It Will Happen
America likes to think of itself as a world leader in most every endeavor. We always like to be first, to be on top, to win. We take pride in ourselves, our abilities, our initiative, and are quite satisfied to perceive the rest of the planet trailing behind us. Well, we're not the best in the world when the discussion turns to health care. Most other civilized countries have nationalized plans that provide health care to all citizens. These plans are widely accessible, readily used, they provide top quality care, and the benefits to each countries society is undeniable.
Why we don't do it here is really no mystery. There's too much money to be made. Never mind that we have millions who cannot afford medical care - parents who cannot care for their children, children who cannot care for their elderly parents, husbands or wives who cannot afford medical care for their spouses. Never mind that there are many studies showing the inefficiencies in our “system” are hugely expensive and wasteful. Never mind that our system has huge bureaucracies that suck huge amounts of money out of this economy. Never mind that other countries look at us and wonder why we don't care about our fellow citizens. There's too much money to be made.
With millions of Americans losing health insurance and crying for relief from soaring medical costs, Illinois is considering a bold and once-unthinkable proposal--extending medical coverage to all state residents.
"Medical providers are taking it on the chin. Consumers are taking it on the chin. Employers are taking it on the chin. And there's a real feeling out there that this could be the last great chance we have to do something," said Howard Lerner, who heads the new health-care task force and is president of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
What's really new is the fact that consumer and business organizations, medical providers, health insurers, lawmakers and others are working together for the first time to consider reform options.
People continue to die needlessly. Sooner or later, America will wake up and know that Universal Health Care for all citizens is not only a necessity, it is also the only moral path we should travel. What type of society are we if we don't care for one another? Who would Jesus deny medical care to?
Posted on The Human Stain
posted by James Roberts at
2/26/2006 08:12:00 PM
1 Comments:
It's so sad really. I used to be a big fan of a strong federal government that handles these things for America. After all, it was Lincoln who said that the job of the Federal government was to do for the people what they can't do or can't do well by themselves, but it seems that in the Bush age, the only thing the Fed is able to do is go to war over nothing and give tax breaks to the rich. In NYC, where I'm from, our Mayor overhauled the NYPD pretty much himself when we couldn't get federal support and did the same for our School system that sucked as well. So it seems that the Feds are giving the word that States need to fend for themselves. It's great when they can afford it, and I'm happy if the jobs get done, but if the Feds can't (or won't) do it, the people that get screwed the most are our poorest states (see Louisiana for details). If we are ever going to have Universal Health coverage a good place to begin would be the US Governors. If they shout loud enough maybe the rest of Congress will hear.
By
Teethwriter, at 2/27/2006 1:06 PM
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