To quote my friend Daniel Ajl Kitrosser: “Happiness is a thing called healthcare. thanks mr. pres, paul krugman, fdr, ted kennedy and hillary rodham.” And the one and only Nancy Pelosi.
I couldn’t be happier about Health Care Reform passing. Well, okay, I could be happier if the Public Option was included, but I’m still incredibly happy it passed. The New York Times has a great piece up today explaining what it actually means for the “consumer,” check it out if you’re confused and interested to see what changes it’ll make for you: http://www.nytimes.com. For the uninsured, like me - even though after breaking my collarbone I thought I’d get insurance, I still haven’t gotten around to it - it basically means we’ll get fined if we don’t get insurance, so I better get it, and though I don’t know how much it will cost yet, I like this part a lot:
Moreover, people of any age who cannot find a plan that costs less than 8 percent of their income would be allowed to buy a catastrophic policy otherwise intended for people under age 30.
I think that sounds totally reasonable.
Also, enough with the Republicans being upset that they passed Health Care Reform without much Republican support. Digby says it best:
It’s fairly clear that Republicans don’t understand how democracy works. You campaign, people vote, you win elections, you get a majority, you pass legislation. They seem to think Democracy means that that elections are irrelevant, majorities are meaningless and that all legislation is contingent upon the permission of the Republican Party.
AMEN.
And finally, Health Care Reform probably passed because of the Health Care Reform Fashion show I hosted. And all the people out there wearing Health Care Reform shirts I made. JK LOL *wink wink.
Here’s the video from the Health Care Reform Fashion Show from Sunday, September 13. We’re sending it to the Obama Administration so they can see our support!
And here are photos of the successful show. We handed out 50 free Health Care Reform buttons and 25 pairs of Obama earrings, collected over 100 signatures on our letter of support, sold a bunch of Health Care Reform designs, and overall had a great time. For more photos, see my flickr album or facebook album.
Thanks everyone for participating or coming out to support Health Care Reform! How’s that debate on the Public Option going, Congress? Not so great?
Rockefeller, Schumer and likeminded liberal senators begrudgingly acknowledge the votes are not there in the committee for the public option.
But they intend to force their colleagues to take a stand on the issue and possibly face the wrath of powerful interests such as labor unions and grassroots liberal activists.
The vehemence of support for the public option among liberals can hardly be overstated. Rockefeller summed up that view on Thursday when he said, “A healthcare plan without a public option is not much of a healthcare plan.”
Schumer declared that he and likeminded liberals would triumph in the end. “The healthcare bill that is signed into law by the president will have a good, strong, robust public option,” he said.
More votes on the public option are promised once the bill hits the Senate floor.
The issue will then become a headache for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) instead of Baucus.
Before a healthcare bill even reaches the Senate floor, Reid will have to decide whether to abide by the Finance Committee position (no public option) or the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee position (strong public option).
Reid sent a clear signal that he is prepared to compromise on Thursday.
Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe’s (Maine), a crucial swing vote, has proposed establishing a “trigger” for the public option that would be pulled in markets with insufficient private competition. During a conference call with Nevada reporters, Reid described the trigger as a “pretty doggone good idea,” according to the Las Vegas Sun.
“My first choice is a public option, because I think it will create competition and make the insurance companies more honest,” Reid said. “My No. 2 choice is the trigger that Snowe talked about.” A trigger would be preferable to co-ops, Reid indicated.
I’m awfully skeptical of this trigger business. Especially because Nancy Pelosi says it’s “an excuse for not doing anything.” Why can’t these Republicans and the Blue Dogs just get on board? Even Bill O’Reilly supports a Public Option…
Call your senators! Tell them to vote FOR the Public Option so I can get Health Insurance! And call Senator Schumer to thank him: Charles Schumer (212) 486-4430. Say: I HOPE WE GET A GOOD, STRONG, ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION TOO, MR. SCHUMER. KEEP FIGHTING!
AuH2O is going to be on CNN again tomorrow! Well, not CNN exactly, HLN (Headline News) which is a different channel, but still CNN-ish.
The second spot airs tomorrow, August 26, at 6:30am and Thursday, August 27 at 9am on HLN. That’s very early, so if you don’t catch it, that’s okay- this segment is available online (the one from April isn’t for some reason) so you can watch it RIGHT HERE or go to cnn.com:
In other news, my collarbone is getting better slowly but surely. Thanks everyone for the well wishes!
Also, my CNN spot happens to be airing on National Women’s Equality Day which is the day 89 years ago when the 19th amendment was signed and women were given the right to vote. But we’re not equal yet! The U.S. still hasn’t ratified the the CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This treaty provides a framework for ending international violence against women, ensuring girls access to education, and promoting economic opportunity and political participation for women. The U.S. is only democracy in the world that has NOT ratified the CEDAW, while 186 countries, over 95% of United Nations members, have done so. We’re with Sudan and Iran in opposition. Embarrassing.
