Although I have been fairly politically active in my life, I don’t plan, as a general rule, to address political issues in this blog. I’ve made that decision because I am sad to see the tremendous political divide in this country today, and the gaps that have opened up between people of good will on each side. I believe a lot of this divide is actually artificial, driven by a media culture that thrives on conflict. When people find common ground, that is not news. When people call each other names, that garners airtime. So broadcasters and talk show hosts fan the flames of dissent.
My life and my work are about celebrating unity, not about supporting division. Having said all that, I’m going to go out on a limb and offer my opinion on the healthcare legislation slated for a vote today in Congress.
I believe it is a tragedy that more than 40 million people in perhaps the richest country on earth do not have access to healthcare. For the most part, these are working people who pay taxes and contribute to our American way of life.
We’ve all heard the stories. A woman friend of mine suffered a serious stroke eight years ago. She was in graduate school, with little income and no health insurance. She was taken to the emergency room and got immediate treatment, but could not afford the intensive rehab she needed. Her recovery has been much slower and more difficult that it would have been had she had the appropriate ongoing care. I have friends whose insurance costs have doubled after an illness. Other friends have had their health insurance terminated. Many people who could afford private health insurance are denied coverage. My own daughter, who is the mother of four children, has no health insurance. It’s simply not within her reach, financially.
Over the years, there have been some milestones. Medicare has undoubtedly saved the lives of many seniors, and Medicaid the lives of many children in low-income families. Children’s Health Insurance Programs in the various states have made health insurance affordable for many more children. But the U.S. continues to trail other developed countries in access to good medical care, and the World Health Organization ranks our healthcare system only 37th in the world.
When uninsured people get sick, they go to hospital emergency rooms, which often charge thousands of dollars for a visit. The patients can’t afford to pay these bills, so they end up being covered by us, the taxpayers. Overall, the cost of healthcare has grown more than 17% in the past year. It is one of the major drains on our beleaguered economy, and we simply cannot fail to act to curb these rising costs.
Most first-world countries provide healthcare through some form of government support, and citizens of those countries are generally pleased with their systems. But the U.S. is a highly individualistic society, and we value and protect entrepreneurship and private enterprise. Accordingly, our insurance companies, healthcare institutions, medical suppliers and drug companies have grown stronger and stronger. Using the carrot and the stick, buying millions of dollars in advertising and using organizational blinds as fronts, as well as contributing millions to legislators, they wield enormous power. Although many people believe some form of government program, such as an expansion of Medicare, or a single-payer program, would be the best option, that simply isn’t going to happen now.
So we’re left with a healthcare proposal that is, without a doubt, an inelegant mess. The old adage says making law is like making sausage, and we’ve all had a front seat view of the meat grinder. It’s not pretty. Still, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reports the proposed legislation will cover 32 million more Americans, bringing the total covered up to 95% of the population, while reducing the deficit $138 billion over the next ten years.
Many of my conservative friends don’t trust the government’s ability to make good healthcare law, and feel Washington should stay out of the process all together. But clearly, that is not working on so many levels, both human and economic. I hear many middle-class people say they are happy with their present healthcare, and they don’t see the need for change. The good news is that this proposed law will not change their coverage. But it will protect them from potentially losing coverage, or having their premiums explode, if they themselves one day experience a serious health condition.
As a society, we have left behind the days of workhouses for debtors and children working 15 hour days in factory sweatshops. Isn’t it time we step into the 21st century, and ensure this most basic of human rights?