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Shopping sustainably is increasingly important given the severity of the climate crisis, but sometimes it's hard to know where to turn. Thankfully, Amazon is making it a little easier to browse thousands of products that have one or more of 19 sustainability certifications that help preserve the natural world.
The online retailer recently announced Climate Pledge Friendly, a program to make it easier for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products. To determine the sustainability of a product, the program partnered with third-party certifications, including governmental agencies, nonprofits, and independent labs.
With a selection of items spanning grocery, household, fashion, beauty, and personal electronics, you'll be able to shop more sustainably not just for the holiday season, but throughout the year for your essentials, as well.
You can browse all of the Climate Pledge Friendly products here, labeled with an icon and which certification(s) they meet. To get you on your way to shopping more sustainably, we've rounded up eight of our favorite Climate Pledge Friendly-products that will make great gifts all year long.
Amazon
Jack Wolfskin Women's North York Coat
Give the gift of warmth and style with this coat, available in a variety of colors. Sustainability is built into all Jack Wolfskin products and each item comes with a code that lets you trace back to its origins and understand how it was made.
Bluesign: Bluesign products are responsibly manufactured by using safer chemicals and fewer resources, including less energy, in production.
Amazon
Amazon All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen)
For the tech-obsessed. This Alexa smart speaker, which comes in a sleek, compact design, lets you voice control your entertainment and your smart home as well as connect with others.
Reducing CO2: Products with this certification reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.
Amazon
Burt's Bees Family Jammies Matching Holiday Organic Cotton Pajamas
Get into the holiday spirit with these fun matching PJs for the whole family. Perfect for pictures that even Fido can get in on.
Global Organic Textile Standard: This certifies each step of the organic textile supply chain against strict ecological and social standards. Each product with this certification contains 95%-100% organic content.
Amazon
Naturistick 5-Pack Lip Balm Gift Set
With 100% natural ingredients that are gentle on ultra-sensitive lips, this gift is a great gift for the whole family.
Compact by Design (Certified by Amazon): Products with this certification are packaged without excess air and water, which reduces the carbon footprint of shipping and packaging.
Amazon
Arus Women's GOTS Certified Organic Cotton Hooded Full Length Turkish Bathrobe
For those who love to lounge around, this full-length organic cotton bathrobe is the way to go. Available in five different colors, it has comfortable cuffed sleeves, a hood, pockets, and adjustable belt.
Global Organic Textile Standard: This certifies each step of the organic textile supply chain against strict ecological and social standards. Each product with this certification contains 95%-100% organic content.
Amazon
L'Occitane Extra-Gentle Vegetable Based Soap
This luxe soap, made with moisturizing shea butter and scented with verbena, is perfect for the self-care obsessed.
Compact by Design (Certified by Amazon): Products with this certification are packaged without excess air and water, which reduces the carbon footprint of shipping and packaging.
Amazon
Goodthreads Men's Sweater-Knit Fleece Long-Sleeve Bomber
For the fashionable men in your life, this fashion-forward knit bomber is an excellent choice. The sweater material keeps it cozy and warm, while the bomber jacket-cut, zip front, and rib-trim neck make it look elevated.
Recycled Claim Standard 100: Products with this certification use materials made from at least 95% recycled content.
Amazon
All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
Make it even easier to access your favorite movies and shows this holiday season. The new Fire TV Stick lets you use your voice to search across apps. Plus it controls the power and volume on your TV, so you'll never need to leave the couch! Except for snacks.
Reducing CO2: Products with this certification reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.
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While many of us know Captain America from the current Marvel Cinematic Universe movies starring Chris Evans, the superhero character has been an iconic comic book character for 79 years.
A superhero with the name "Captain America" who wears a red, white, and blue uniform and fights for freedom naturally invokes a sense of patriotism. However, not everyone who considers themselves a "patriot" can truly claim the title.
The son of one of Captain America's co-creators has some harsh words for those who have co-opted Captain America symbolism in their support of Donald Trump and the storming of the Capitol by his followers. Neal Kirby, the son of Jack Kirby, who created the character with Joe Simon in 1941, aimed his message directly at the rioters.
