Something Must Be Done

This is my friend Susan Schaller's quilt called "Butterflies in My Garden." Susan was diagnosed about two years ago with stage 1 breast cancer. She has many medical issues, from diabetes, to a bad back and a hip which has been replaced 3 times.

Today, there was a quilt challenge announced on the Quiltart message board. It was calling for small sized quilts (9" x 12") which would be auctioned off in a reverse auction (starting at $100 then the next day dropping to $75, and so forth). The funds were to raise money for a woman who was fighting breast cancer but had no more resources.

This is just plain wrong. I know how people who have medical conditions can lose their homes and go bankrupt trying to pay for the treatment. That's wrong too. I also find it maddening if you are wealthy, there's a whole range of things to try which are not available to the average person.

I also understand Susan's plaintive cry "I just want to be able to see the doctor I want." However, something must be done about the American health system because we shouldn't have to rely upon selling small art quilts to pay our bills.

I don't know what the answer is, but something has to change and we all have to write our congressmen to let them know that we need to have the same access to health care that they do and the same insurance, or something commensurate. What's sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander.