The Affordable Health Care Act Upheld - A Recipe for Us All

As a social worker, I don’t receive good news that frequently. When I do, it’s a cause for celebration. Once one of my clients was chosen by a lottery system to receive the Illinois Homebound Program enabling her severely disabled daughter to get needed funding for special services. I felt like I had just won the Lottery myself and I cheered over the phone. When the center for developmentally disabled adults where I worked received a special user van with five spaces for wheelchairs, I rejoiced for days. Today feels like winning the Power Ball now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Health Care Law. By 2014, almost all Americans will be able to get health insurance. At present, about 30 million Americans don’t have it. For many, the provisions that affect them, such as the one that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions, won’t kick in until 2014. It’s something to look forward to anyway.

There’s so much bad news that I won’t have to hear any more. I had a client who tested positive for cervical cancer who had four children one of whom was severely disabled. Although her children were able to get Kids Care [the state insurance for children], she and her husband had too much income for Medicaid. Miraculously, she was able to be treated just in the nick of time. Fortunately, four kids didn’t lose their mother, no thanks to prevailing health policies.

Another client had illnesses too numerous to mention. She couldn’t get health insurance because she was single so she didn’t qualify for Medicaid. She was disabled and unable to work and fighting to get Social Security Disability (her only proof qualifying for Medicaid) for years. When she finally received it, she had so many health issues that had gotten worse in all those years, she probably overtaxed the health care system for years afterwards.

I’d tell you my victory dinner, but I de-frosted leftovers so I can get out and make phone calls for Pres. Obama’s re-election. Anyway, here’s another healthy recipe for another time. It serves four and preparation time is 30 minutes.

                                                                                                               

                                                  Eggplant – Sweet Potato Bake

1 eggplant sliced

1 large sweet potato sliced
fresh spinach
½ cup uncooked macaroni
4 ounces ricotta cheese
tomato sauce
mushrooms
1 T minced garlic
olive oil
cinnamon, curry powder, turmeric to taste

Preheat oven to 350º. Boil water to cook the macaroni. While the water is coming to a boil, heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Saute the mushrooms and garlic. Put pan aside. Put tomato sauce in a medium saucepan. Add the mushrooms and garlic and other seasoning and cook for a few minutes.

When all the ingredients are ready, assemble.

A thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, then layers of eggplant, spinach, macaroni, sweet potato slices, ricotta cheese, then tomato sauce again. If you have leftover ingredients, repeat. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour until cheese is baked in and sweet potato slices are soft.

It’s good served with a green salad and Italian bread.

Stay healthy until at least  2014 everyone!