<div id="5f0b6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b2d68a6a318082fa0cc6b1327b9f8f37"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349746117702017027" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#CaptainAmerica co-creator Jack Kirby's son says he was “appalled and mortified” to see Trump supporters dressed as… https://t.co/9tkMd9sBya</div> — The Hollywood Reporter (@The Hollywood Reporter)<a href="https://twitter.com/THR/statuses/1349746117702017027">1610639526.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In his "Statement to Insurrectionists," shared <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1349553898172928002" target="_blank">on Twitter</a> by Jake Tapper, Kirby wrote:</p><p><em>"My father, Jack Kirby, along with this partner Joe Simon, created Captain America in 1941. Perhaps the most iconic symbol of patriotism since the 'Spirit of 1776', Captain America has stood as a symbol and protector of our democracy and the rule of law for the past 79 years. He was created by two Jewish guys from New York who hated Nazis and hated bullies. Captain America stood up for the underdog, and, as the story was written, even before he gained his strength and prowess from Army scientists, always stood for what was righteous, and never backed down.</em></p><p><em>At 72, I have a fairly vivid personal memory of every political and cultural upheaval since Castro's revolution in the mid-1950s. Add to that my father's stories, and I could probably paint a picture of the battlefields of northern France surrounding the city of Metz in WWII as well. However, the events that transpired at our nation's Capitol on Jan. 6, an insurrection inspired and fomented by our own president, will be the event that haunts me forever.</em></p>
<div id="16eaa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b56b1c2e982846e3d0f93b28928e8f28"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349553898172928002" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Neal Kirby, the son of Captain America co-creator Jack Kirby, was distressed to see some of the January 6 terrorist… https://t.co/nwrplRJIk1</div> — Jake Tapper (@Jake Tapper)<a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper/statuses/1349553898172928002">1610593697.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><em>While watching one of the horrific videos of the storming of the Capitol, I thought I noticed someone in a Trump/Capt. America t-shirt! I was appalled and mortified. I believe I even caught a quick glance of someone with a Captain America shield. A quick Google search turned up Trump as Captain America on T-shirts, posters, even a flag! These images are disgusting and disgraceful. Captain America is the absolute antithesis of Donald Trump. Where Captain America is selfless, Trump is self-serving. Where Captain America fights for our country and democracy, Trump fights for personal power and autocracy. Where Captain America stands with the common man, Trump stands with the powerful and privileged. Where Captain America is courageous, Trump is a coward. Captain America and Trump couldn't be more different.</em><br></p><p><em>My father, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the creators of Captain America and WWII veterans, would be absolutely sickened by these images. These images are an insult to both their memories.</em></p><p><em>If Donald Trump had the qualities and character of Captain America, the White House would be a shining symbol of truth and integrity, not a festering cesspool of lies and hypocrisy.</em></p><p><em>Several of our presidents held the same values as Captain America. Donald Trump is not one of them." </em></p>
<div id="1aeed" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d61c61bf656d161396d5427e2655bd43"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1347179560706723846" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@CanteringClark Is this person holding a Captain America shield? wtf? https://t.co/PN10Ubz5Af</div> — Ameba (@Ameba)<a href="https://twitter.com/Ameba_NM/statuses/1347179560706723846">1610027611.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>There you have it. It should be pretty obvious that if you're marching alongside actual Nazis you don't get to use Captain America as a symbol for your movement, but it's helpful to hear it straight from the source anyway.</p>
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Increasingly customers are looking for more conscious shopping options. According to a Nielsen survey in 2018, nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment.
But while many consumers are interested in spending their money on products that are more sustainable, few actually follow through. An article in the 2019 issue of Harvard Business Review revealed that 65% of consumers said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, but only about 26% actually do so. It's unclear where this intention gap comes from, but thankfully it's getting more convenient to shop sustainably from many of the retailers you already support.
