Insurance companies have used the excuse of "pre-existing conditions" to deny coverage to countless Americans. From cancer patients to the elderly suffering from arthritis, these organizations have padded their profit margins by limiting coverage to patients deemed "high risk" because of their medical condition.
But, in DC and nine other states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming, insurance companies have gone too far, claiming that "domestic violence victim" is also a pre-existing condition.
Words cannot describe the sheer inhumanity of this claim. It serves as yet further proof that our insurance system is broken, destroyed by the profit-mongering of the very companies who's sole purpose should be to provide Americans with access to care when they need it most. In 1994, an informal survey conducted by the Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee revealed that 8 of the 16 largest insurers in the country used domestic violence as a factor when decided whether to extend coverage and how much to charge if coverage was extended.
It is clear that insurance companies refuse to police themselves. It's up to us to call on Congress to take action now to pass health care reform and end discrimination against patients with pre-existing conditions.
Source: Service Employees International Union
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Think Ahead - What Would You Do?
A friend of mine sent this to me today.
As I was walking to my car on my way to work, I heard these unsettling sounds coming from down the street. I stopped, stood still as I was unsure what the noise was. It was a woman screaming and crying from deep within her being as she was being abused. The cries were horrendous and her screams unbearable. What was even worse, I could hear the sound of her attacker's blows as she screamed out in pain and suffering. I heard him yelling at her right before he would strike. (I could not make out what he was saying, only his voice). He must have been hitting her with a solid object - it was certainly more than his fist. I have NO IDEA where she lives, which house the noise was coming from, or how to help save her.
I stood there, helpless and unsure of what to do. I had to get to work, but at the same time I could not just do “nothing.” I drove around the neighborhood to see if I could pinpoint which house so at least I could try to stop the attack. The sound of my engine and the children that were cycling down the street on their way to school muffled the noise. I left the neighborhood in tears the size of elephants, as I could not immediately save this person that needed help.
I prayed very hard for God to guide me in what to do. I tried calling my husband (a law enforcement officer) at home numerous times to see if he could go outside and listen and help pinpoint the location, but his phone must have been off. I tried calling the house phone, but no one was awake to answer. Helpless, I prayed even harder. I was running late by now and had to continue my journey to work.
After many failed attempts to reach anyone at the house, I called the sheriff’s office and explained what I heard. I felt stupid because I could not give them an exact location. The officer on the phone was very nice and said he would have someone drive around the neighborhood to see if they could find this person. (Seriously doubtful by the time they got to the neighborhood). My prayers are they found this woman and were able to help her.
It amazes me that people that live closest to this house could not, or would not, help her.
So, after I got to work I called the neighborhood association to ask if they knew of anyone in our area that had a history of DV (I tearfully explained what I heard). They were not aware of anyone, but would be more than eager to keep eyes and ears open. I requested they send the security around our area today to possibly find something that will lead us to helping this lady.
She later told me that she thought about trying to locate the house and knocking on the door (after calling 911) to make the perpetrator stop. That, of course, would be an extremely dangerous solution to what was happening in her neighborhood. But it got me to thinking about how important it is for EVERYONE to think through what they would do in a similar situation. Because it's easy to become paralyzed when confronted with a dangerous situation.
The answer? Call 911, tell them where the assault is happening, give them your information so you can file a witness statement, and follow their instructions. Unless you're trained to handle situations like this, it is not recommended that you attempt to intervene alone. Tom Barrett, the Mayor of Milwaukee, courageously intervened to protect a woman from a beating by her son-in-law. BUT, he was also severely injured.
And in Brooklyn, there was a different response to DV in the streets.
In addition to helping victims develop a safety plan, anyone who wants to help a victim needs one too.
As I was walking to my car on my way to work, I heard these unsettling sounds coming from down the street. I stopped, stood still as I was unsure what the noise was. It was a woman screaming and crying from deep within her being as she was being abused. The cries were horrendous and her screams unbearable. What was even worse, I could hear the sound of her attacker's blows as she screamed out in pain and suffering. I heard him yelling at her right before he would strike. (I could not make out what he was saying, only his voice). He must have been hitting her with a solid object - it was certainly more than his fist. I have NO IDEA where she lives, which house the noise was coming from, or how to help save her.
I stood there, helpless and unsure of what to do. I had to get to work, but at the same time I could not just do “nothing.” I drove around the neighborhood to see if I could pinpoint which house so at least I could try to stop the attack. The sound of my engine and the children that were cycling down the street on their way to school muffled the noise. I left the neighborhood in tears the size of elephants, as I could not immediately save this person that needed help.
I prayed very hard for God to guide me in what to do. I tried calling my husband (a law enforcement officer) at home numerous times to see if he could go outside and listen and help pinpoint the location, but his phone must have been off. I tried calling the house phone, but no one was awake to answer. Helpless, I prayed even harder. I was running late by now and had to continue my journey to work.
After many failed attempts to reach anyone at the house, I called the sheriff’s office and explained what I heard. I felt stupid because I could not give them an exact location. The officer on the phone was very nice and said he would have someone drive around the neighborhood to see if they could find this person. (Seriously doubtful by the time they got to the neighborhood). My prayers are they found this woman and were able to help her.
It amazes me that people that live closest to this house could not, or would not, help her.
