An unedited story told by a fellow Floridian. The consequences of Florida’s modern day partisan politics. A call to vote for change. March 24, 2014 By: Kathleen Voss Woolrich “Born in Pennsylvania to a warm family, Charlene moved to Florida when she was 18 years old. She worked at fast food joints and Disney, cleaned houses and babysat, but through the years found herself as a single mother with 3 kids. She had heart issues that needed to be managed. Her teeth needed to be fixed and constantly had infections, but Charlene never complained. She made $11,000 dollars last year – babysitting other peoples’ children and cleaning other peoples’ houses. She proudly paid her property taxes in February and took care of her little trailer, which she owned and took all three kids to school. But, Charlene had no health insurance. Charlene was unable to get ObamaCare, because she made too little to get the subsidies to purchase health insurance. She had no dental insurance. Her teeth hurt her at night and had so many cavities, but could not find a way to get the decay in her teeth fixed. She was denied Medicaid and when she went to get ObamaCare she was told she could not get subsidies. So she went to the emergency room 2012. She had heart issues and was told to get on medicine and be monitored. But, had no health insurance to do so. 2012 Obama won and we all were so sure… NOW Charlene would have health insurance. But the Republican Party of Florida and Rick Scott turned down Medicaid expansion. In December Charlene went to the emergency room with abscesses in her legs. Her teeth hurt her constantly. Charlene never complained. She took her two older kids to school each day and reported for work at her various jobs. Recently she began selling vacuum cleaners in addition to the babysitting and house cleaning. She took antibiotics. She got her healthcare at Florida hospital emergency rooms. On March 21st, she was supposed to come see me – on my first day off, in a while. She was excited about seeing my daughter who she had raised since she was 3. The kids were all going to play together. She had only 2 short appointments in Osceola County, to show the vacuums to customers. At about 4 pm, that afternoon, I got a message from her niece that she had died at the customers house. They rushed her to Poinciana Medical Center and worked on her. They could not bring my best friend back. She died. She was 32. You see, the main argument Republicans use is that its some lazy person who needs Medicaid expansion. That, those of us living without healthcare or dental care are lazy. But my friend, a single beautiful mother, worked 3 jobs. She paid taxes. She paid her house taxes. And now she’s dead. Please think of Charlene when you decide who you are going to vote for in August and December. Please vote democrat. Please vote for people who want people like Charlene and me to have healthcare – to have a fighting chance. I am burying my best friend soon, because of Rick Scott and Will Weatherford. I am burying my best friend, because of the policies of the Republican Party. I am burying my best friend, because had Medicaid expansion passed her needs would have been met. She is one of the 7 people who will die each day, because the Florida House of Representatives Republicans and Tea Party decided that we are not worth living. We are not worth healthcare. We were not worth Medicaid expansion. Please vote for Charlene. Please help get the Republicans out and expand Medicaid. I’ll never have her back. I’ll never see my friend again. I’ll never have another day with her, because of the Republican House of Representatives. Please, for Charlene and for me, register to vote and promise to vote against Rick Scott and any Florida Republican who runs. They need to know we know. We know who they hurt and we see what they are doing to the poor of Florida.” – Charlene Dill 1981 to 2014
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:10:27 +0000
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