The
Health Care Mess
by Ted Miller
(originally published August 2017 in Tumbleweird)
When did the American Dream transform from equal opportunity
for all to every man for himself? When
did we lose our capacity for compassion, our willingness to take care of each
other, our belief that everyone deserves to have their basic needs met? In this land of plenty, no one should go
hungry, no one should be forced to sleep on the streets, and no one should have
to suffer because they can’t afford medical care.
The founders of our country believed we were stronger when
we worked together for the good of all.
Time and time again we have come together to improve the lives of our
fellow citizens. When millions of people were suffering from poverty and
hunger, we established a social safety net to protect the most vulnerable. Through taxpayer funded government programs, we
have led the world with advances in science and technology, contributing to a
better life for all. We maintain a
military force without rival. We have
built an infrastructure of roads and utilities that has allowed individuals and
businesses to prosper. We have provided electricity, clean water, communication
systems and transportation across the country and into rural America. We provide an education for every child. We
have continually improved public health through sanitation, food and drug
regulation, environmental regulations and basic medical research.
But somehow, basic health care is not something that we
guarantee for each other. Instead, we have a byzantine system of employer
provided insurance, government programs for the poor and elderly, and
individual insurance plans that still leave tens of millions uninsured. We
spend significantly more on health care per capita in the United States with no
better outcomes than countries that provide health care to everyone. And while
the rest of the world has largely adopted universal health care, the United
States lags behind in fulfilling this basic need for all its citizens.
No one should have to worry about cost when they need
medical care, yet for millions of Americans how to pay to see a doctor is a
struggle with every injury or illness. I have a friend here in the Tri-Cities
who, in her fifties, was forced to go without health insurance for six months
because she lost her job and could not afford an individual policy that would
cost her hundreds of dollars each month in premiums and a seven-thousand-dollar
deductible. She worried every day that
she was one accident or illness away from financial disaster, all because she
was unemployed through no fault of her own.
Justin Raffa, the Artistic Director of the Mid-Columbia
Mastersingers, lost his health insurance when he left his full time public
teaching position to earn his master’s degree before moving to Richland under
contract to the Mastersingers. After four years without health insurance, he
was finally able to afford an individual plan. Within a year, at the age of 30,
he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The
surgery, radiation treatment and numerous tests and procedures added up to
hundreds of thousands of dollars that his new health insurance covered. He now faces a lifetime of medication and will
always have a “pre-existing condition.” If he had not had insurance, he would
be facing a lifetime of debt in addition to his lifetime of medical
treatment. He was lucky, but luck
shouldn’t be a factor in whether anyone can afford health care.
We have the means to provide quality medical care to every
American, regardless of their income, their employment status, their age, or
their medical history. In countries with universal health care, they have
better preventive care, lower costs and equal or better outcomes. People with
universal coverage focus on maintaining their health without the stress and
worry of how to pay for it.
Myths and misinformation about the cost and inefficiencies
of universal health care are rampant, but the truth is that universal health
care is better for public health, the economy, and the individual. There are a
variety of successful universal health care systems around the world. A single payer government system, a hybrid of
private and public insurance, or any number of other programs could be adopted
in the United States. The goal should be quality health care for all of our citizens.
The debate should be about how best to achieve universal coverage, not how to
dismantle the limited progress we have made.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was a big step toward
providing access to health care for the uninsured. Other provisions in the law ensure coverage
for those with pre-existing conditions and minimum requirements improved
coverage while eliminating junk insurance policies. There are flaws in
Obamacare that must be corrected or it will not be sustainable, but simply repealing
the law and eliminating coverage for tens of millions is not the answer. Congress should be working to improve the
lives of all our citizens, not playing partisan politics in a misguided effort
to gain more power at the expense of so many.
Health care is as fundamental a need as food, clean water
and housing. No one should suffer
because they don’t have access to adequate medical care. Developing a plan that
will move the United States towards universal health care is the only moral and
ethical choice.
