Not trying to attack you, specifically, @Dave44. This comment is all over the threads lately. Things are not biz as usual and haven’t been for months. Its just frusterrating to hear over and over again. I understand. I feel it too. Its a constant battle to fight that sentiment.
there’s always “a first time”. I’ve watched countless hearings that did nothing more than waste everyone’s time: the lawmakers, the viewers, and those called to testify
You know what I mean. If all your doing is watching tv, then “yes,” this fight is not for you. I’m gonna to goad and tease you now - Even my dog is better backup than that in a fight. Nothing just happens overnight. When it finally does happen, everybody wants to be like, “Wow, that was lucky!” But, its not luck. Its the cummulative effort of many individuals over long periods of time.
Over the last few months insulin price-gouging has become a kind of viral thing in political discussions not directly related to T1. Just saw an instance in my FB feed a few minutes ago. I think because people can easily grasp it, they know you die if you can’t get it, so it has a force to it and is starting to act as a shorthand or symbol for other systematic injustices. On one hand it’s kind of weird because people generally don’t have a clue about how the disease and medication work, but I regard it as a good sign because getting an issue to this level of popular concern, not to say outrage, is a prerequisite for action. Even if they’re all grandstanding, if ameliorating this situation is a result, I’ll take it.
Every politician is scared to end the great ethanol scam cause they get voted down. Diabetics out number corn farmers but we don’t stick together and bully both sides like they do.
Diabetes is a case study. Our illness has certain advantages for making the case. But, it was Epipen before diabetes. Its all chronic illness all the time down at my state capitol this session. Every time I go I see tons of people from the chronic illness community. As a proportion. I talk with diabetics, but they are only a small representative faction of all the illnesses that are there lobbying. Diabetes is the model that they are using to represent many, many different illness groups. Its an interesting divergence of strategy - they go broad, then they go specific (diabetes), they go broad, then they go diabetes specific. They are attempting to achieve goals through a variety of different mechanisms.
Thanks for these links, @YogaO. I particularly like this serious-as-a-heart-attack rant from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.
“I don’t know how you people sleep at night,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) told the assembled panel. “You’re in trouble … if you think you can just out talk us without any transparency, without any accountability, I just want you to know your days are numbered.”
I can only hope that some of this passion can survive the process and time it takes to legislate. Big Pharma’s huge ability to help finance campaign contributions for legislators is a formidable hurdle to overcome. Just think about that. They overcharge us for a medication we need to survive and they take some of that overcharge to turn our legislators against our best interests.
The tenor of the bipartisanship displayed at this and last week’s hearings is a breath of fresh air I have seldom witnessed in my life. I think the sentiments of patients like us are exacting a beneficial effect on our representatives. We need to keep up the pressure. Our losing interest is something Big Pharma hopes for. Let’s disappoint them!
Until we find a way to get big money out of politics nothing is going to change. Legislators take care of their big donors before their constituents. “Follow the money.”