Contessa Brewer interviewed my friend, Veronica De La Cruz, who now works for NBC/MSNBC. The occasion was the one year anniversary of the Health Care Reform law. Veronica talked about losing her brother, Eric, before reform was passed:
I started tweeting, and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was reading my Twitter page and he had his management get in contact with me and say, ‘look, we’re in the middle of this world wide tour and we want to help fund raise for you.’ We raised almost a million dollars for my brother’s heart transplant. And even after we had all that money, we still couldn’t get him into a hospital. UCLA Medical Center was saying, “You still need supplemental insurance to make sure he can pay for the anti-rejection drugs after he has the transplant. People don’t understand how difficult it is to maneuver the system.”
UCLA was SO much worse than this. The hospital staff was snickering at Veronica during the repeated calls she made after the shock of learning, they wouldn’t take Eric without supplemental insurance.
CB: There are still Republicans who say it’s time to go in and repeal Health Care Reform. They say that in the United States even people without health insurance can get medical treatment, that you have access if you live in the United States you have access to quality medical care.
Veronica: It is a lie. It’s unbelievable. When this happened to my brother, I was working at CNN. My brother was a college student. He was working part-time at a web design firm that only employed seven people. None of those people had insurance.
And I have to include these quotes because I love Veronica’s fire:
Health Care Reform: It was supposed to kill your grandma. It was supposed to be a death panel. The only death panels I’ve seen are the ones that are happening in Arizona with Governor Jan Brewer and the cuts in Medicaid.”
“For the Republicans out there who are saying, ‘This system, the status quo works.’ I don’t know what planet they are living on.”
Besides anchoring, Veronica is the executive director of the Eric De La Cruz Hope for Hearts Foundation. You can read her latest piece at the Huffington Post.
WriteChic Press 
Only in this country, do people with health problems get treated like shit. Its sad and pathetic that the Republicans and the lunatic right wingers say we have the best health care in the world. Its just plain bullshit!
It’s bizarre and cruel that the sick are made to feel like they are somehow unworthy of decency and kindness. Some of the most wicked comments I’ve ever read have been made on pro universal health care posts. (The nuts are targeting Veronica’s blog right now at HuffPo). Cruelty is a whole other type of sickness…maybe terminal.
Very good and kuddos to your friend! It makes my head spin trying to understand how anyone can oppose healthcare especially when you see evidence from other countries how well it can work. I guess it just boils down to the dollar… the shrinking dollar at that!
Hi, Shahidah, thanks for commenting. 🙂
So many other developed nations have pulled it off–taking care of their citizens…especially those without means, but we’re so damn greedy. We’re so afraid one person will get an unfair advantage (with health!!!!). It’s absolutely wretched that Governor Brewer is permitted to be Arizona’s Grim Reaper in Chief. (And how Republicans LOVE to accuse Democrats of being guilty of their (Rep.’s) own abuses [ie. Death Panels].)
Whew … that’s a very powerful interview. While watching, I was wondering about all issues – that is, wondering about how many lies opponents use about the other.
BTW …. welcome back and you were missed … well, at least I did. Hope you had a good relaxing week away, even though you probably didn’t make it to the Flora Bama.
She’s so strong, an incredible force for good. 🙂
Thank you for missing me, Frank. I’ve missed everyone, too. I’ve been steeped in projects that must take priority.
Hey, nice to see you back! Hope you at least had SOME down time. I, too, missed your mix of inspiration and lunacy. 😀
Trust me, I have first-hand knowledge – no insurance, no care. My doctor is a 45-minute drive away, and we only got him because he’s one of the few who treat Amish (and thus will deal on a cash basis). I SHOULD have a new set of cranial X-rays and a CT scan done. I CAN afford none of that – my meds eat over a third of my wife’s monthly income. I’m not sure this reform is the BEST, but it beats the heck outta nothing!
Thanks, John. 🙂
If things don’t get better for you, the bitching continues.
Huh? You’re gonna gripe more, or do you mean I should gripe more? Sorry, I’m rather thick today. 🙂
We both can. 😀
…bitch. Not be thick.
Tell ya what, we’ll divide the work. I’ll be thick enough for both of us, you bitch for both of us, okay? Right now, I think I could be thick enough for everybody in the US at LEAST!
Oh my, she said Republicans lie! About goddam time someone in the business said that on the air!
So, you were away. I thought I was just having a bad dream. Welcome back!
She was on with Cenk Uygur last night. I’ll have to see if I can scrounge up the video.
😀 And yes, I’m here. A shit ton of news has been going on, too.
I wish this wasn’t a story in 2011…
Don’t you have it rough in Canada? I think you have to have the pre-existing condition called “Canadian” to get health insurance.
The only requirement for free healthcare in Canada is to name 3 Celine Dion songs.
Crap. So much for my plans to move to Canada. Hey, J-P, don’t you guys need some moose wardens up there? They aren’t THAT different from goats. As the boys say on Top Gear, “What Could Go Wrong?”. 😀
Maybe there’s something to do with that…
My friend, you find me a job up there snuggling with mooses (moosi?), I’ll put you in my will! (Hope you like stuffed animals and old military stuff. :D) Find me such a job within a 2-hour drive of Hamilton and/or Trenton, I’ll not only put you in my will, but I’ll take care of one “problem” in your life – permanently. (Remember, I’m from Chicago. We learn at an early age how to deal with …. PROBLEMS. 😉 )
m’liss is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀
there could not be a more eloquent spokesperson for health care reform. eric would be very, very proud of his sister.
😀 Nonnie! 😀
I was so excited I forget to say, I’ll tell her you said so. 🙂
Dagnabit, your website ate my reply. And it even had a dick joke in it. And I never write dick jokes.
😆 “Dagnabit” makes it all worth while 😆
What’s that old saying about going through life not expecting anybody to do anything for you and that way you never experience disappointment. That would describe most health care and insurers. Oh, and welcome back!
A question. Maybe you are some readers here may know and can help.
I’m on WordPress. Why isn’t my name hyperlinked to my blog? Something in my settings?
Woo hoo … I think I found the answer in my settings!
😀