Health Care Town Hall Jeers Woman with Disability

From the JFA Moderator (9/9/09):

Health Care Town Hall Jeers Woman with Disability

At a New Jersey Health Care Reform Town Hall, Marianne Hoynes was shouted down, boo-ed, and intimidated throughout her statement in support of Health Care Reform.  This story has gotten a flurry of internet, television and print media attention.  Unfortunately, not much of the coverage has focused on the content of Ms. Hoynes's comments.  Perhaps if they had, they would have realized she had something very important to say: the disability community is uniquely qualified to evaluate the effectiveness of health care.  It is our personal experiences that should serve as a reminder to everyone that our current system is broken and needs fixing, that passing health care reform is not some theoretical political or economic scheme--it is a matter of housing or homelessness, employment or joblessness and, in many cases, life and death.  

Watch the YouTube clip or read a transcript of her statement below.

>>> YouTube Video of Statement

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Hello Congressman,

I have medicare. I think that a large majority of Americans have health care.  Why should we care about our fellow Americans that have none?  Why should my story matter to any of you? *jeers*

I remember a time in NYC when a woman screamed on the street as she was being attacked and murdered and no one came.  People heard her screams but no one helped her. *boos* We were all ashamed. When we heard those stories, we were all ashamed. What happens to the least of us in our society is the definition of who we are. *some cheering and booing* 

This country is a completely different place to live in when you get sick.  I was diagnosed with two incurable auto-immune diseases.  I live in fear every day that I will lose my home.  Not because I took on some irresponsible mortgage. NO.  I worked hard my whole life and my house is bought and paid for.  I'm afraid because the co-pay for one of my medications is $389 every two weeks. And I'm afraid I might not be able to afford my property taxes and I'll lose my home.

Please hear this voice of the disabled.  Don't let the insurance lobby win this fight. *loud cheers and jeers* Please protect me from the extortion of the pharmaceutical industry.  I am a citizen of the United States and I need congress to stand up for me because I cannot stand up for myself.

We all need reasonable health care coverage to be a basic human right not a privileged.

Thank you.

Comments

[John Smith]

does this woman expect to get her drug medication for free? does she expect someone else to pay for it? why does she see the "pharmaceutical industry" as extorting her? They had to develop the drug in the first place and with BIG GOVERNMENT regs you can be sure it cost millions to make the drug. Why can't they charge what it cost them to make? Why is she not grateful that a drug even exists that can help her? 50 years ago she'd probably be dead. this is just the usual whining victim tapes we've come to expect. maybe she should could up her CELL PHONE or CABLE TV service to help pay her DRUG BILLs. What has she given up in order to pay for the drug she needs? Why should others be forced to GIVE UP money from their paychecks to pay for her drugs?

[Sam]

I saw a youtube video where some guy videotaped a bunch of people with disabilities attending a town hall meeting and then posted it saying that they had all been brought in by ACORN, which was exploiting them.

He hadn't talked to them, hadn't asked why they chose to come there, hadn't observed anyone clearly from ACORN interacting them. He just assumed that there's no way that people with disabilities could choose to a town hall because they actually care about a political issue. Completely sick.

[Laura George]

I applaud this woman for speaking up for herself and others in her situation. The people who jeer and heckle obviously have never experienced any thing having to do with a disability.

This past year we learned about Medigap. In three months we had to spend $4,350 dollars in pain medication for my husband who has SCI@T5/CRPS and an infection at C-6. We had no money to buy food or pay smaller bills like utilities. We had to go to food kitchens for help. It was that or let my husband die.

To people who disagree...do you have children? We have a 3 year old daughter who lives with this scene everyday. I would rather have her live in suffering and have her learn compassion for "all" humanity then for her to learn how to live life with blinders on.

To Ms. Hoynes...Bravo! Hugs! and Thank you!