All Americans should have access to affordable health care.
It”s stupid that we”re the only rich democracy that doesn”t provide public health care.
In President Barack Obama”s speech to a joint session of congress Sept. 9, he said:
“Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can”t get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and can”t afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or too expensive to cover. We are the only democracy ? the only advanced democracy on Earth ? the only wealthy nation ? that allows such hardship for millions of its people.”
About 50 million Americans don”t have health care, including about seven million children, according to an Associated Press article. These people are sometimes denied care because they can”t pay.
Insurance companies also deny paying policyholders” doctor-recommended prescriptions, procedures and life-saving treatments because of money.
Obama said to congress: “But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem for the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you”ll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won”t pay the full cost of care. It happens every day.”
Something as important as health care, the health of Americans, shouldn”t be sidelined because of money or fear. People should be able to go to the doctor and get treatment without worrying about money. And Americans shouldn”t be afraid to move forward because they can”t see everything down the road ? no one can.
“We spend one and a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we aren”t any healthier for it.” Obama said. “This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages. It”s why so many employers ? especially small businesses ? are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely. It”s why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally ? like our automakers ? are at a huge disadvantage. And it”s why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it ? about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else”s emergency room and charitable care.”
So, I ask, aside from the cost and the unreasonable worry that health care could get worse, why shouldn”t the United States support a public health care option? I have yet to hear a good reason.
The details of legislation are being ironed out now. A senator”s proposal includes provisions to keep illegal immigrants from obtaining coverage and prevents funds from being used for abortions, except in the case of rape, incest or danger to the mother, according to an Associated Press article.
Instead of fighting about money and fears, let”s move forward as a country and take better care of our people.
“I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road ? to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term,” Obama said. “But that is not what the moment calls for. That”s not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it”s hard. I still believe ? I still believe that we can act when it”s hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history”s test.”
Katy Sweeny is a Record-Bee reporter. She can be reached at ksweeny@record-bee.com or 263-5636, ext. 37.
