An article on momlogic.com is pertinent to what many are going through today as politicians and others debate health care reform. The article, “When Healthcare Reform Gets Personal” is about two sisters who have systemic lupus and one sister has health insurance, the other does not.

“I have medical insurance and she does not. I have access to doctors, surgeries, holistic treatments, hospitals, and prescriptions. She does not” says Elizabeth Lindell. Knowing this, Elizabeth wonders if her sister would receive the same treatment without insurance as she receives with insurance. During a 10-day stint in the hospital after experiencing the effects of lupus going to her brain, she asked herself:

If she had been the one slurring her words two days before, her mouth going numb, followed by her legs, would she even be in this bed? Would she be receiving intravenous Solu-Medrol around the clock and treated to CAT scans and MRIs? I wasn’t so sure. Would she have simply been sent home from the emergency room the first night with a prescription for steroids she couldn’t afford to fill because she didn’t have insurance?

That’s a good question and one asked and answered every day. For many, the answer is no and like Nikki White, the fate of her sister could be death. More poignant is the following:

My initial visit with the rheumatologist was $10 with insurance. My sister’s, with the same doctor, was $600 without it. We wrote a check that day, crossing our fingers it would clear the next. We share everything from thoughts, dreams, and cosmetics to Prednisone. The same prescriptions I can buy with insurance to ease my suffering and lead a normal life, she must buy from non-professionals, at three times the expense, because she can’t afford the upkeep of doctor visits.

Many have made it up in their minds that the uninsured are low lives, Black and poor — yes, some are inspired by racist thinking — welfare recipients who do receive Medicaid or Medicare, or some sort of unsavory individual. Truth is, like Nikki White and the author of the above story, many would work if they could, are White, some are underinsured and cannot afford high deductibles offered through their employer.

This is a great article and a must read. The article tells the story, by comparison, of what it is like to have insurance and witness what happens to those who do not have insurance. Additionally, if you are able to afford insurance today does not mean you are out of the woods. You may have serious problems later.