Healthcare Justice, Medicare For All

As the Vice President of the Charlotte chapter of NOW, I spoke on April 8, 2017, at a Healthcare Justice NC, Medicare For All rally.  I related some of the specific  advantages for women in Medicare for All as our national healthcare plan.

Being Ladylike Does Not Require Silence

     Tuesday, April 4 was Equal Pay Day, a reminder that American women are paid less than men at work. It’s shameful that it still takes an extra three months, 94 days to be exact, for a woman working full time to earn what a man makes in a year. On the average, women make just 80 cents to the dollar of what their male counterparts earn. In NC, women make 82 cents to a man’s dollar. What's even more infuriating is that for women of color, the gap is even larger: Black women make just $0.63 compared to white men with the same job, while Hispanic women make just $0.54. When women aren't paid fairly, it doesn't just shortchange them. It hurts their families, their children and our economy.

Leave It To Beaver

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, I have seen and personally experienced a lot of progress. My childhood female heroes were the housewives in Leave it to Beaver,

Ozzie and Harriett and Father Knows Best, women whose career goals were getting the kids off to school and serving dinner on time. During those years, my own mom was a “stay at home mom.” I even walked home from school for lunch to find my mom waiting at the door and lunch on the table. A working woman as a role model didn’t come along until the late 1960s and early 1970s when shows such as Julia, where Diahann Carroll starred in the first nonstereotypical role for an African-American woman as Julia Baker, a single mom who worked full time as a nurse and The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which Moore portrayed Mary Richards, a career-oriented single woman who was a news producer for a TV station in Minneapolis. By this time, my own mom, a well-educated woman, had joined the work force as an administrator in the school system. My vision of my future began to change as I watched her go to work every day and command respect. I was also blessed to have a well-educated dad, who never spoke in terms of “If” but “When” I would go to college. Both parents encouraged me to get an education and a career and to “always be able to take care of yourself.” However, girls in that era were still expected to enter a career of one of the five ‘Cs’ – caring, catering, cashiering, cleaning and clerical work. That made nurses, teachers and secretaries the acceptable careers for females. The high school home economics and typing classes were full of females preparing for their futures. Then in 1966, the National Organization of Women was formed and Gloria Steinem became a household word, although not always in a good way, along with Ms Magazine. But the first woman who got my attention was Betty Ford. Betty Ford made no secret of her support for women’s rights, abortion rights or for the ERA. I recall watching her on television as she made shockingly bold statements about her children, her breast cancer, her addiction problems, premarital sex and marijuana use. When the 1980 National Republican Convention in Detroit was deciding whether or not to keep the ERA in its platform, Betty Ford walked out of the convention and marched in the National Organization for Women's protest through the streets of Detroit past the convention center. Betty Ford then traveled as the NOW-ERA countdown co-chair across the country kicking off more than 170 rallies in 42 states. She led marches, rallies, walks, fund-raising dinners and events. She stood firm against the push back she received from the conservative Republicans strongly opposed to her liberal social views.           

    

     Yes, we have come a long way, but we still have so far to go. Women dominate nursing, but men make more. Male janitors earn more than female maids and housekeepers.  When females enter a male dominated field, all salaries begin to drop. The US women’s national soccer team could have their winningest season and the men have their worst season and the men would make more. The gender pay gap increases as women climb the corporate ladder, get more education and more experience.  On March 27, Trump took women’s rights backwards again and revoked the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order.  By overturning the Fair Pay order, Trump has further made women more vulnerable to work place abuse and salary discrepancies 

Betty Ford

     In an October 1975 speech, Betty Ford said: "Many barriers continue to the paths of most women, even on the most basic issue of equal pay for equal work…the wage discrepancy between men and women is a problem for our whole society, not just the individual woman…. The first important steps have to be to undo the laws that hem women in and lock them out of the mainstream of opportunities…My own support of the Equal Rights Amendment has shown what happens when a definition of proper behavior collides with the right of an individual to personal opinions. I do not believe that being First Lady should prevent me from expressing my views. I spoke out on this important issue, because of my deep personal convictions. Why should my husband's job or yours prevent us from being ourselves? Being ladylike does not require silence."    

