My wife is doing much better, though she is still in the hospital. If we are lucky she’ll be coming home soon. I’m writing because I’ve had occasion to consider how truly fortunate we are.
We have health insurance. And disability insurance should my wife’s recovery extend past her accumulated sick leave. We still pay thousands of dollars each year to cover our prescription medicines and medical service co-pays, but if we had to bear the full financial burden of those costs, we would be looking at triple or quadruple what comes out of our pockets today.
Yet, millions of Americans have no health insurance. It’s not because they aren’t hard working, but because they are. They aren’t poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, or old enough for Medicare. Take a look at this diary over at Daily Kos for an idea of the type of nightmare even a minor health issue can lead to for people who lack health care coverage. Truly, for these millions of uninsured people our so-called best health care system in the world is a tragedy of pain, suffering and often death.
For our wealthiest citizens, health care is not even a concern, but for anyone who lives from paycheck to paycheck, it is a looming financial burden, one which at anytime might turn into a financial and medical catastrophe should that paycheck ever be lost. I know it is my greatest fear.
The Republicans will run on the Terror platform this Fall. They think they can frighten us sufficiently with terrorist bogeymen to make us forget what a horrid job they have done providing for the general welfare of our nation’s citizens. Democrats need to run on the Freedom from Fear platform. One of it’s major planks should be affordable national health care for everyone.
No one in America should have to fear a lack of medical care. No one.
