This is what has become of the American dream

onpoint

onpoint

Active member
One of my neighbors has been given 60 days to get out of their home. She(the mother) has been our mail lady for as many years as I have liver her. Her mother was a mail delivery person for many years in our town too. Their two sons live there. one a Desert storm vet. He drives 140 miles a day for work. Their youngest son is a Iraq war vet. He has been back since last July. Can't find work and his unemployment has run out.

The mother & dad(Grand Parents) of these folks lived on the place all their lives. The kids were all born and raised there. The father of these two war vets, is a vet himself. A few years back Grand dad got sick. He was taken to Mpls for urgent care, he was bad siick. The doctors told Grandma she needed to sign some paper work to continue grand dads care. She was not aware of what she signed.It was giving the Hosp. the right to collect their funds with a lean on their home. Well Grand dad and Grandma both lost their lives due to old age health problems.

The oldest son(Desert Storm Vet) was determined to buy the place, preventing the county from taking it. He applied for a VA loan for only $27,000. That's all he needed to get the place out of the hands of the county. The VA denied him because they all live in two mobile homes on the property.

So, three war vets and a mother were told they have 60 days to get a place to live and remove their stuff. A place that their family has lived on for 4 generations.

and to think, their are people that don't think we need a national healthcare program....just ask these folks..folks that put their lives on the line for this country. Loosing their home because grand Dad got sick and Grandma cared so much for him. She just wanted him to live, so they could spend as much time as possible together.

This is what America has become..... God help us
 
Maybe there is an Aunt Harriet somewhere. You know a lady(or man for that matter) that has a fair amount of savings in the bank, earning almost nothing, that would like to help and in return earn a better return than she could get at the bank, then the VA loan is not needed. Or maybe several people that would make a loan of $5,000 each. Could be a win-win situation.

My thoughts and prayers for the family.
 
Hosp bills plus the Hosp sent him to a long term care facility afterwords. At $4000 plus per month. The bills add up quick. The place was in Grandma and Grandpa's name. Even though two more generation's lived there. No matter, they have been given the word to get out. It is being sold to cover the med and nursing home bills. They have no place to go. We live in a very rural area. Any move would take atleast the mothers job that she has had for more than 25 years. Trust me, this is going on all over the place. IMO, I find it hard to believe some have not stood armed and defended their place. There is no place to rent..they are SOL....

This is America the great

If we had, had a Government healthcare like Canada or Great Britten NOBODY looses their home or property to healthcare costs. WAKE UP AMERICA
 
You can't help but feel sorry for these people. However, I wonder if there isn't more to the story than you know. Why can't a person that has been a mail carrier for 25 years borrow $27k? Perhaps their credit record is very poor or they have a lot of other debt like credit cards. I can understand why they got turned down by the VA. A property with two mobile homes probably doesn't qualify under the VA's guidlines. Why didn't the grandparents have any health or life insurance?

And I, for one, take exception to your call for government controled health care. But that's an argument for another day and time. I think if you took a poll of those in favor of government health care you would find yourself in the minority.

I do feel sorry for people like this. Especially when we are talking about vets. As I'm a vet also. I wish them well.
 
Here is a post from the UK on this subject

Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2004 1:19 pm
Posts: 2933
Location: Mid Wales, United Kingdom
Jiganator

As you have already seen the idea of some form of guaranteed health care is unwelcome to many members of this largely US forum. Given the general right-ish political tone you shouldn't be too surprised by that. I live in a country that does have such a system, a highly developed one. It isn't perfect, and in fact has serious faults, some things it does superbly well, others not so. Private medical insurance is often taken out by people who wish to avoid its deficiencies.

Nevertheless it's beneficiaries, not least me, are more than happy to have "free" medical cover available from cradle to grave. No woman need ever face childbirth wondering if she can afford proper care; no child will go untreated for poor eyesight, dentition, or childhood ailment. The dying can die with dignity. And no Veteran or his family will ever lose their home because of unpaid medical bills or loans thereto. Any society that allows these things to happen needs to think again.

All you need to recognise the advantages of a National Health Service, is to be poor, sick, injured, old, or just unlucky.

Regards Eug





Here's a post from another site from a Canadian

oined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 1550
Location: The Pas Manitoba



Reply with quote
Post
There is one glaring advantage of the Canadian system to that of the private payer system. I have had thyroid cancer. I can still freely move to any province in Canada, and I cannot be denied service , because of a "prior medical condition". I will always be coverred. I wouldn't be able to go to the states to work, as I wouldn't be able to get medical insurance for myself .

Certainly our taxes are higher than yours, and that is the source of our healthcare dollars. However, we spend less of our GDP on healthcare than you do in the US, and we have universal healthcare. In Manitoba, we also have pharmacare to cover you medications as well. We still have to get private coverage for dental and eyecare.

I have friends in the states who have developed medical conditions, and they have been scared to, or are unable to switch jobs, because they would become uninsurable due to their prior medical conditions, and would face bankruptcy if a catastrophic medical condition occured. Private insurance companies will not insure them, and their premiums shoot up through the roof after making claims.

The private insurance plans in the US are great..........as long as you remain healthy.

Of course you know the numbers, 46 million uninsured, another 16 million Americans are under-insured, with coverage that is inadequate to secure them access to needed care or protect against catastrophic medical bills, and if you are counting on medicare or medicaid, I wouldn't. They are not currently funded and will be virtually impossible to fund by 2020.

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!!!!
 