     On Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to reintroduce the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, legislation to address the gender pay gap and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 guaranteeing that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. In March, Nevada approved the ERA, bringing us two states shy of finally ratifying the amendment. We cannot be silent. We must contact our legislators in support of both these legislations. The National Organization for Women has chapters in every state with 70 local chapters. They need you. Men and women are both welcome as members. Women’s March groups have formed across the country to address a wide range of issues. Now is not the time to be silent. As Helen Reddy sang in the 70’s, “hear me roar", we must be heard. And Happy Birthday to Betty Ford, born this day, April 8, in 1918. Thank you for inspiring a generation of women to stand up and be heard. We will not be silent.

Useful Websites:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/upshot/as-women-take-over-a-male-dominated-field-the-pay-drops.html?_r=0 

https://www.bustle.com/p/8-wage-gap-statistics-to-shut-down-any-haters-48441?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=owned&utm_campaign=feminismbustle

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/01/racial-gender-wage-gaps-persist-in-u-s-despite-some-progress/

http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-nevada-backs-equal-rights-amendment-decades-after-deadline-2017-3  

It's Time For Me!

    




     The second annual Women’s Symposium sponsored by US Congresswoman Alma Adams was a huge success! Women comprise more than half of the population of Mecklenburg County and our nation yet we are still having to fight for equal representation, respect and rights. The symposium brought together a diverse group of women representing education, healthcare, business development, entrepreneurship; a range of women’s issues. I was there representing our local chapter of NOW of which I am the newly elected Vice President.

     Alma Adams set a record the moment she took the oath of office. For the first time in history, there were 100 women in Congress. Congresswoman Adams has a PhD in art education, but she is perhaps best known for her collection of hats which she wears in style.  Congresswoman Adams ran for Congress at the age of 68. When asked ‘Why run for Congress now?”, Congresswoman Adams replied, “I’ve worked all my life and I’ve served all my life, and I still felt as if I had a lot to offer. I had done 40 years as a college professor. It was time for me.”

     "Time for me." She wasn't talking about time to retire and sit in a rocking chair. She was talking about time for her to do something more to make the world a better place. Congresswoman Adams doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. She is an inspiration and role model for all of us. She is energetic and focused, yet warm and welcoming.  Women could be a powerful force, but we must stop making excuses and like Congresswoman Adams get in the game. We all need to say, “It is time for me.” It is time for women to speak up and be heard.  There is something that each one of us can do to change the direction and move women’s issues forward. As we work for women’s rights, we work for the common good.  Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.  It is imperative that we speak up and advocate for the positive change we hope to see in our neighborhoods and across the country. Thank you, Congresswoman Adams! We could not have a better representative in Congress!

Rough Road for Healthcare

     Trump/RyanCare failed and Republicans want to blame the Democrats when it was their own party that shot it down. Republicans had seven years to come up with a plan. They claimed to have a secret plan and refused to allow legislators the right to read it until the very last minute.  When revealed, the plan was disastrous for millions of Americans which pretty well proves Republicans never really wanted a plan for everybody! We are  now at a perilous time.  If they really had our interests at heart, they would take a break, reflect on lessons learned and get back to work. But we probably won’t see that happening. Congress and insurance companies are going to try to destroy Obama-Care at the peril of our most vulnerable citizens. Republicans will refuse to do anything to repair Obamacare and then blame the Democrats for what Republicans refused to do. They will sabotage every aspect of Obamacare and then play the "blame game" as they watch it implode.   Don’t be surprised and don’t be fooled by what lies ahead for healthcare. It is going to be a rough road. These are people that thrive on revenge and vindictiveness.  This is the time to get behind a single payer plan. Now is the time to call our representatives and demand healthcare for all! We have a fight ahead!

Everybody In! Nobody Out!

My friend, Dr. Charles Van Der Horst, and fellow doctors

and medical students during a mass rally in Raleigh, NC

in support of Medicare for All!

