Palin's out-of-wedlock grandchild. Sherry was just sentenced to serve three
years for possession and sale of small amounts of OxyContin. She managed to
obtain the prescription painkiller by mail and sold 10 pills to an undercover
agent in three different transactions in October and November of last
year.
Sherry suffers chronic pain from past surgeries and a spinal
problem. Her doctors installed two medical devices under her skin, little pumps
that deliver very small amounts of medication to block her ever-present pain.
But later, her insurance company decided this was not a "medical need" and
refused to pay for continuing treatment. Then Sherry took the path many
drug-dependent people take. She became involved in a small time drug deal to
obtain and pay for the relief of her pain. She's on welfare because she can't
stand for any period of time. The pain in her pelvis doubles her over; the pain
in her spine begs her to twist her torso the other way. And she's got these two
little pumps the doctors installed that could keep it in check, but they're both
out of juice and the insurance company has taken her premiums and said "sorry,
lady, this ain't no medically necessary condition. Suck it up and live with
it."
So now Sherry will be behind bars for three years. And there, one
assumes, her pain killing pumps will be regularly refilled, paid for by Alaska's
taxpayers. Those socialists.
Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition,
Rush Limbaugh continues to rail daily about the evil of national health care.
Rush, the guy who sent his housekeeper to the Florida streets to buy his
Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, Lorcet and Xanax on the black market. Wilma Cline
testified she'd bought more than 30,000 tabled for him over the years and that
he popped as many as 30 Oxycontin tabs a day. Rush was finally caught, but then
he makes 25 million a year for his hypocrital, racist blather and so he didn't
have to sell any to supply his habit. And the best lawyers money can buy
convinced a Republican Florida judge that the man was driven to do this after
becoming addicted after doctors prescribed Oxy for pain relief. Rush didn't
serve a day. We can assume his insurance company didn't drop him. Or maybe he
doesn't even need the insurance he says should be denied to the poor folks. He
can pay any and all of his medical bills with pocket change. And he sure as heck
doesn't want his low tax rate to be increased at all to contribute to the
out-of-work Wilma's of this nation.
bankruptcies in this nation are filed because of medical bills. And the
majority of those by people who were covered by insurance. Sherry Johnston's
experience with her coverage is common. One or more of your neighbors is
struggling with insurance problems right this minute. And if you are one of the
lucky ones with good coverage now, you still wince at the bite it's taking out
of your paycheck. Well, friend, keep your head down, put off the vacation and
the new car and start saving for the coming years. Learn new bean and rice
recipes. Because if Congress doesn't get something done, in five years that
insurance bite will be much, much bigger than it is now. And your coverage will
be less. And if you are in pain and in need of long term medication, your
insurance company may decide that just ain't no necessary expense and you too
may be forced to look for some other option like Sherry Johnston did.
