Yuriko Lee

Decatur, GA

I am a nurse and I fight for health care justice in this country.
I believe that everyone deserves good health care regardless of race, income, education, gender, nationality, language we speak, or health condition. I am tired of asking, "Do you have insurance?" I'd want to ask, "Do you have your National Health Insurance Card with you?"

Yuriko signed the petition | 4 months ago

Tell Bank of America: No $5 Debit Card Fees
Yuriko signed the petition | over 2 years ago

Petition to Mich. Gov. Granholm Supporting Release of Efrén Paredes, Jr.
Yuriko commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

Blog Debate: The Runaway Train of Costs

We all have to realize that what we need is NOT insurance. What we really need is HEALTH CARE itself. A mandatory plan like Massachusetts' is the worst plan to me. Many people would buy a plan like high deductible to avoid the penalty and never go see a doctor even when they need. (by the way, my husband has one of these as well and yes, the money we pay is going straight to the insurance company's pocket.)
This is what we call "health care" in this country. No wonder we spend the most money for health care and not getting much of it.
We should stop having the idea of "The government has no right to control our health care," but start to realize, "The government has the responsibility to get everyone covered." This is what all other industrialized countries have.

NPR had a good interview about health care today.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101706614&sc=emaf
Yuriko commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

Turning Japanese? We Could Do a Lot Worse

Great information especially for those who are not familiar with a health care system financed by the government and delivered publicly and privately - the kind of singly payer system we want here.

A couple of comments as a person who experienced that system...
Nothing is cheap in Japan and of course nothing is free. But healthc are is guaranteed from birth to death. Typically, when you are a child and student, you are under your parents' insurance card (that's national health insurance by the way) then, when you are employed by a decent size of company you get your own coverage paid partially by the employer and goverment and you also pay 20% or so (I think). When you change job, you never loose your coverage. You just have to do the process of changing it.

Cost... a good example of the system is this. If a pregnant woman decides to have her baby in a public hospital where the cost is, lets say, $1000, and it's fully covered. But if she chooses to have a fancy and better service, she may choose to do it at a private facility where she can have a nice private room with French dinner instead of rice and miso-soup dinner. Then, she may pay extra $500 or more. This is how the system usually works. Yes, you have choices and it's fair, I think.

A bad thing I hear is that emergency system there. They don't seem to have a law like our EMTALA that is any patient who presents to ER must be treated. I hear often that sick people there get declined at ER and end up dying while looking for an accepting facility.

The last comment... My father in Japan recently had a gallbladder surgery and stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks because his incision got infected (that long stay itself almost never happens here). While he was there, he made an old American friend who was also staying for something else. And this is what my father told me this American man said, "You know, if I was in America, they would have kicked me out of the hospital by now. Here, the country takes care of you. It's a good country and I'm staying."
Yuriko signed the petition | almost 3 years ago

Thank Pepsi for their Support of LGBT Rights
Yuriko commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

The Coming Crisis: White Collar Homelessness

Kengi,

I'm completely with you.
And one thing, HIV is NOT a death sentence only if we have a single payer health care system and human heart for everyone.
That's why I'm strongly supporting HR676 and getting rid of drug companies' greed.... We now all know that we can make generic medicine for $4... I don't care who makes it as long as it works, would y'all?

And Jeff,

It is wrong that you can't find job as a nurse. If a nurse can't find a job, who else can? That makes me angry. In my opinion, nursing is becoming like business as well. Sure, if you are RN and travel to out of state, you may make lots of money. But, where does the money come from??? Where is our nurses' self-less act philosophy? Besides, we are forced by the bad health care system not to give equal care to all Americans. That's killing nursing and medicine.
Yuriko commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

The Coming Crisis: White Collar Homelessness

Well said, Jody.
And guess who enjoys the highest incarceration rate? Private prison contractors. 1 out of 9 young black men are in prison. The more inmates they have, the more money they make.
The same sickness as weapon making companies make money by killing people... it's just so sad.
Yuriko commented on the article | about 3 years ago

How to Manufacture a Stupid Controversy

Maybe off the subject, and nothing personal...
My school, a private university, just received $14 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help reduce the burden of tobacco use in China, according to their news letter.
Wow, money is somewhere out there...
Just wonder, can the Foundation give us some money to give health care to nearly, probably lot more now, 50 million uninsured Americans?
Yuriko commented on the article | about 3 years ago

The Coming Crisis: White Collar Homelessness

I don't know much about how economy works, really. But I do know that it is wrong that many families, poor or middle class, are living under the condition you described, while the government is spending tons of money for the war, killing innocent Iraqis and American soldiers.

Also, I just heard on NPR something like some young people are encouraged/willing to go to military because they can't find a job. No!
If young people are willing to join military, I would rather send them to Africa or Asia to help people in need. It's not impossible, if the government has enough money to spend for making weapons. Right?

Again, I don't know much about economy and I may be naive, but I know that no American people should be starving or living on the street while money is spent wrong.
Yuriko commented on the article | about 3 years ago

With Daschle Out, Should Obama De-Couple HHS from Health Care Reform?

I thought Dennis Kucinich would be my dream too... I'm now glad I didn't finish Daschle's book. He wasn't on the same page as single payer supporters anyway.
Maybe this is the real chance to have a national health insurance.
Go HR676! I'm sick of hearing terrible stories about private health insurance companies.