Healthcare Archives | Patriot NOT Partisan

The Trump Administration Must Break Pharma Drug Patents Before All Americans Are Hurt by COVID-19 Price Gouging

October 15, 2020 Healthcare

At 26 years old, I took a free blood test at an LGBT health center. I never expected that the test would simultaneously save my life and bankrupt me. Four years later—as we face a global pandemic that has overwhelmed our country—I now not only worry about my ability to afford my medicine, but also about whether I will be

Chemical Castration and Alabama

June 20, 2019 Economic Issues, General Commentary, Healthcare

When people think about Alabama and what it's famous for, of peanuts, college football and Lynard Skynard come to mind. Many would like to think that it would welcome progressiveism to overcome its terrible history of Jim Crow laws. However, recent legislative actions in the state have proven that no matter how much good comes out of the actions of

It’s Time to Take Care of Moms

January 18, 2019 General Commentary, Healthcare, Women in the Age of Trump

When my first daughter was 9 months old, I experienced crippling postpartum anxiety. It had been building for several months, and, like a giant snowball slamming down a mountainside, it finally flattened me. I was so worried about my daughter’s health and safety that I could not sleep at night. I threw up before I had to leave her in

Sharing Our Stories Will Determine Our Politics and Save Our Lives

July 16, 2018 Healthcare

The need for our country’s leaders to listen to our voices and defend our lives is more urgent than ever. The next few months will determine the future of the American people—and the power of our storytelling will shape our politics as we near the November elections. I am the mother of an amazing four-year-old with complex medical needs, and

Immigrant Stories: Doctors and Nurses

April 2, 2018 Elections, General Commentary, Healthcare, Immigration, international

Keep Hospitals Safe From ICE Since Trump has taken office, the Department of Homeland of Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have aggressively targeted undocumented immigrants. With increasing reports of ICE roundups and arrests near and inside hospitals, more and more undocumented immigrants must choose between remaining with their families or risking deportation for medical care -

5 tips for returning to work after maternity leave

February 16, 2018 General Commentary, Healthcare

Your maternity leave may be the longest length of time you take away from the office. But before you know it, you’ll be tucking away your yoga pants and reacquainting yourself with your work wardrobe. If you’re planning a pregnancy or starting the adoption process, it’s never too early to plan time away from work to be with your child.

Unconscionable

January 26, 2018 Civil Rights, General Commentary, Healthcare

On January 18, 2018, the Trump administration announced the formation of a new division of the Department of Health and Human Services, entitled the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division. The new Division, which will be part of the Office of Civil Rights, is designed to protect healthcare professionals who refuse to offer birth control or abortion based on their religious

Caring for a Medically Fragile Child in the Age of Trump

January 24, 2018 Healthcare, Women in the Age of Trump

Women in the Age of Trump - A Patriot NOT Partisan Exclusive Series In 2016, three million more Americans voted for the first woman to occupy the Oval Office than did for the man who currently occupies it. The impacts were swift and significant. In 2018, PatriotNOTPartisan is collecting the stories of these impacts, told by the women who are impacted.

Health Care Voter Announces Six New Campaign Co-Chairs, Ramps Up Ahead of 2018 Elections

January 22, 2018 Healthcare

Health Care Voter Announces Six New Campaign Co-Chairs, Ramps Up Ahead of 2018 Elections Anton Gunn, Former Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Elena Hung, President and Co-Founder of the Little Lobbyists Alyssa Milano, Actor and Health Care Advocate Laura Packard, Health Care Advocate Topher Spiro, Senior Fellow and Vice President of Health Policy at the

Make America Hate Again

December 21, 2017 Civil Rights, General Commentary, Healthcare, Immigration

Jonathan Swift famously said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” I am Jewish, as are both my parents, and as were my four grandparents. They instilled in me the concepts of Tzedukah, (charity) and Mitzvot (good deeds). As with Christianity, I was taught the Golden Rules: do unto

Donald Trump’s Useless Eaters: #FreeRosa in the era of ascendant Fascism

October 30, 2017 General Commentary, Healthcare, Immigration

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. In the same year, his National Socialist (Nazi) Party began a systematic campaign of public ridicule and private sterilization, isolation and murder of the disabled in Germany. When the Nazis were not stopped from claiming these first of their victims, the most vulnerable population among their citizens, the way was paved for

What My Country Can Do For Me

October 26, 2017 General Commentary, Healthcare

Last week, two days after being laid off from what once looked like a completely secure job, I found myself dialing 9-1-1 and requesting an ambulance for my disabled daughter. From the back of the ambulance, I digitally signed to accept a severance package that was less than what I hoped for, because it kept my family’s insurance active until