We need 2/3 of the Senate to vote for ratification, and then it goes to Obama to sign- and he’s already expressed his support. So call your senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to support ratification of the CEDAW treaty for the Rights of Women! Do it on the 26th in honor of Women’s Equality Day because we’re not equal yet!
As I’ve noted several times on this blog and on the internet (such as twitter, or facebook) I broke my collarbone almost two months ago playing soccer. Read this post for the full story. I had a LOT of medical bills, so my neighbor Allison at TEICH and I are having a clothing swap tomorrow night at my store! Here’s the details:
Tomorrow! Wednesday, August 12, at the store (84 E. 7th St. b/t 1st and 2nd ave.) Time: 6-8pm
-Bring at least 1 item of clothing that you no longer wear, but would be proud to pass on (no old tees, or stained/damaged clothes, please). Go home with new clothes!
-Accessories welcome
-Refreshments will be served
-$5 suggested donation. Proceeds go to help me pay my medical expenses from breaking my collarbone, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Hope to see you tomorrow night!
Because I couldn’t move my arm at all AT ALL in the past few weeks, I haven’t been able to write about all the things happening in AuH2O land. To start with, right before I broke it (June 21st, 7 weeks and 2 days ago, but who’s counting?) CNN came by to do another shoot on the store. No idea when that will air yet, but I’ll keep you posted! My friend Maria from Sexy Sustainable Style also came by to do a little shoot about the store for her own blog. She’s written some very nice things about AuH2O on her blog, check it out her account of the filming with CNN or her post about the June 11th Fashion Show, which she enjoyed:
“I was thrilled to see that her clothes are designed for women with REAL bodies – curves - or as Fergie says, “lovely lady lumps.” I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Goldwater’s hand-sewn clothes don’t cost a fortune even though her last name might imply otherwise.”
Also, one of my customer-friends wrote about AuH2O for Dossier Journal, NBD. Well, actually, it’s kind of a BD. Here’s Dana Varon’s piece on AuH2O and Teich: Ponds and Goldwater.
Finally, a fellow Milwaukee native turned New Yorker, Mz. Lady Yvette, stopped into my shop one day last summer. We got along really well and realized we were both from the Ill-Mil (Milwaukee, and alright, no one actually calls it that) like ten minutes away from each other AND she almost went to NYU. Anyway, since then, she’s started a fashion blog and recently wrote a really nice post on AuH2O. Check it out here: Mz. Lady Yvette Presents: Gold + Water.
Also, as Mz. Lady notes in her post’s P.S., I’m participating in an art/fashion exhibit called TRASHION at Gallery 151, 350 Bowery at Bond Street. I wasn’t able to make any new pieces for it, but my classic MetroCard Dress is on display there. It’s open until August 21st, so if you’re in the East Village between 1-6 on Wednesday through Sunday, stop by and see the creative recycled works of the artists and designers. More info at: gallery151.com
And finally, my friend Jesse Ash won a Webby Award (yeah buddy!) and asked me to make him an eco-friendly tie for the ceremony, which is basically the Oscars of the web video world. He won the IADAS judged Webby Award and the People’s Voice Award at the 2009 Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. He won for his short, “Magical Cure,” that he made for Greener Media. Greener Media is a multimedia production company that has made a commitment to produce environmentally and socially conscious media, and also to begin taking steps to lessen the footprint of our production process. To learn about their greener practices, click here. To learn about their services, click here.
Oh, and Jesse is not only a Webby Award winning filmmaker, he’s also my friend who made the “Fashion for Change” video that was a finalist for CNN’s iReport. He also made my AuH2O Design of the Week videos that I haven’t exactly been posting weekly, but here’s a few, and check my youtube channel for more:
Jill Filipovic modeling an AuH2O Design of the Week:
Shannon Browne:
I feel like I might be all caught up with everything now. Hope to see you tomorrow night at the swap!
I love what I do more than anything. I own my own business and am my own boss. I sew my own clothing and I sell it right at my own store. It’s basically my dream job. Even though it’s tough not having a steady income, a salary, or benefits, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But rent for a retail store in New York City isn’t cheap, and neither is health insurance, so in order to do what I love, I’ve chosen to go without it. The least expensive plan I could find was HealthyNY’s $278/month, and even that has a high deductible. I simply couldn’t afford that on top of my store rent, bills, loans, and living expenses. Instead, my healthcare plan has been to brush and floss, look both ways when I cross the street, get 8 hours of sleep, eat right, and get a lot of exercise- and in my case that means playing a LOT of soccer. Other than my eco-friendly clothing, soccer is my passion. Note the fusion of my two passions- Adidas sambas turned into 4 inch heels.
