Gray Panthers

“Together We Walk, United We Stand for Health Care Reform” - A speech by Joan Davis

On August 29, a rainy Saturday, New Yorkers walked through city neighborhoods urging passage of universal health care as embodied in the House and Senate HELP Committee bills, and in the spirit of Senator Edward Kennedy, who died just days before. More than 3,000 converged on Times Square for a rally where Congress members Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, plus speakers from activist organizations, including Gray Panther Joan Davis, addressed the throng.

Here is Joan’s speech:

My name is Joan Davis, I am 78 years old, and I am very happy with Medicare. My doctor’s very young but none of us are perfect. I like him for the way he listens; and when I need a specialist, Medicare provides it. As a Gray Panther, I am in support of a single payer plan. BUT TODAY, I am speaking as an older person who supports the public health insurance option. I resent the image that is promulgated that older people are only interested in their own health care. It happens not to be true. Everyone should be able to see a doctor when it is necessary. It is a shame that when people are sick they have to worry about finances. Everyone should have the care they need!

I would like to address the misconception that older people will be thrown into the fire by the proposed plans for healthcare insurance reform. Many years ago, my doctor asked me, in case I was in a position where I could not speak for myself, what kind of life sustaining measures would I want? I then spoke to my friends to find out what THEY were considering for THEMSELVES. This helped me clarify my thoughts, and I filled out a health care proxy. This is not euthanasia. I then began to feel much better now that my thoughts about the future were on paper. Also, it would relieve my relatives of the anxiety and pain of having to worry about what would be best for me.

Another misconception is that the public option plan will cost too much money. I am more concerned about insurance costs going higher than skyscrapers. Insurance companies have no desire for overall quality healthcare. When insurance companies deny health care, they are committing a tremendous injustice. And it is unacceptable. I think this is outrageous! Some commentators have not been honest about reform costs. They are saying the cost of a public option would be too high. Right now the cost of the status quo is horrendous! No amount of lobbying will change the fact that the new plan will save a tremendous amount of money. The emergency that confronts us is very severe. Everyone needs health care, not just the elderly. Medicare is an excellent model.

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