Amazon recently introduced Climate Pledge Friendly, "a new program to help make it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products." When you're browsing Amazon, a Climate Pledge Friendly label will appear on more than 45,000 products to signify they have one or more different sustainability certifications which "help preserve the natural world, reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to customers," according to the online retailer.
Amazon
In order to distinguish more sustainable products, the program partnered with a wide range of external certifications, including governmental agencies, non-profits, and independent laboratories, all of which have a focus on preserving the natural world.
<p>To qualify as Climate Pledge Friendly, a product must be certified by one of the 19 different sustainability certifications, including Amazon's own <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=21221609011" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Compact by Design</a> certification. Compact by Design-certified products are made with more efficient packaging by removing excess air and water, making them lighter and therefore more efficient to ship. "At scale, these small differences in product size and weight lead to significant carbon emission reductions," according to Amazon.</p><p>Other certifications include <a href="https://www.bluesign.com/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesign</a>, which means qualifying products are responsibly manufactured by using safer chemicals and fewer resources, including less energy, in production; <a href="https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fairtrade International</a> products are produced in line with ethical and environmental standards, including supporting farmers to tackle climate change challenges; and <a href="https://fsc.org/en/about-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Forest Stewardship Council</a>-certified products support responsible forestry, helping keep forests healthy for future generations.Details about the other Climate Pledge Friendly Certifications can be found <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?node=21221608011" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>All the Climate Pledge Friendly products can be found at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ClimatePledgeFriendly" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon.com/ClimatePledgeFriendly</a> and include grocery, household, fashion, beauty, and personal electronics products, and more. </p><p>With shopping more sustainably now easier than ever before, there's no reason not to.</p>
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91-yr-old Holocaust survivor Ben Lesser is sharing his story. It's one we all need to hear.
09.18.20
ZACHOR Foundation
"What's 'the Holocaust'?" my 11-year-old son asks me. I take a deep breath as I gauge how much to tell him. He's old enough to understand that prejudice can lead to hatred, but I can't help but feel he's too young to hear about the full spectrum of human horror that hatred can lead to.
I wrestle with that thought, considering the conversation I recently had with Ben Lesser, a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor who was just a little younger than my son when he witnessed his first Nazi atrocity.
It was September of 1939 and the Blitzkrieg occupation of Poland had just begun. Ben, his parents, and his siblings were awakened in their Krakow apartment by Nazi soldiers who pistol-whipped them out of bed and ransacked their home. As the men with the shiny black boots filled burlap sacks with the Jewish family's valuables, a scream came from the apartment across the hall. Ben and his sister ran toward the cry.
They found a Nazi swinging their neighbors' baby upside down by its legs, demanding that the baby's mother make it stop crying. As the parents screamed, "My baby! My baby!" the Nazi smirked—then swung the baby's head full force into the door frame, killing it instantly.
This story and others like it feel too terrible to tell my young son, too out of context from his life of relative safety and security. And yet Ben Lesser lived it at my son's age. And it was too terrible—for anyone, much less a 10-year-old. And it was also completely out of context from the life of relative safety and security Ben and his family had known before the Nazi tanks rolled in.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQwNjg3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODYyMzI0NH0.H0__oRnJw53k_VNpLUQkskP_qXHABp_4cGqEJ5vCpPk/img.jpg?width=980" id="f5d37" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="86ad90ab1894f1f7d056f5fd91773d83" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">ZACHOR Foundation</small></p><p>Before I spoke with Ben, I had prepared myself for what I was going to hear. The baby story was brutal, but I'd read enough Holocaust stories to expect all manner of horror. The Jews being rounded up and taken to the woods to dig their own graves before being shot and thrown into them. The cattle cars crammed with bodies so tightly no one could move—where men, women, and children languished in hunger and thirst, standing in their own excrement for days. The Nazi <em>commandant</em> who made every 10th prisoner in line hold their body over a sawhorse and take 25 lashes, shooting in the head anyone whose body touched the sawhorse through the beating. <br></p><p>The concentration camps, the death camps, the gas chambers. I was prepared for all of that.