So, after I got to work I called the neighborhood association to ask if they knew of anyone in our area that had a history of DV (I tearfully explained what I heard). They were not aware of anyone, but would be more than eager to keep eyes and ears open. I requested they send the security around our area today to possibly find something that will lead us to helping this lady.
She later told me that she thought about trying to locate the house and knocking on the door (after calling 911) to make the perpetrator stop. That, of course, would be an extremely dangerous solution to what was happening in her neighborhood. But it got me to thinking about how important it is for EVERYONE to think through what they would do in a similar situation. Because it's easy to become paralyzed when confronted with a dangerous situation.
The answer? Call 911, tell them where the assault is happening, give them your information so you can file a witness statement, and follow their instructions. Unless you're trained to handle situations like this, it is not recommended that you attempt to intervene alone. Tom Barrett, the Mayor of Milwaukee, courageously intervened to protect a woman from a beating by her son-in-law. BUT, he was also severely injured.
And in Brooklyn, there was a different response to DV in the streets.
In addition to helping victims develop a safety plan, anyone who wants to help a victim needs one too.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Remaking of Shannon Burke
It seems as though Burke is doing everything a media consultant would recommend in order to get back in the good graces of the public, as well as the good graces of his former employer, Real Radio 104.1.
I googled his name and found his picture (including his dog) prominantly displayed on a blog he started and posted to a few times after his release from Seminole County jail. It makes him look like a real animal lover. Well, maybe his dog. Not Catherine's dog.
I googled his name and found his picture (including his dog) prominantly displayed on a blog he started and posted to a few times after his release from Seminole County jail. It makes him look like a real animal lover. Well, maybe his dog. Not Catherine's dog.
Let me just say that it's far too easy for abusers to blame alcohol for their behavior. I guess it's more socially acceptable to be an alcoholic than it is to be a batterer. So he was more than willing to talk about his alcohol consumption.
Not once did I hear the words "domestic violence" mentioned, although Philips alluded to a possible "anger management" problem. I heard Burke complaining about how it seems as though everyone has forgotten all the great things he's done for charity and how the media has handled the case (though he did admit that if it had been someone else, he would likely be offering his opinion, as he did about the Casey Anthony case). I didn't hear anything that sounded remotely like an apology. He closed with an emotional discourse about how he misses his radio family and he hopes they'll forgive him.
Dale Kay Lillak, M.S. states "domestic violence is not caused by the use or abuse of alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, or any mood altering substance. These problems do occur separate from one another. The severity of violence tends to escalate when people are under-the-influence."
Not once did I hear the words "domestic violence" mentioned, although Philips alluded to a possible "anger management" problem. I heard Burke complaining about how it seems as though everyone has forgotten all the great things he's done for charity and how the media has handled the case (though he did admit that if it had been someone else, he would likely be offering his opinion, as he did about the Casey Anthony case). I didn't hear anything that sounded remotely like an apology. He closed with an emotional discourse about how he misses his radio family and he hopes they'll forgive him.
Dale Kay Lillak, M.S. states "domestic violence is not caused by the use or abuse of alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, or any mood altering substance. These problems do occur separate from one another. The severity of violence tends to escalate when people are under-the-influence."
Burke's next court appearance at the Criminal Justice Center in Sanford (case 2009-CF-002149-A) is scheduled for Friday, September 18th at 9:00am in Courtroom 5B. A Motion to Modify Conditions of Release was filed on 8/24. The public, as always, is welcome to attend. It's been reported that in addition to having more access to his wife, he doesn't want to have to wear the GPS monitor anymore.
His next court appearance in Orange County (for violating his DUI probation by being arrested in Seminole), is not posted on the Clerk's website (case 2007-CT-0001034-E).
Finally, if you want to have a chuckle, check out his comments about the Casey Anthony case long before his own legal troubles began.
Jury Duty, part 2
Interestingly enough, the NY Times did a story today about the recession's impact on Jury Duty. It even mentions Orlando, Florida.
My grumbling was directed at those folks who could rearrange their schedules if needed, but choose to claim hardship instead. In reading the comments on the NY Times article, the idea of allowing people to volunteer and/or schedule themselves for a particular week, while presenting logistical issues for the Court, would undoubtedly improve the selection pool.
My grumbling was directed at those folks who could rearrange their schedules if needed, but choose to claim hardship instead. In reading the comments on the NY Times article, the idea of allowing people to volunteer and/or schedule themselves for a particular week, while presenting logistical issues for the Court, would undoubtedly improve the selection pool.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Jury Duty or Jury Doody?
I understand that the courts only pay $15/day for jury duty (you do get free parking though). That basically covers your lunch and the gas it took to drive to downtown. And I realize that times are tough economically. If you have a job, you want to be there to earn money to pay your rent and buy food for your family.
I couldn't stop thinking about the victim in this case. How is justice for that child going to be served if the citizens of our community don't see their responsibility to serve as jurors as a privilege rather than a burden? And why do so many employers not consider paying their employees for the time they spend serving our community?
I know that jury duty is an inconvenience to most of us. But serving our country is rarely "convenient." Just think about all the men and women who have died to create and perpetuate our way of life. A strong court system is crucial to our nation's ability to provide justice for all.
Don't tell me you can't be bothered to do your duty. And don't complain the next time a violent offender isn't held accountable by "The System."
Because justice doesn't just happen.
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