(#5950) I couldn't afford health care until Obamacare!

      Not having health care didn't toughen me up, it made me shy about the things I should attempt. Waiting was painful when I was injured or needed something like immediate dental action. Not having health care has most likely shortened my life and made me more miserable than anyone with health care. That is a fact and I don't know anyone who went without health care like me for so long who disagrees. Needless to say I have been an advocate for universal health care for most of my life. Having to exist in the American version of dog eat dog demands is tough enough without having a safety net to catch us when we are not well.
     It isn't just about health either! It is the cost of trying to stay healthy. The republican party here in America understands only one thing, making money for themselves regardless of the grave costs to others. There should be no insurance middlemen in health care. Think about this for a moment. The republican party has not only refused to raise the federal minimum wage here since 2009 they have successfully fought all attempts by democrats to raise it. Even back then the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour was paltry. So in the last 16 years the minimum wage has remained at $7.25 an hour. If that isn't the most shameful aspect of the republican party then it is near the top. Meanwhile the cost of living has continued to rise whereas the purchasing power of those on minimum wage has fallen.
     It is hard enough to get by on living essentials when wages do not keep up with price increases for food, shelter, transportation, clothing, etc... So how does one who has even less money keep themselves healthy when they are injured, sick, or suffer from natural processes? How does one do that when the profit margin on health care is the only factor? 32 other first world countries have successful universal health care yet we here in America are unable to do the same thing? There is a rot in our nation, specifically in the republican party, that cannot get past the greed and cruelty that comes with profit above life itself. It needs to be rooted out and replaced with the concept of a healthy quality of life instead of the disease of greed!