The CHIP Program Helped Get a Key Ring Out of My Son’s Chest

October 18, 2017 Healthcare

I’m an English professor. It’s a good job. I’m paid generously to talk with students about literature and help them learn to write well. I have excellent benefits from one of the best health insurance providers in the country, I’ve got a decent retirement plan, and a discount at the campus cafeteria. Life is pretty good. But I was in

Health Care Experts Launch Get America Covered To Help People Left Out By Administration’s Attempts To Undermine Open Enrollment

October 5, 2017 Healthcare

Starting on November 1, people can sign up for health care at HealthCare.gov but unlike previous years, the current administration has made clear they're not going to provide people with the information they need to sign up for health coverage, so others must fill in the gaps. Former top health care officials, Lori Lodes and Joshua Peck, who oversaw outreach,

Secure The Blessings Of Liberty

October 5, 2017 Healthcare

Dear Congress, My name is Geoff Ginter. I am a constituent of the New Jersey 3rd Congressional district. I'm writing to those of you who fought hard against the AHCA, and it's senatorial counterpart. I would like to give you my sincere thanks - if only 'for now'. As you know, this atrocity, masquerading as a health care bill, was

Republicans Desperately Trying to Ram Through Health Care Repeal by Making it Even Worse

September 25, 2017 Healthcare

Through a combination of bribery and even more savage cuts and deregulation, Republicans are ensuring that the repeal bill that goes to the Senate floor is even worse than the one originally proposed. The latest GOP repeal bill is getting worse by the day. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) From the outset, the latest Republican health care repeal bill was the worst

Trump Care Does Not Care

September 25, 2017 Healthcare

Tonight, I suffered a sort of breakdown as a result of my PTSD, and normally I would not share this, but I believe I need to. As well as many other nights have been, this one is a hazy fog as I do not remember much. I do not remember what triggered my attack nor what I did in form

Graham/Cassidy: The TrumpCare Bill That Just Won’t Die

September 25, 2017 Healthcare

The problem with writing about policy is that very few people want to talk about policy. Most of us don't really care about it. There are very few wonks out there - the rest of us just want to know what will happen to us if something becomes law. So, we're not going to get into the weeds here. I'm

WHY MEDICARE FOR ALL IS A NO-BRAINER

September 18, 2017 Healthcare

In any argument, especially the really big ones, there is almost always a time for speaking, and a time for listening. We make our case, then we listen to our opposition, and hopefully, through the process of give-and-take, we come to an agreement we can all live with. But there are times - and I believe this is one of

Define Homelessness

September 13, 2017 Economic Issues, Healthcare

Imagine you get a call. Your mom had a heart attack and she's on the way to the hospital. You get in your car but your thoughts are racing. The spells. She's been saying she was having spells. For months. Dizzy spells. You asked her to see a doctor. She promised she would. But did she? You never thought she

Mental Health Care: Separate and Unequal

September 12, 2017 Healthcare

How does a country lose sight of 60 million people? One in five Americans has a mental illness at any given time, yet as a society we do not see them. They suffer discrimination, yet as a society we don't acknowledge it. Access to mental health care is a civil right. Under federal law, insurers must cover mental health care

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things: How I became an advocate

August 15, 2017 General Commentary, Healthcare

Two years ago, if you brought up politics around me, my eyes would've glazed over as I tuned you out and quickly found an excuse to politely sneak away. I had zero interest in it. In fact, the topic made my skin crawl. I am an extra busy, stay at home mom of three, with a medically fragile child. I've

The Republicans’ Cruel Con

August 8, 2017 Healthcare

Nearly every single country in the developed world has universal healthcare. But not the wealthiest nation on Earth: the United States of America. In a nation like ours, with such riches and talent, why isn’t healthcare a right, rather than a privilege? As a doctor, I believe that no one who is suffering should ever be denied effective treatment, regardless

This Veteran’s Journey From Conservative to Progressive

August 2, 2017 Economic Issues, Healthcare

My political journey has been rather counter intuitive. I served as a Marine Corps combat engineer officer from 1997 to 2005. I served two tours of duty in Iraq. I participated in the invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003 and fought in the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. I sound like a typical Republican, right? Not

Why Obamacare Matters

August 2, 2017 Healthcare

Geno with Eliza Dushku The skinny repeal went down. Trumpcare is defeated. (At least for now. Word is, Trumpcare may come back for debate. It’s like Jason in the “Friday the 13th” movies. It refuses to really be dead!) Obamacare lives. Depending on your party affiliation, you are either cheering or angry. Or maybe party affiliations don’t matter to you.