     I received two letters in the mail recently from my health insurance company.  One letter informed me that insurance will not pay for testing that was ordered by my primary care doctor and done by a Pulmonary specialist. The second letter was informing me that insurance would no longer pay for a medication that I have taken for years. My doctors and I are battling the insurance company for payment of the $2,000 testing. On Saturday, I talked to my pharmacist about the cost of paying for the medication myself. The cost will be in access of $150 a month. I also told the pharmacist that my doctor had suggested that if the cost is too high, he will assist me in ordering the medication from Canada.The pharmacist informed me that he is from Canada, thus a conversation regarding health care ensued. He said that he has many customers who order medications from Canada to avoid the high costs here in the US. He made it very clear that the majority of the bad things we hear about the Canadian healthcare are untrue. In Canada, pharmaceutical companies are told how much they will be paid for a drug and the pharmaceutical companies have no control over the cost. On the other hand, here in the US, the pharmaceutical companies set their own prices for the drug and we pay it or do without the medication. He ended the conversation by saying that he just wished every American had the kind of health care that Canadians have and he doesn’t understand why we would keep rejecting single payer health care that has been proven successful.

We have been attending the Health Care Justice group meetings and have heard some of the most knowledgeable physicians in the country speak about health care. Practically every developed nation in the world has some form of government-managed universal health care.None of these nations have gone to single payer, decided it didn’t work and switched back. According to the latest report of the O.E.C.D.(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), an organization of mostly wealthy nations, the United States does not have a higher quality of healthcare than other countries. In reality, the US has a shorter life expectancy, a higher infant mortality rate and fewer doctors than most other developed countries.  Doctors in the US are frustrated because they spend more than 50% of their time with paperwork and battling insurance companies partly due to situations like mine. And sadly, Americans spend more money on their health care by a huge margin than any other country, yet we do not get better results. Stephanie Woolhandler, M.D. Harvard Medical School, has concluded that 62.1% of all bankruptcies are medical bankruptcies and over 75% of Americans who file medical bankruptcy have health insurance.

Many Americans choose to go to other countries for healthcare. I have a friend who moved to Costa Rica and one factor that drew him there was their excellent healthcare. Costa Rica provides universal healthcare to all of its citizens and permanent residents. The Costa Rican health care system is  highly rated internationally and the life expectancy is higher in Costa Rica than in the US. My friend, who is a US citizen, is able to buy into universal health care for $60 a month. That covers all medical needs including dental and medications. Costa Rica has seven internationally accredited private hospitals and ten world class public hospitals including a children’s hospital that is also rated as one of the best in the world. In every community there are small clinics called EBAIS for non-emergencies.  EBAIS is short for Equipos Basicos de Atencion Integral en Salad and in English means Basic Terms of Global Health Care. In Costa Rica, healthcare starts at the EBAIS, the local clinic that is accessible to all. On one trip to Costa Rica, I stepped on coral and developed an infection. I was able to see a doctor immediately at one of the EBAIS. I received excellent care for a minimum cost and to my delight, the doctor had attended Bowman Gray Medical School at Wake Forest University right here in NC. On another trip to Costa Rica, my daughter became ill with what we thought was a stomach virus and we had the exact same great experience at an EBAIS.

I just wish that as Americans, we could have the freedom of knowing that our health care needs will always be met with a high quality of care. I wish we knew we could count on good healthcare being there for us regardless of our employment status or other life circumstances. I wish we did not have to put jars in restaurants, sponsor bake sales or have GoFundMe pages to pay our medical bills. I wish our doctors could spend their time taking care of our health needs instead of doing paperwork. I wish we had the freedom of knowing that we will not have to battle insurance companies or order medications from another country. I wish we did not have to worry about being one illness away from bankruptcy. I agree with my pharmacist. I don’t understand why we would reject quality universal healthcare that is a proven success around the world.  We deserve better!

