I am a diabetic.  I have had stage-r cancer, two heart attacks and a stroke.  And I am only 54 going on 55 on July 23rd.  i wish that was the end of the list.  I am also legally blind with diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.  At least I have an excuse for my typos!  LOL!

Many women do not know that symptoms of a heart attack for women are different than that for men.  I didn't, and I was pre-med my first year in college.  I worked in hospitals and physician's offices during college to put myself through school, mostly as a medical transcriber, but also did some pinch-hitting as an PA.  So, you would think I would know the symptoms of a heart attack.  WRONG!

My first heart attack occurred about 1:00 a.m. on a Monday morning.  That Friday, one of my co-workers remarked to me that my face was blood-red.  At that point in my life, I had never been diagnosed with HBP or any heart-related illness.  I remarked to her that I was so tired I felt like I was dying, and I was not really exaggerating.

(Dee Dee inspired me for this one.) They did not tell us all the important details regarding Senator McCain's recent visit to the Doctor. Here we have him and Cindi with the doctor.

gak? what the heh-heh-hell? ladies, it's time to take charge of our health!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/22/health/main4033768.shtml

By Bill Richardson | Tuesday, August 07, 2007 |

Americans are fed up with the high cost and inefficiency of our health-care system.  Since 2000, health insurance premiums have risen by more than 80 percent.  The number of uninsured Americans has increased every year since President Bush took office - and is more than three times the number of jobs created during the same period. Tragically, nearly 18,000 Americans die every year for lack of health insurance.

When people go without health coverage, we all end up paying the price.  Families who can't afford health care try to do without as long as they can, which often leads to expensive emergency room visits.  The lost productivity due to trying to live without necessary medical care is estimated at $65 billion to $130 billion per year.

The costs are bad enough, but the inefficiencies of the system waste precious dollars.  Up to 31 percent of all health-care expenditures are for administration. Families are fed up, and want a reliable system that gives every American access to affordable, high-quality health care.

In New Mexico, I've made access to affordable care a priority and I'm proud of what we've done to expand access and improve quality.  We've helped more working New Mexicans obtain coverage, lowered premiums in the state's Health Insurance Alliance for small businesses, and increased the number of children covered by employer-sponsored insurance.  My state and others are doing everything we can, but it's time for the federal government to get to work.

As the presidential election approaches, we'll hear plans creating huge government bureaucracies or forcing a "one size fits all" approach upon families. 

Our well-being is too important to leave to massive, untested programs.  My plan is a common-sense approach that builds upon existing systems, offers well-established coverage options, and provides Americans with choices of affordable care:

1. Working families and small businesses will be able to purchase the same coverage available to the president and members of Congress.

2. We will allow Americans 55 to 64 to buy in to Medicare.

3. We will strengthen the Veterans Administration and create a Heroes Health Card to provide veterans with high-quality care, without bureaucratic hassles.  

4. We will enable dependent young adults to remain on their parents' plans until the age of 25, reducing their costs and increasing coverage.

5. Families who want to keep their current health insurance will have the freedom to do so. 

6. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

My plan also keeps coverage affordable:

-- A sliding scale tax credit will help families obtain coverage.

-- My plan will cap interest charges on personal credit card medical debt.

-- As with auto insurance, all Americans will be required to have health coverage and employers will pay their fair share of employee health-care costs.

-- We will control costs by streamlining administration, implementing electronic medical records and simplifying hospital regulation.  

-- We will also emphasize preventive care and healthier lifestyle choices.  In my state we improved the rate of fully immunized children, took junk food out of schools and put physical education back in.  Investments in preventive care will create a healthier America and save billions of dollars.

My plan is a common sense approach providing everyone a choice of quality, affordable health coverage.  No new government bureaucracies will be created, and we will not need to raise taxes.  We already spend

$2.2 trillion per year on health care in this country.  By streamlining the system, increasing efficiency, and asking everyone to pay their fair share, we can make accessible, affordable health care a reality for everyone.

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The main talking point's:

Even though people will be required to have health coverage, Bill Richardson will make it affordable by giving advance tax credits to lower income family so they can afford to buy coverage.

You have the freedom to stay on you current health plan and see any doctor you wish, and not be assigned a doctor.

Veterans will be issued a "Heroes Health Card". This card, which will be issued to every single veteran upon leaving the military, will provide our returning servicemen and servicewomen with the healthcare they need, when and where they need it. If elected President, Bill Richardson will call on every provider in America to accept this card and coordinate care with the veteran's local VA hospital.

Currently, veterans have to beg Congress for their healthcare funding each year, rather than receiving it as an entitlement. Bill Richardson will end this travesty. And will ensure that we fix President Bush's mess, at Walter Reed as well as those at other VA hospitals and clinics throughout the country. Our veterans and military personnel deserve high quality healthcare, and it is a travesty to provide them with anything less.

www.RichardsonforPresident.com