</p><p>What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that Ben Lesser's dad was a chocolate maker. He was one of the first, Ben explained to me proudly, to make chocolate-covered wafer cookies, like a Kit-Kat, only he made his in the shape of animals. </p><p>Hearing Ben describe the way he and his siblings would excitedly run to their father when he got home from work, knowing he'd have pockets full of chocolate for them—that was the detail that did me in. The simple sweetness of it. The fact that their life was so delightfully <em>normal </em>before it turned into a nightmare<em>. </em>That backdrop made hearing about the horrors Ben witnessed and experienced from age 10 to 16 all the more heinous.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQwMDE5OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTAzODgzOX0.vjIq_6JsG_JNAfjtrYNiq9uiWyLmLSpJqIsK-V2RuNU/img.png?width=980" id="8c5b7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fd5c629bf3888e92a6e0de026882321b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">ZACHOR Foundation</small></p><p>Ben was 15 when he and two of his siblings were shoved into a cattle car and transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex where Nazis systematically murdered 1.1 million people in five years. When they exited the car, a man was directing people to go left or right. Ben, a strong young man, was sent to the right with his uncle and cousin—they were going to work. His sister Goldie and younger brother Tuli were sent to the left. </p><p>Ben only learned that his sister and brother had gone straight to the gas chambers when a guard later explained, with a twisted sense of satisfaction, that the ash gently falling from the sky was made up of the bodies of the workers' loved ones.</p><p>By the time the war ended, Ben would lose his parents, three of his four siblings, and countless extended family members and friends to Hitler and his followers' hatred. His older sister, Lola, was the only member of his immediate family to survive.</p><p>The stories Ben shared from Auschwitz-Birkenau, from the "Death March" to Buchenwald, and from Dachau—where he would ultimately be liberated when the war ended—are every bit as horrific as everything I've described so far. It would take far more space than I have here to share it all, but Ben has written it all down—the tragedy and suffering as well as the miracles that occurred both during and after the war—<a href="https://zachorlearn.org/shop-zachor/" target="_blank">in his autobiography. </a></p><p>But simply putting it all down in writing wasn't enough.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQwNTA3Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTA0NjgxOH0.Zb5h8tOurcyUKl2856mgwZpwljkNntSJIF-h1BPlqSU/img.jpg?width=980" id="69ee5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c69cb86ed5db790169095296b7eadeab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">ZACHOR Foundation</small></p><p>"In my mind there are questions that have never been answered," Ben writes in the opening of his memoir. "You might be surprised to learn that my first unanswered question is not, Why did that <em>insane</em> Hitler try to destroy the Jewish People? Instead, my first unanswered question is, Why did the so-called sane world stand by and let this Genocide happen?<br></p><p>"Having experienced the savagery of genocide first-hand as a child, while living in a supposedly modern, cultured, European country, I also have two additional questions: One, What are the circumstances and choices that led up to this and other genocides? And two: What must we do to prevent it from happening again? Anywhere. Because, sadly, as the old saying tells us, '<em>The more things change, the more they stay the same.'</em>" </p><p>These are the questions Ben seeks to help all of us answer as time takes us further and further away from the Holocaust. Ben is one of a handful of survivors who are able to share first-hand experiences as Jews under Nazi terror—a fact he was keenly aware of when he founded the <em>ZACHOR</em> Holocaust Remembrance Foundation in 2009. "ZACHOR" means "REMEMBER," and the purpose of the foundation is to make sure the world never forgets the lessons of the Holocaust or the millions of individual lives that were taken there. </p><p>The story of the Holocaust isn't just in the masses of humanity killed, but in the individual stories of those who survived. For years, Ben spoke at schools, sharing his story with young people. At 91, Ben has retired from the school circuit, but he's not slowing down in his efforts to teach the lesson of what hate can lead to. </p><p><em>ZACHOR</em> has just launched an <a href="http://zachorlearn.org" target="_blank">online Holocaust curriculum</a>—the first to be created and facilitated by and through the firsthand testimonial of a survivor. Ben told Upworthy that he wanted to create a curriculum that would be free and easy for teachers to access so there would be no excuse for schools not to teach about the Holocaust.