This Father Wants Affordable Health Care for Everybody (Everyday Citizen)

Presidents are hamstrung without strength and support in Congress. Regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination for president, this coming November, what will determine our future more than anything is the kind of individuals sitting in the seats in the Senate and the House. We have an opportunity to build a majority in Congress that supports what most Americans want - fair trade, affordable education, health care for all Americans and peace.

For those of us that live in states that have already had the presidential primaries, politically, it's time now to deliver our support to senatorial and congressional candidates that are dedicated to health care reform, education reform, jobs and social justice. As a Californian, I'm thrilled to see things changing in the middle of American, especially in red states like Oklahoma. Ever since Ally introduced us to Andrew Rice, a man in Oklahoma who is running for the U.S. Senate, I've happily paid attention to his campaign. He's the kind of candidate that just makes you smile. I recently ran across a blog post he wrote and I'm sharing excerpts of it here:

My wife Apple and I were recently reminded why so many Americans are frustrated and anxious about healthcare. Our 11-month old son Parker was hospitalized here in Oklahoma City for three days last November with pneumonia. He received excellent care and, like most youngsters his age, he has rebounded very quickly from what was a scary time for all of us. But, that is only half the story...

Here's the rest of that story...

One month later we learned that our health insurance company was refusing to pay the $10,000 hospital bill because they said our baby Parker had a "pre-existing condition." I'm not kidding.
When we argued that baseless reason away, they changed their excuse to "improper notification" by the treating physician, and said it was not a big deal because the hospital would just "write it off." They don't think it is a "big deal" to avoid providing the coverage we pay them for every month, and instead have the Oklahoma taxpayer foot the bill. That tells you something about how they see the world.

The career politicians in Washington do not have the courage and integrity to reform this system, while 47 million Americans go uninsured and those of us who are insured must fight a system that is structured to deny claims first and ask questions later!

I want to be your U.S. Senator so I can take some Oklahoma common sense and values to Washington and change the culture of special interests that see everyday Americans as numbers and obstacles to their priorities. My background in Asia and Africa helping the poor and people suffering from HIV and as a divinity school student has guided my principles to stand up for the common good and be a voice for those who are invisible to the interests who think they own Washington.

I am dedicated to reducing the cost of health care and improving access. When Washington failed to pass SCHIP into law that would have expanded health insurance coverage for low income children, I worked in the Oklahoma State Senate to expand health coverage to 38,000 children from low-income families. In the U.S. Senate, I will continue this work and make health care more affordable for all.

I invite you to go to andrewforoklahoma.com and support my campaign. I'm in an uphill fight to change the status quo and I cannot do it alone. As we are seeing across the country, people are hungry for change, but the status quo is not going to go away easily.

This man has a real grasp on the problem with our health care system. Now, I ask you - is this the perfect senate candidate - or, is this the perfect candidate for senate? He may have an uphill battle in the red state of Oklahoma... let's support him. To learn about him - go here: