Patient Online Communities, Including The DOC - Fight For Net Neutrality!

“The principle of net neutrality is simple: companies that connect you to the internet must treat all content equally. In policy terms, that means the government ensures internet service providers do not block, slow, or otherwise discriminate against certain content or applications.” Quartz Media, LLC. 

On Thursday, December 14, the FCC votes to repeal and dismantle Net Neutrality laws that are currently on the books.

What does that mean? 

Digital inequality. Imagine being forced to use certain ISP (Internet Service Provider,) in order to surf the net.

Example: Being forced to use Yahoo as your search engine instead of Google, because Verizon owns Yahoo. That’s why Net Neutrality laws are in place. 

Do you really want Companies like Comcast and Verizon to control what parts of the Internet you have access too ? 

Do you really want to pay them more money so you can GOOGLE or tweet? I DON'T. 

Hey, did I mention the newly elected head of the FCC and guy trying to tear down the Net Neutrality laws, Ajit Pait (also the guy making jokes about killing net neutrality and shilling for Verizon,) used to be a an big shot executive from Verizon. 

Dismantling Net Neutrality means no more even playing field  - and not even in the same ball park! 

Small businesses won’t be able to compete with the big ones, and it will become more difficult for people to have access to info on the net - hence denying us freedom of information. 

Not great if you’re in a poor school district, own a small business trying to compete with the big guys, or belong to a ***Patient Community. 

The Diabetes Online Community changed my life for the better - And I know that you feel the same way. 

The value of the connecting online for those of us living with a chronic illness is so incredibly important. 

The Internet not only connects us to valuable info, it connects us to our diabetes peers and consigliaries  -people who understand what it’s like to live with diabetes. The Web helps people with  diabetes and other chronic illnesses find our tribes; our teachers, champions, and our allies.

The Internet gives us our voices to implement change. 

Our voices - our freedom of speech and our freedom to obtain information is THIS CLOSE to being taken away.

Still not sure?  Ok, look to Portugal and Spain. Because they don’t have Net Neutrality, internet providers are now starting to split the internet into packages. 

It’s not a Red verses Blue issue - everyone no matter what side of the fence you sit, will feel the impact. 

How can you help? 

Sidebar: Cutting and pasting directly from facebook and HUGE thanks to John Oliver  - for creating a SUPER easy way to do this⚡️ - like RIGHT NOW: 

1. Go to gofccyourself.com
(the shortcut John Oliver made to the hard-to-find FCC comment page)
2. Next to the 17-108 link (Restoring Internet Freedom), click on "express"
3. Be sure to hit "ENTER" after you put in your name & info so it registers.
4. In the comment section write, "I strongly support net neutrality backed by Title 2 oversight of ISPs."
5. Click to submit, done. - Make sure you hit submit at the end!

THEN: Call, tweet, facebook, and text ( text RESIST to 50409) your lawmakers and tell them to protect Net Neutrality. 

We are running out of time, your voice matters - SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT.

"Hold My Earrings," Because I Won't Stop Fighting AHCA !!!

GAME FUCKING ON.

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“Hold my earrings,” because Congress pissed me off and I won't stop fighting the shitshow that is AHCA!!

I won't stop fighting for people with diabetes or any other pre-existing condition and I won't stop fighting for the people I love and those I've never met who live with pre-existing conditions - GAME FUCKING ON.

Yesterday Republican (and a few Dems who could be bought,) lawmakers celebrated with beer and party in The White House Rose Garden after approving the American HealthCare Act. A bill that most Republicans didn’t bother to read, in order to take health care away from millions of Americans. 

A bill that if approved by the Senate, takes health care away from 24 million Americans and mean the return of Pre-Existing Conditions Clauses; High-risk pools, and lifetime health care caps to every American - and no matter where they get their insurance from. 

Sidebar: To see how your Congress person voted, click HERE. 

A bill that categorizes pregnancy; adoptions in progress, rape, and heavy periods, as pre-existing conditions. 

A bill categorizing almost every disease and chronic condition as a pre-existing condition - except for Erectile Dysfunction and being and asshat.  

GO FIGURE.