</p><p>Considering the study findings that came out today, Ben's curriculum could not be more timely.</p><div id="e9610" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="446af13e5eae2e09da5450e05afc8fb5"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1306210527929077761" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The findings of a study on young Americans' knowledge of the #Holocaust are terrifying:
• 23% say it’s a myth/exag… https://t.co/DAB9lNLCOS</div> — David Gilbert (@David Gilbert)<a href="https://twitter.com/daithaigilbert/statuses/1306210527929077761">1600259832.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/survey-finds-shocking-lack-holocaust-knowledge-among-millennials-gen-z-n1240031" target="_blank">50-state survey of young adults</a> in the U.S. found that nearly two-thirds were unaware that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, nearly 1 in 4 say they think the Holocaust is a myth or that it's exaggerated, and approximately 1 in 10 had either had never heard of it, didn't think it happened at all, or—perhaps most alarmingly—think Jews were responsible for it. <br></p><p>Clearly, we need to be doing a better job of educating our kids about the Holocaust. If we don't, the online disinformation machine will lead them to believe it was all a hoax.</p><p>The<a href="http://zachorlearn.org" target="_blank"> Zachor Holocaust Curriculum</a> consists of eight lessons, which interweave Ben's personal story with facts about the Eastern European part of the war, how Hitler and the Nazis operated, and the Holocaust in general. It includes written content, fact inserts, photographs, and videos. It is free to register to use, and available to anyone with internet. </p><p>Perhaps the most unique element of the ZACHOR curriculum is the interactive component. Ben has created a <a href="https://zachorlearn.org/bens-storyfile/" target="_blank">Storyfile</a>—a mix of artificial intelligence and hologram technology that will enable people to ask Ben questions and get answers long after he's no longer here. He spent hours answering thousands of questions, all of which was recorded from various angles and put into the Storyfile program, so people will always be able to hear Ben's answers to their questions from his own mouth.</p><p>Ben's foundation has also launched an anti-bullying campaign called "I SHOUT OUT." Anyone can go to the website<a href="https://www.i-shout-out.org/" target="_blank"> i-shout-out.org </a>and share what they shout out for—equality, peace, human rights, etc.—to let the world they stand against hatred. </p><p>I asked Ben what is the main message he wants people to take from the horrors of the Holocaust. He said, "It's very simple. Stop the hatred." </p><p>We all need to listen and heed Ben's words. Even just this five-minute video in which he shares how the Holocaust got started is worth viewing and sharing with our kids. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2b080bbd863d2353dc2f099f8a6e8adf"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yOqTNbpAjnc?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">3 - Ben's Testimony. It all started with hatred.</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://youtu.be/yOqTNbpAjnc" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
</small>
</p><p>It may be a few more years before I share the full scope of Nazi cruelty with my son. But I will absolutely make sure that he knows what happened during WWII, about the millions of lives destroyed by hatred, and how, as Ben says, "One person with the gift of gab could turn the minds of millions." </p><p><em>Zachor </em>indeed<em>.</em> We will remember. </p>
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Heartbroken mom who can't afford her son's insulin asks how other Americans are making it
01.14.21
Katie Schieffer is a mom of a 9-year-old who was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after spending some time in the ICU. Diabetes is a nuisance of a disease on its own, requiring blood sugar checks and injections of insulin several times a day. It can also be expensive to maintain—especially as the cost of insulin (which is actually quite inexpensive to make) has risen exponentially.
Schieffer shared an emotional video on TikTok after she'd gone to the pharmacy to pick up her son's insulin and was smacked with a bill for $1000. "I couldn't pay for it," she says through tears in the video. "I now have to go in and tell my 9-year-old son I couldn't pay for it."
