Across Ye Olde Internet, there's been a massive outpouring of affection and concern for Gene Colan, the longtime comic artist. Gene, who's drawn as many pages of fine comic books as any man alive, has a failing liver and other complications, and the relevant news sites have erupted with the sad news. (Some of them, by the way, are wrongly reporting that Gene is hospitalized. He is not. He's resting comfortably at home, getting what I'm sure is the best care possible from his loving spouse, Adrienne.)
Obviously, it's dreadful that a great guy/artist like Gene is in failing health. It's especially ghastly that he and his wife are looking at staggering pharmaceutical bills that will not be covered by their health insurance. I'm not sure why they don't have better nsurance — lack of funds, one might assume — but the reason doesn't change the fact that the Colans have this crisis.
There's not a lot out there that makes me mad but I find myself increasingly upset at what some call The Health Care Crisis in America. I know folks who, quite literally, have lost everything due to illness. The widow of a prominent comic book artist called me once to thank me for the obit I'd posted here and said, "I think the cause of death should have been listed as 'not being able to afford good medical care.'" Getting sick can be beastly expensive, more so than prudent planning can possibly cover.
We all have the issues that matter to us in upcoming elections. A biggie for me is that I think we have to do something about the cost of health care in this country. If we don't do it out of strictly humanitarian reasons, we oughta do it because sick people without insurance are a drain on all of us, on all of society. I'm not sure if Single Payer is the way to go, or if other proposals would be preferable…but letting the expenses spiral upwards and outta control is simply unacceptable.
In the meantime, there are things you can do for the Colans. Keep an eye on the weblog of Clifford Meth for all the latest info. Gene has given us so much over the years, it's more than fitting that we all give back.