Useful websites:
www.healthoverprofit.org
www.pnhp.org

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/opinion/the-fake-freedom-of-american-health-care.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

It's Not A Dirty Word

Volunteers from the UUCC serving a meal at the Uptown Men's Shelter.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language, the first meaning given for “entitlement” is getting an actual title as in a profession or noble designation. The second definition derives from the first in that a person with a specific designation is “entitled” to being addressed a certain way and receives the rights and privileges that come with that designation.  There are many forms of entitlements such as a homeowner being entitled to the legal rights of his home.  A bank customer is entitled access to his/her money. A customer of an insurance company is entitled to the protection for which they have paid premiums. An infant is entitled to be fed and cared for. A veteran is entitled to our appreciation and support. Workers are entitled to their agreed upon wage. The list is endless.

The word entitlement is in the news a lot today and has developed a negative connotation. The word has been paired with government programs that help citizens.  There are two types of entitlements. One type is need based and the other is contribution based. “Entitlements” are looked at as a “dirty” word by those who believe that “entitlements” are government expenses that give support to “lazy bums” who have not paid into the program at the expense of their hard work. Typically, however, a person’s lack of contribution is not voluntary but is the result of some condition of their life that makes financial contributions impossible.  Many of us regard those individuals as “entitled” to our help because they are our fellow human beings. They are in need and unable to assist themselves. Thomas Jefferson said that we are endowed with the inalienable rights of (entitled to and cannot be taken away) “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These words express the entitlement of every human being regardless of who they are or where they may be. Entitlement and human rights are at the very foundation of our nation. “Entitlement” is not a “dirty” word. Each of us was born into this world and were entitled to be cared for without contributing a single thing. We were needy and dependent on our mothers and families. We may grow and become more independent but we are still interdependent in our need for others.

Most entitlement programs are contribution based and the great majority of people contribute whether they are citizens or not. There are not large numbers of people saying, “If the government is going to take care of me, I will just live in these “slummy” conditions and let them take care of me. I don’t want a car or nice house with plenty of food and comforts. I like worrying every day about how I am going to eat.”   But if you listen to a certain segment of our misinformed population, you would think that multitudes of people felt that way and chose to live in poverty. They say people just don’t want to work; we are making it so easy on the poor that we are becoming an “entitlement society.”  They have twisted their thinking into the idea that we should just take everything away from the poor and make them repent of their slothful ways. Those who hold that point of view are certainly “entitled” to their opinion, but those people are doing a grave injustice to the principles upon which this nation was founded, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Are there changes that need to be made in the system? Of course, there are. There are institutional forces that have stifled people that may have otherwise blossomed. The system itself has oppressed them. Then we have all the “isms” to deal with- racism-sexism etc.  We must continue to work for Voting Rights, Equal Pay for Equal Work, Health Care Justice, Immigration Reform, Gender Equality, and equality for our LGBT community, etc. We must address the income inequality in this country and raise the minimum wage. We need to promote policies that help all children advance and discourage efforts to further concentrate wealth at the top. We must level the playing field so that all people have the opportunity to be successful.  We need more creative ways to break the cycle of poverty and lift people up.  But, I will never believe that concentrating the wealth at one end of the spectrum while taking away life support systems from others, will ever have any chance of lifting anyone up, nor will this country benefit in any way for doing so.  

Enough!

                                                    Enough!  by Melba Evans

When will it be time?
Are we not tired yet?
We stand so proud
But we follow like sheep
Rhetoric that proclaims
Anything but unity
And judges us
And divides us.
When will we say enough

When will it be time?
Are we not tired yet?
When will we come together
And stop taking sides
And stand side by side
And look at each other with new eyes
And tear down the walls the past
Has erected?
When will we say enough?

When will it be time?
Are we not tired yet?
When will we stop fighting each other
And fight for each other?
When will we break the bonds of
Religion and culture
And run to each other
Not away from each other?
When will we say enough?

When will it be time?
Time to say enough.
Pas plus, non piu, no mas!
When is it time to
Not just talk the talk
But walk the walk
Hand in hand
Together
For the common good!

By:  Melba Evans 11/2016