Guaranteed Healthcare

I was born with Dandy-Walker syndrome, and have a mechanical heart valve for which I require doctor's appointments every 3-4 months, will likely be on warfarin for the rest of my life, and will probably need another operation within the next ten years.

When I turned 25, I was dropped from my parents' health insurance and had to find my own. Nobody would insure me because of my condition, and my only option was a COBRA plan that was to expire in two years. Well, there was also the option of ending up in a job I didn't really want to be doing solely for health benefits, but honestly I'm not sure what would be worse -- going uninsured, or getting stuck spending most of the rest of my life doing something I didn't particularly want to just so I could afford to stay alive.

I run a website that's largely based around the ideas of personal development and human potential (http://beyond-within.com), and I would be betraying myself and all that I stand for if I were to settle for less than I'm capable of just because some megacorporations find it profitable to deny me access to the care that I need to live. My goal is to keep on in the personal development and alternative healing fields -- in addition to the site, I'm certified in 1st degree reiki (with the goal of reaching master practitioner ASAP) and also plan on getting certified in hypnotherapy.

All of these fields entail being in business for myself, which means fending for myself when it comes to health insurance. In other words, it probably would not have been possible. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, anybody? Hello? I strongly believe that when we stay true to ourselves at all cost, the way opens up to continue doing so, and my belief was confirmed when I got an opportunity last year to immigrate to the UK. Over here, my pills, which would have been $200 for a month supply in the US, are £8 (roughly $16) for two months, and my doctors' appointments are free, as would be any operation I needed.

The implication is that America has driven out someone who is basing their life around improving the lives of others (and by extension, benefitting the country) in favor of corporations that routinely deny people their right to live and pursue their dreams. I know I'm not alone there, either. I find it very ironic and sad that 232 years ago the American colonies revolted against England otensibly to pursue these rights, and now I've had to move back here in order to hang on to them. To take something that someone can't go without and price it out of the market, or to deny someone insurance because they need it more than the average person, is criminal. I hope to see the US get itself on a different track within my lifetime, but I can't afford to stick around and find out.