I was leafing through some old posts and cleaning up some new spam when I ran across a forgotten comment.

“It is just so difficult to understand and keep track of the changes and rules that Medicare and Medicaid put out. You think you understand them and you think you can deal with the system and then pow! A pie in the face and start the learning process all over again. It wears you down to the point where you avoid trying to understand things. You just go through the motions and hope it works itself out somehow.”

It does wear you down but hoping for the best is ultimately no solution. We have an opportunity this year. It’s an election year and for now some of the candidates are sensitized to a higher degree than normal.

Don’t say it. I already know it. It’s campaign rhetoric, empty promises, and mushy half hearted handshakes that you will get from the candidates. You’re probably right, but should we chance it? Should we tamely submit and just hope that the healthcare and disability issues will be worked out for us? Should we stand idly along the sidelines while these issues play themselves out? I think not.

There is a long shot chance that health care and disability issues can be forced onto the agendas in a serious way. As always it will take getting into the game and making a noise that can be heard.

It’s no big deal. Take a few minutes. Write a few letters. Send a few emails. Make a couple of telephone calls. Let the candidates know that health care and disability issues are important to you and to tens of millions of Americans. Or, just sit back and “hope it works itself out somehow”.