As an organizer for SEIU's Change that Works Campaign, I am working on building a network of community members who will engage in the Health Care Reform conversation here in Grand Forks.
I'm interested in hearing your take on one of the principles essential to successful Health Care Reform
#1: Ensuring Patient Choice of providers.
Do you have a story about your experiencs during a change in HMO or Health Insurer? Do you understand what needs to happen to ensure that there are no gaps in coverage or access to doctors?
I personally have attained health coverage through three different insurance companies over the past five years. Fortunately, I haven't felt like I needed to go to a doctor during the times that I was uninsured, with one exception. (A dog bite forced me into the ER when I lacked health insurance.) I'm not sure how I would have got through that situation had the dog's owner not had homeowner's insurance to pay for my lost wages and my hospital bills. I suggest you avoid breaking up fights between dogs, in general, although I was worried that my dog was going to seriously harm the other dog (who bit me while I was pulling my dog off him.) For those of you who are wondering: my dog was on leash, the other dog had dug under a fence and escaped its yard.
Since I haven't had a regular doctor for so long, I really don't know what it would be like to have a family doctor forever and then need to find a new doctor because of a change in HMO policy. What kind of complications arise? I'm interested to hear from you if you've ever found yourself in those circumstances.
Regards,
Aaron Quaday
Grand Forks Organizer -- Change that Works
aquadaynodak0470@gmail.com
