If you want to get a sense for how broken our health care system is in the United States, consider the case of 65 year old Hans Bruns, a German citizen who has been living as a legal resident in the US since 2007. Herr Bruns has become the latest casualty of reactionary Tea Party politics:
Bruns, 65, was diagnosed earlier this year with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. He needs radiation and chemotherapy. He needs medication to numb the pain that he says makes even simple tasks like eating meals excruciating. He needs health care.
But for that last six months, Bruns has been able to access only emergency care. He, along with as many as 500 others, received a letter from Maine'sDepartment of Health and Human Services last fall explaining that he no longer was eligible for subsidized health insurance.
"Your coverage is being reduced because state law has changed," the letter to Bruns reads. "This decision is based on MaineCare Eligibility Manual, Part 2, Section 3. This rule explains that some legal immigrants will only get MaineCare emergency benefits."
What happened to Herr Bruns and thousands of other legal residents across the US is that Tea Party Republicans won state elections in 2010 and immediately began cutting health care assistence for people while implementing tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens. These cuts are not only immoral, but also most likely unconstiutional:
Jennifer Archer, an attorney with Kelly, Remmel & Zimmerman, will take the lead in Bruns' case and is working pro bono.
"Hans and many others have been improperly, and without sufficient justification, singled out and denied health insurance coverage that provides medically necessary treatment," she said in a statement Thursday. "Hans' life hangs in the balance today, but we know that there are hundreds of other Maine residents who also are being wrongly denied necessary medical care.
"We are asking the court to find that current law violates the Constitution and order the Department of Health and Human Services to restore health insurance coverage for Hans and other, similarly situated individuals."
If the US Supreme Court decides against the Affordable Care Act – aka "Obamacare" – or if the Republicans win the White House in November, tens of millions of Americans will suffer the same fate as Hans Bruns.
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Funny, the guy already looks like a Mainer. He integrated fast eh? Maybe we should secede. I live in Maine also.
http://www.portlandphoenix.com/features/top/ts_multi/documents/04383231.asp
What are the costs of health care insurance at an average income?
In Germany it’s about 15% of the monthly income. Employer and employee pay 50% each. A net income of 2000 € would result in 2x 150€ = 300€. And the family members would also be insured.
I’m just asking myself why Mr. Bruns couldn’t afford or did not want an American h.c.i.
* In Germany, the net wage, for the average employee (married, no kids), looks like this:
2000€ gross wage
-190€ income tax
-164€ healthcare insurance
-196€ pension insurance
– 30€ unemployment insurance
– 10€ solidarity tax
net wage: ~1385€
For the employer, add his share of healthcare and pension insurance to 2000 = ~ 2350€
Why do you think we nevertheless do not have Obamacare in reality? I was once watching a Polish film about an American who couldnt speak Polish but tried to love a Polish woman who spoke no English. Essentially he used a translator, but found he was unable to tell the translator even in English what he wanted. The translator explained “he is tongue-tied”. This is in fact what Americans are, tied up regarding everything. everything is futile for Americans. They cant solve the homeless problem. They cant solve the healthcare problem. They cant fix the schools. It’s as if they are bound up in a straight jacket.
@Strahler- Bruns cannot get get health care insurance in the US – he is sick – at any price. This will change in 2014 if “Obamacare” is not repealed.
@michijo – I’m a Mainer as well.
I think I read one time something you said about living here. Of course the real draw of this blog was a strange feeling I got from Der Spiegel, and then I found some article you wrote against them pointed. I read a lot of online news. There is something I dont like about Obama either, a strange feeling about him.
here is something I dont like about Mitt Romney either, a strange feeling about him. Maybe it’s the magic Mormon underwear.
The magic underwear makes him invincible. We can send him to fight in Afghanistan without body armor. Remember, voting for a Democrat doesnt insure that they are the president. After all, I voted for John Kerry and he lost. Then he tazered a college student in Florida and made jokes as the student screamed in agony. Harrison Ford, also from Chicago, when asked his religion, said “I was brought up Democrat”. There is something quite down to earth about the Green Party for me. The other members are humble comrades compared to the personality cults surrounding Democrats.