According to the US Department of Health and Human Services there were 45.8 million people living in the United States without health insurance. In my mind, along with millions of others, this figure is unacceptable.
The United States is one of the only Industrialized Nations in the world to not have a Universal Healthcare Program for its citizens. Germany, Great Britain, Japan and Canada are only a few of the countries that have a national program to insure their citizens. For god’s sake, even Cuba has a healthcare system that puts ours to shame.
Every year more and more Americans live without the benefit of insurance. At first glance this doesn’t seem to be of great importance, but if you take a look at the facts maybe you’ll come to understand the urgency of the matter. An uninsured person is more likely to have chronic health problems because they cannot afford to receive routine medical treatment. One of the contributing factors is the high cost of prescriptions, people can ill afford to pay the outrageous costs demanded by pharmaceutical companies. Uninsured people also have a higher risk of premature morbidity.
Some of you may think that this isn’t your problem and that it only affects the person who is without insurance, but you’re mistaken. Persons without insurance also affect you and I. An uninsured person is more likely to miss work, spread communicable diseases and clog up urgent care facilities. Many uninsured will go to the emergency room for minor issues. Who do you think pays when the outrageous bills from these visits go unpaid? You guessed it, the privately insured does. Medical facilities raise their costs and insurance premiums increase to help offset the higher costs of medical treatment.
One way to stop this nonsense is for our government to get off their rumps and start working on a universal healthcare system that will benefit the U.S. Senator Barack Obama is only one of a few of our countries leaders who support such a plan. Obama supports a National Healthcare Plan that would provide coverage of everyone, have affordable premiums/deductibles and provide easy enrollment. This plan includes the mandatory coverage of minors under the age of 18.
It’s time to wake up America, stop asking what others can do for you, stop burying your head in the sand and open your eyes. This problem will not resolve itself and it’s not a problem for others to solve. Each of us must do our part to help our fellow man.
"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied." - Herophilus
2 comments:
In response to my classmate’s blog, I count too!, I agree the universal health insurance is an issue that needs to be decided with a great sense of urgency. One statistic quoted within the blog is that 45.8 million Americans are without health insurance, and indeed, this is a staggering rate that should be intolerable. However, the issue is more complex than what it seen on the surface. My classmate seems to think that universal health coverage is what is best for Americans and getting involved is necessary. Sure, the words, “Every American is now insured” sounds great to the ear, but what are the consequences? Has anyone ever thought who is going to pay for all this? Yes, the insured are currently paying for the uninsured peoples’ abuse of the emergency room for a quick-fix, and hopes are that with universal coverage everyone will share a portion of the price. However, lower-income families may not be able to provide these funds, so the government will be forced to turn to the wealthy for help to keep the program running. Is this truly an ethical practice? Or the government doesn’t turn to the people, and we find ourselves in further in debt. I also agree that an uninsured person is more likely to have chronic health problems because they cannot afford to receive routine medical treatment. But there has to be some other solution to the problem. As part of my commentary to the said blog, I have the same opinion that it was beneficial for Barack Obama to bring the issue to national attention. High-officials should be made aware of what is going on with the “common” people. A final thought, my classmate is correct, this problem will not go away unless everyone can come together and do their part to help those around us.
I could not agree more with your article. My family and I are originally from Cuba and although the economic situation in Cuba is awful we never struggled with health care. Even though Cuba is a communist and third world country, it has one of the best medical systems in the world and it is completely free. On the other hand, in the United States many immigrants do not have a health care insurance and have to pay outrageous medical bills. I know from first hand that not having insurance is another factor that influences our decision on how long to wait before deciding to go to a doctor’s office, and by the time we do what ever illness we have has progressed even more.
The United States needs to establish a Universal Health Care program and fast. With a health care program there will be no need for Medicaid or Medicare funds, instead everyone would have equal access to health care providers. After all the middle class is the one most affected by not having medical insurance, people with low incomes have the opportunity to have Medicaid and those with high incomes can afford excellent healthcare. However, what happens with the middle class? We cannot afford everything, so we have to choose between some indispensible needs and healthcare. Many times, we choose to have other things and not the highly priced insurances.
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