenow.com


Joe Dunfee  joe-AT-dunfee.com
Gordonville, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. 

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