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One more thought on this situation. I don't know what state our are in or what the state laws are. But generally, if someone has a lien on a piece of real property, in order to take possession of the property there is a foreclosure procedure and the owners have what is called a "redemption period" before they can be evicted from the property. Normally this period is 6-12 months. They have had time to come up with a solution. Have these folks gotten any legal advice? If not, they need to see an attorney immediately for some advice and assistance.

There are just too many things in your story that don't add up. Let's not pass judgement until we have ALL the facts.

I'm also sure that if the family had been making any attempt to pay this debt it wouldn't be to this point. Even some minimal payments every month would have prevented this foreclosure action.
 
Shake my head..just exactly why America is what it is today. It can't be our laws, it can't be out healthcare system...It has to be their fault

Trust me they have exhausted all avenues. They spent their time doing all they could. The VA loan alone took a fair amount of time.

Really, I have no yen to sit on here and listen to others excuses and the blame game. I guess until some of you are struck with serous health problems and are facing such choices, you will just continue to embrace what you consider to be your protected infalable plan and keep fighting healthcare for everybody and saving your precious taxes to continue to build your kingdom

I'm done!
 
Just one more thing

What are you going to do when you are struck with something like Cancer as a example. When your out of work for a year or more. When your employer no longer pays your health insurance and the insurance company tells you that you now have to pay your own Prem. of $800-$1200 dollars per month and you have no job?

Then you have healthcare bills piling up like cord wood. When you are told you have to get rid of all you worked for before you can get any kind of public help. When you are forced down to the wel-fair line before you qualify.

Maybe then you will start to see the light. Until...just ride the wave and keep saying..That will never happen to me...
 
onpoint,

At the rate you are going here I have to question if your story about these people is even real. Perhaps you are making this up to promote your views on national health care?

Bottom line: I'm not sure this thread even belongs on this site. And secondly, with this post I'm done posting to this thread. It appears to be a no win situation. You have your views and I have mine. And it's quite obvious that they aren't any where close.

No one said it was their fault. I just don't believe the government should be there to bail everyone out and be a answer for everyone's problems. This country was founded on the principle of everyone taking care of themself. Remember the words of John F. Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." By today's standards JFK would have been a Republican! :)
 
Quote
"At the rate you are going here I have to question if your story about these people is even real.'

Can't win so you call me a Lier..that is sad

it's a real problem that some just chose to pile on me about..Thanks for the support for me, my story and the Vets who are involved.

Moderator..Great bunch you have here
 
I would suggest that this people contact your local representatives and state senators to see if they could be of assistance.
 
What Countries Have Universal Health Care?

by Justin Glow on Jul 5th 2007 at 12:30PM
A few nights ago, I watched Michael Moore's new documentary, SiCKO, which focuses its crosshair on the health care industry in the United States. At one point in the movie, Mr. Moore claims that the United States is the only "westernized" country without universal health care. Is that true?

First, what does he mean by "westernized"? Defining the "western world" can be subjective, and definitions will vary depending on what criteria is used. Are you defining it from a cultural standpoint? Political? Economical? Perhaps this is why Mr. Moore felt comfortable making such a broad generalization. Is it even possible to truly define what the "western world" really is?


Okay, forget the western world. (I think I know what he meant anyway.) What countries on our good green Earth provide some sort of universal health care for their citizens? Here they are:


Countries in blue have some type of universal health care. Countries in green are currently attempting to implement some type of universal health care. Orange countries have universal health coverage provided by United States war funding. Source. Click to enlarge.

Afghanistan*, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq*, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom

*Universal health coverage provided by United States war funding

There you go. Keep in mind: this is a simple list of countries that have some sort of publicly sponsored health care system. For instance, Sri Lanka may be far from having a true, working universal health care system like France, but prescription drugs are provided by a government-owned drug manufacturer. This qualifies as "some sort of publicly sponsored, universal health care system."

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If you notice, Iraq & Afghanistan have universal free healthcare...paid for with YOUR TAX DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!! but Americans DON'T have coverage. How you like them apples.

population of Iraq 28,945,657 (July 2009 est.)Afghanistan Population 33,609,937 (July 2009 est.)near 60 million middle easterners with "FREE" healthcare, well Americans go without..yet you still pay for it

Well these boys were fighting a war. Their Grand parents health was failing. Their grandparents are loosing their property from healthcare bills, well the people these soldiers were fighting are getting AMERICAN TAX PAYERS PAID FREE healthcare....over 60 million of them.

Whats wrong with that picture?
 
I've been fortunate that I always worked for employers who paid for my medical insurance, and since turning 65 I'm now covered by Medicare.

Well, that's just luck, a roll of the dice. I could have been laid off, or permanently injured, or contracted a serious disease. Then I and my family would have been screwed.

National health care is nothing more than national insurance. We'd all pay in, and we'd all be covered. Just as we all pay in for our schools, roads, fire and police, libraries and a thousand other things from which we all benefit.

Why don't we have national health insurance? The answer is simple: bribery.

National health care would eliminate all the dollars which now go to the huge salaries, advertising and profits of insurance companies. Insurance companies fight national health care because it would put them out of business, and they do that by bribing, that's the right word, bribing, our elected officials. Hundreds of millions of dollars flow from insurance companies into the pockets of my and your senators and representatives.

How many families, like the one onpoint talks about, have been destroyed by our for-profit health care system? Why do we permit that in this country? Why does Bill Richardson get a half-million dollar heart transplant when some folks die of illnesses that could be cured for a few hundred dollars? Is a football player whose name we all know really more deserving than a combat vet we don't know? Does a movie star deserve better health care than a Detroit factory worker laid off after 35 years on the job or an injured farmer or a minimum wage single mom?

Why do we treat some of our fellow citizens worse than we would treat a cur dog?

You tell me.
 
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