This was powerful. Noah Logue is a deaf student at a local college in St. Louis. Noah currently is able to afford the equipment necessary for him to communicate and lead an independent life. Under Obamacare Noah may not qualify since he is special needs citizen.
Noah asked Dem operatives at the McCaskill town hall if he is going to be punished under Obamacare:
I hope Noah sends me his notes so that I can post them here.
It was a very moving speech.
UPDATE: Noah’s mother sent his speech today:
CONCERNS FROM A VOTER WITH A DISABILITY
McCASKILL TOWN HALL MEETING
JULY 27, 2009I am a young adult who is profoundly deaf with a cochlear implant, starting my second year of college in September.
I would not be able to hear anything without my implant, except maybe a jet engine.
With my cochlear implant, I can talk on the telephone, I can carry on oral conversations, and I can hear music. It has enriched my life tremendously.
Cochlear implant surgery is not inexpensive. Currently it costs between $50,000 and $60,000 per ear.
After this surgery it is important to receive the correct education afterward so the child can learn how to talk. It is expensive to educate a child who is deaf.
It is also expensive to provide services to a child who is deaf who is not oral. Interpreters are needed for them to talk to people who are hearing.
When my mother told me of the health bills being considered by the House and Senate, and how they impacted disabled people, I wanted people to know how that would impact me and how difficult it would be to succeed in life without the services I have received.
Ezekiel Emanuel, Rahm Emmanuel’s brother, who is involved in the wording of the House Bill said, “Medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those “who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens…” “.
Does that include me? If medical decisions are being made by the government; not by my doctors, my parents, or me, I would be determined to be too expensive to receive the services I need to be able to navigate my way in the world.
This is a bad plan for those with special needs. Tell Senator McCaskill to vote NO.
Noah Logue
St. Louis, MO