Bottom line: #HealthHasNoParty and diseases and chronic conditions don’t care what side of the fence you sit, and that don't give a crap if you're Red or Blue. 

Having a preexisting condition doesn't mean that you’re a bad person - it means you're fucking human-being! 

Pre-existing conditions are not character flaws or lifestyle choices, nor should they bankrupt families and or individuals because they have them. 

God doesn’t punish people by giving us pre-existing conditions, but many of our the majority of Republican lawmakers want to punish their constituents for having having pre-existing conditions - and they celebrated that fact.  

And now 12 Republican Senators (so much for bipartisanship and working together for all Americans,) 12 White republican men, who are filled with contempt and anger, and who don't seem to like women very much, are in charge of fine tuning the American Health Care Act.

Here's who's working on Trumpcare in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/Bqs5BNkAt9

— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) May 5, 2017

Feel safe yet? 

Neither do I. 

I'm angry and I am going to fight like hell - I'm ready to #CleanTheHouse - and I know the majority of you are too. 

We are angry, we are motived and we VOTE. 
And the battle Royale is about to begin

. 

Start by calling your State Senators, and follow up by calling every Senator in the United States and let them no how angry you are. 

Then call your rep in Congress and let them know that angry constituents = angry voters. 

And call all the Congressional reps (and on both sides of the fence,) who did vote NO. 

20 Republican Congressman went against their party and the majority them did for the right reasons - namely their constituents with Pre-existing conditions. 

Checkout and sign up for http://diabetespac.org , if you haven't already.

Also, here's a list of Republican congressional seats up for grabs - find out who their opponents are and donate to them!

We are this battle together - and we will fight to make it right. 

Don't give up and don't give in! 

It Doesn't Matter If You're Red Or Blue, Pre-Existing Conditions Don't Care

It doesn’t matter if you sit on the red side of the fence or the blue - pre-existing conditions don’t care. 

It doesn’t made if you’re a Democrat, Independent, or Republican - pre-existing conditions don’t care. 

Do you have a broad interpretation of The Constitution or a narrow one?  
Doesn't matter, pre-existing conditions don’t care. 
But here's the thing, insurance companies do - and thanks to the Senate voting to repeal ACA, soon insurance companies will be able to deny you and your pre-existing condition(s). 

If you have a diabetes... or a heart condition, a leaky gut, thyroid issues, blood disorders, cancer - If you have ANY health condition, you may soon be penalized and punished for it, because at 1:30 this morning, 51 Senators agreed to repeal ADA and the pre-existing condition clause was put back on the table.

And if you don’t have a pre-existing condition? 

A. Good luck with that - genetics and age have away of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. 

B. If you fall into any of the following categories - your lives will be changed for the worse: 

1. Pre-existing conditions
2. You have young children on CHIP
3. You have young adult offspring currently on your health insurance plan
4. Take birth control meds (WOMEN)
5. If you get your insurance through your employer, the same rules (and more,) all the new will apply to you, too.

 Insurance companies will, if ACA is successfully repealed, be able to deny you or your loved ones insurance coverage for all of the above. 

Best case scenario, they will do what they did before ACA, make you wait a year before they agreed to pay for anything having to do with your pre-existing condition. 

Every drop of insulin, every cholesterol pill, every viagra pill, or chemotherapy treatment will come out of your pocket. 

Worse case scenario. They can legally refuse to cover you because you have a pre-existing condition. 

We have individual voices, and collectively they can are powerful – we must use them to protect ourselves and others living with pre-existing conditions!

Click HERE and "ACT" now to protect every single person living with diabetes and other pre-existing condition in the United States: 

DiabetesPAC makes it incredibly easy for you to email your Reps directly from the above link

DPAC provide a letter template with space for you to tell your own story – and as long as you know your ZIP Code, your email goes directly into your Reps inbox with the click of a button.

Also, pick up the phone and call (and tweet) your reps in the Senate and Congress, NOW and tell them how you feel about bringing back the pre-existing conditions clause, the repeal of ACA and all that we stand to lose.

 We have a hell of a fight ahead of us and #WeAreInThisTogether!