I played seriously in high school and college, and now play in two women’s leagues and two co-ed leagues. It’s a great way to stay in shape, it’s really fun, and it’s incredibly social (some of my best friends are from my current soccer leagues.) I’m often at Pier 40, the soccer complex on Houston and the West Side Highway, four nights a week. I know it’s slightly risky to play sports without health insurance, but I’ve had my share of sprained ankles and pulled muscles, and those all eventually health with a little rest, ice, compression and elevation, or RICE.
my swollen ankle from May ‘09
On June 21st, in a co-ed recreational game, I was going for a ball in the air and collided with a big, strong guy (who happens to be a friend and one of the nicest guys I know.) It was a really serious collision, and my shoulder hurt like hell. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard for so long. I sat on the sideline waiting for the league organizer to come back with ice, hoping nothing was broken. I told my team that it better just be a bruise since I didn’t have health insurance. People laughed, but I wasn’t really joking. But the pain wasn’t going away. I couldn’t lift my arm without an intense, sharp pain that made me break into sobs. I didn’t know how I’d pay for the Emergency Room visit, but I knew I had to go. Everyone on the field said they heard a snap, and my right collarbone looked like a zigzag Tetris piece. This wouldn’t go away with a little RICE.
My boyfriend helped me up (as I broke into sobs) and into a cab (sobbed at every bump) and took me to the ER. I got a few X-Rays and sure enough, I was the proud owner of a broken clavicle. I was given a sling, a prescription for percocet, and was told to keep it immobile for 4-6 weeks. The ER doctor gave me the name of an orthopedic doctor to visit in 4 weeks. I’d get another follow up X-Ray to check on how I was healing, and depending on how solidly the bone had fused together, I’d start meeting with a physical therapist to re-hab my shoulder.
Don’t let the X-ray fool you, it may look like it wasn’t broken all the way through, but it was. The X-ray just doesn’t have good depth perception.
I spent the first week in serious pain, unable to do anything without assistance. I couldn’t even get up from lying down on my own. I was out of work, out of sewing during my best months of foot traffic. I wasn’t even able to type to tell people who placed personal orders that they would have to be on hold for who knows how long. I wouldn’t be able to update my blog or list items on my online store (not that I would be able to make any new items to list.) I wouldn’t be able to hold my Annual 7th Street Block Party Fashion Show. When I was finally able to go back to my store- my new, bigger and better space that I’d JUST moved to- I couldn’t open the shop myself, write price tags, change the window display, clean anywhere, or reach dresses hanging in the dressing room to hang them back up on the rack. I couldn’t do anything except let myself cry.
Then there were my medical bills which totaled around $1,500, and for a small business owner living month-to-month, that’s a lot of money. The X-Ray alone was $442 on the itemized bill, so I decided to cancel that follow-up appointment to check my healing progress and just wait it out the full 6 weeks.
As for health insurance, was I going to get it now? Well, no. The way I looked at it, I’ve been not paying health insurance for awhile, so now owing $1,500 isn’t so bad. That’s the equivalent of not paying health insurance for about 4 months, and I’ve been not paying health insurance for well over that long. In health insurance-related news, the Republicans are doing everything they can to make sure health care bill doesn’t have a public option anyway, so what good would that even do me?
And as for soccer, I wasn’t planning on ever playing again. I can’t risk getting hurt again and losing so much business. Sewing is my livelihood, soccer’s just a game. And I can’t keep playing without health insurance. A little broken clavicle, albeit incredibly painful, is small potatoes. All I needed was a sling and to keep it immobile. What if I tore my ACL and needed to have surgery? That’d be thousands of thousands of dollars, and I can’t possibly afford that.
I’m normally a very positive person, but I was thoroughly depressed. I had medical bills, my new store with more space (and higher rent!) wasn’t doing well, and I was never going to play soccer again. Life’s a bummer, have a good summer.
Then, time passed. And that was the only thing I needed. I wasn’t in pain anymore, my bone started to fully heal together, I could move my arm a little bit, and I started to go to the gym to get out some of my stress. Through my soccer friends, I got in touch and met up with a physical therapist who gave me some exercises to do free of charge. I’m doing the shit out of those exercises, and they’re really helping me get my muscles back.
On the bright side, I had a mini-vacation where I spent a lot of time watching bad TV and reading in the park. My boyfriend, roommate, friends and customers have all been amazingly helpful- one friend shaved my legs (damn the patriarchy) and as I type this, my roommate is doing my laundry for me. I have awesome interns who’ve gone way beyond the duties of their job description, working more days a week than expected, and doing things like brushing my hair and helping me put on deoderant. I’m at 7 weeks and 2 days now, and I’m at least able to type, sew by hand, and am getting close to using my sewing machine again. I’m no longer miserable. I have no doubts that I’ll pay off my debt by working harder these next few months, and my store, in its new, bigger, better location, will be doing better than ever.
I’m hoping the health care bill passes with a public option, but if not? Oh well. I still hope it passes. And I’m still going to get health insurance. Then once I’m officially covered, I’m going to get back on the soccer field, too.