<p>Schieffer explained that she has been working for 17 years and that she and her husband both work full-time. She works third shift and goes to school during the day. "How are you guys making it?" she asked. "Am I the only one struggling?" </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@slimkwow/video/6909568584704380165" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="6909568584704380165" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@slimkwow" target="_blank" title="@slimkwow">@slimkwow</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/type1diabetes" target="_blank" title="type1diabetes">##type1diabetes</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kids" target="_blank" title="kids">##kids</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/struggle" target="_blank" title="struggle">##struggle</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ontheedge" target="_blank" title="ontheedge">##ontheedge</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/imdone" target="_blank" title="imdone">##imdone</a><br> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6909568584406633221" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Katie Schieffer">♬ original sound - Katie Schieffer</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>She's not the only one struggling, of course. The unaffordability of healthcare in the U.S. is a national crisis. While the Affordable Care Act helped millions access health insurance, there are still <a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/" target="_blank">millions of Americans</a> who are uninsured or underinsured. And medical bills can still be hard to cover, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/12/934146128/despite-aca-coverage-gains-millions-still-suffer-catastrophic-health-care-costs" target="_blank">even if you have insurance</a>. </p><p>Speaking from experience, out-of-pocket expenses after insurance can still cost thousands of dollars. Even just doing diagnostic tests, scans, and procedures to figure out what an issue is—not even getting into treating whatever it is yet—can be too steep after insurance pays their portion for many families to afford. Americans have to constantly weigh whether the risk of missing a serious health issue outweighs the debilitating cost of a test to rule it out. </p><p>Schieffer's video went viral and she received a beautiful outpouring of support and advice. Some commenters shared how she can get insulin in an affordable way, including going to the medicine manufacturer's website and getting their cost assistance forms. She explained in a comment and a follow-up video that it was actually the blood sugar monitor that was $1100 and not covered under their insurance, and people suggested the same cost assistance route. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@slimkwow/video/6909804835722333445" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="6909804835722333445" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@slimkwow" target="_blank" title="@slimkwow">@slimkwow</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6909804808161495814" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Katie Schieffer">♬ original sound - Katie Schieffer</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>Others just chimed in with words of solidarity, agreeing that our system is broken. More than a few suggested she share her Venmo account name in her profile so people could help crowdfund financial assistance for her son's medical care. If that alone isn't a sign that the system is broken, nothing is.<br></p><p>Schieffer is getting it all worked out with the helpful advice and generosity of strangers, and she shared a video from her son about how he's doing as he learns to manage his diabetes.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@slimkwow/video/6917016007764643078" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="6917016007764643078" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@slimkwow" target="_blank" title="@slimkwow">@slimkwow</a> Please don't take this one down we didn't show any needles or “drug use". <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/t1d" target="_blank" title="t1d">##t1d</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kids" target="_blank" title="kids">##kids</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/thankyou" target="_blank" title="thankyou">##thankyou</a><br> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6917016000995150597" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Katie Schieffer">♬ original sound - Katie Schieffer</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>When stories like this go viral, it's a mixed bag. While it's inspiring to see people rally around a fellow human being with love and support, it's also infuriating to realize how dystopian it can be here in the "land of the free." The U.S. is supposed to be some kind of beacon of light to the world, but what kind of shithole country lets its citizens go bankrupt or die because they can't afford to go to the doctor or pay for their medications? Part of why our health outcomes are so abysmal compared to other developed nations is because people don't get the medical care they need because they can't afford it. That's just plain ridiculous.</p><p>If anyone wants to help this mama and kiddo out, here's where you can send donations. (Just be aware that someone has set up fake accounts with an extra "r" at the end, so be sure you only see one "r" in Schieffer.)</p><p>Venmo: @Katherine-Schieffer </p><p>PayPal:@KatherineSchieffer</p><p>No one should have to crowdfund to pay for healthcare, but here we are. Hopefully with a new administration coming in, we'll make more strides toward joining the rest of the developed world in ensuring that healthcare is truly affordable for all Americans.</p>
<div id="8585c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a738fe0ed19c105cf689a6c74a2bbb34"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349394907379720196" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">No mother should have to go through this.
A vial of insulin costs about $5 to make. Yet people with diabetes are… https://t.co/E5u09AMWss</div> — Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statuses/1349394907379720196">1610555791.0</a></blockquote></div>
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