"TRANSPLANTS" & Tom-the-Train-Guy: My Story

McCain on his Health Care Plan:

"Now, 95 percent of the people in America will receive more money under my plan because they will receive not only their present benefits, which may be taxed, which will be taxed, but then you add $5,000 onto it, except for those people who have the gold-plated Cadillac insurance policies that have to do with cosmetic surgery and TRANSPLANTS and all of those kinds of things."

Hey John.. umm voter here. Yeah.. so, about your thinking that TRANSPLANTS are some unnecessary medical novelty.. let me give you a little story about "Tom-the-Train-Guy" (so you can relate.. let's call him a cousin of "Joe the Plumber").

Anyway, Tom-the-Train-Guy was my dad. He was a pretty awesome dad, and sadly - he was born with a bum heart. It wasn't his fault.. he didn't drink (ever) or smoke (ever).. he just had the misfortune of being born with a CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT.

Well.. Tom-the-Train-Guy had over 30 surgeries between the age of 6 and 39. When he was 39, it was 1985.. and those "new-fangled" transplants were starting to work. Tom-the-Train-Guy was sort of terrified, but his heart was getting weaker, and he had to decide if he wanted to try and live to see his 2 kids grow up, or die with that bum ticker in the next year. Tom-the-Train-Guy made a very brave decision.. and got the Heart Transplant.

Because of this decision, he saw his daughter (me) graduate from High School. He walked me down the aisle on my wedding day. He held his granddaughter minutes after she was born. Tom-the-train-guy lived 21 more years due to that "unnecessary" Heart Transplant that your new health care plan doesn't think is worth covering.

Ironically, let's get to the issue of Health Insurance. Luckily, Tom had a health insurance policy through an employer he worked for back in the 1970's. He eventually got fired from that job because (gasp) he missed to many days of work because he was in the hospital having surgeries. But, he was able to opt to pay and keep that policy. The insurance company however wasn't really all that happy about having to pay over $250,000 for a Heart Transplant (in 1985.. much more now days). They also didn't like all of the other medical issues that had to be paid for after that surgery. Legally they couldn't kick Tom-the-Train-Guy off of the policy, but legally they COULD double his insurance premium every year. So, they did. Their goal was to make it so financially painful for Tom-the-Train-Guy to keep his insurance that he would eventually default and miss a payment so they could legally drop him and no longer pay for his on-going medical problems.

Tom-the-train-guy ended up passing away from cancer in 2006. As sad as this was, he was 60 years old, and he got to see much more in his life then anyone would have ever dreamed. But, when he passed away, he had mortgaged his home, and run up debts almost everywhere.. because by 2006, Tom-the-train-guy was paying over $4500 PER MONTH for health insurance. He had two choices.. keep increasing his debt to pay for that horrendously expensive insurance policy, or drop the policy and plan on dying soon.

See Senator McCain.. in your very own words.. you have no intention of helping keep guys like my dad alive. You seem to think that the medical procedure necessary to save his life was "extravagant" and "gold plated".

Senator McCain I think that if politicians like you had 1/10th as much concern for Tom-the-Train-Guy's LIFE as you do for increasing "Joe the Plumbers" WEALTH - this country would be headed in a much more POSITIVE direction.

...I think McCain actually meant to say "hair transplants," as another cheap-shot at Joe Biden. So, he managed to not only screw up his big put-down, he also offended and alienated millions of Americans who want other Americans to get the life-saving operations they deserve.

My condolences, by the way.

was getting upset about him comparing transplants to cosmetic surgery.

But let's pretend for 1 second.. that Obama had made that Gaffe... wouldn't McCain ALREADY have an ad running in key states with that 5 second quote running over & over. Yes.. he absolutely would.

However, tonight is the last you will hear about it, because Obama won't bring it up. Not his style.. not his way of doing things.

And if for no other reason THAT is why i'm voting for the guy!

But let's pretend for 1 second.. that Obama had made that Gaffe... wouldn't McCain ALREADY have an ad running in key states with that 5 second quote running over & over. Yes.. he absolutely would.

However, tonight is the last you will hear about it, because Obama won't bring it up. Not his style.. not his way of doing things.

And if for no other reason THAT is why i'm voting for the guy!

I was astounded that he put transplants in the same category as plastic surgery. I was pretty horrified by this, actually. Makes more sense if he meant to say hair transplants (but that's a cheap shot)

Cheney had that kind of "gold plated" care to keep that black heart shaped tumor in his chest beating another day?How come a miserable wastes like Cheney and McCain get the best care. Why does Cheney get every little thing that happens to his heart monitored and taken care of by an entire top notch medical team? Why is anyone who's not part of the "gold plated" health insurance club like you, McCain , when we need treatments that could save our life it is called frivolous?

McCain you should be forced to go without insurance and suffer like the rest of us. Just let the skin cancer spread until it eats your face off, It's exactly the kind of 'health care' you'd recommend that for us. So you try it..Give up your insurance McCain..It's only fair you should go without, put your money where your mouth is you fucking hypocrite.Fuck you McCain.You are nothing but a cancer on the ass of this country.And the sooner you are cut out,the better.

life without health insurance... which is why they think a taxable $5,000 voucher is a good idea. :eyes:

I'm so sorry for what your dad had to go through. :( It reminds me a little of the story about Barack's mother who was dying of cancer and having to battle her insurance companies. This issue is so personal for so many people. My mother too has been having to battle insurance to continue paying her very expensive meds she needs for Lupus.

And he passed away 2 years ago. Thanks for your kind words.. I actually think i'm pretty lucky.. I got my dad for 21 years longer then I probably should have. But those were 21 very stressful years.. with him not sure how he was going to make next months premium. Worrying about that kind of stuff day in & day out isn't the way to live AT ALL. :(