Letter from the "Other" Washington - Susie Young as a GRL

Friday, June 12 (Washington, DC) -- Greetings from D.C.! My name is Susie Young, and I live in Spokane and work as a home care aide for Addus Healthcare. I have had the opportunity to spend the last few months as Grassroots Lobbyist (GRL) with SEIU in DC. This has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have always enjoyed politics and watch a lot of CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN, but it is different and a lot more exciting to be a participant.
 
There were nine of us GRL's from all across the country here in DC. Healthcare reform has been the primary focus since I have been here. I have attended all the Senate hearings on healthcare reform chaired by Senator Baucus, and also a couple of hearings in the House, and met with many of our senators and representatives. There is a common thread that both Democrats and Republicans agree on. In the healthcare reform bill, both sides feel there needs to be prevention and wellness and more community centers especially in rural areas. Both sides also agree that we need to address the shortage of primary care physicians, and eliminate pre-existing conditions.

Unfortunately, here the two sides do not agree on the public option plan. One of the best arguments for the public plan is that it would give competition to the private plan. There are states that only have one private insurance company – like Maine – and if there was competition with a public plan, it would drive costs down.

One of the reasons for the high costs is chronic and long-term care. During the hearings, it was mentioned that 5% of Medicare patients use 50% of the money. High readmission rates to hospitals are also a big problem. Addressing long-term care and chronic conditions must be part of healthcare reform.

Home care can be part of the solution. Washington is a leader in serving people in home- and community-based care, and I’ve been able to tell my story from a home care workers perspective. Over the years, I have kept my clients in their home. When I see a medical problem, it is addressed immediately. My clients have chronic conditions and I know if there were no homecare services, then there would have been different outcomes. There are many states where home and community based care is not an option or where there are waiting lists. This must be addressed as part of healthcare reform.

When Congress went home for the Memorial Day recess, the grassroots lobbyists traveled to Virginia to help with local events. We spoke with everybody. We waved signs. We knocked on every single door. If they were walking in the streets, we stopped them. If they were driving, and at a four-way stop, we approached them. I was walking down the street, wearing my purple healthcare shirt, and carrying flyers and a clipboard. A lady in a van stopped and wanted to know if this was about healthcare. She pulled over and had a great healthcare story to tell.

So many people have healthcare stories or they know someone who is suffering because they lack access to healthcare. They want to share their stories, and are willing to come to events and write letters to their senators. They want to participate. There is a real movement happening around healthcare. I can feel it, but the best part is that you really feel for the first time, healthcare is within reach. It is an awesome feeling to give people Hope. The grassroots lobbyists have been working so hard on the Hill, and it felt good to be out in the streets!