Maggie Cohen
EXTRA CREDIT
Kay Tillo: Single Payer Health Care: A Human Right
Is something wrong with American’s health care? I never really had much of an opinion on this subject, because currently I am on my parents company insurance, I never had to worry about the costs, effects, and problem in the health care system. I went to this presentation by Kay Tillo, which started out with several eye opening f facts concerning American health care. America has the highest number of infant mortality of six developed countries, which is three times as high as Sweden. Also compared with these same six countries America has the highest number of maternal fatality. This isn’t okay, so now when I am asked is something wrong with America’s health care? I can now answer yes, and something needs to be done.
The problem with America’s health care, is single payer people can not afford the high costs that health care is, or the health insurance companies are denying people coverage due to diseases or previous illnesses, they only agree to cover the healthiest people. My best friends mom is a survivor of breast cancer, and she isn’t eligible to be accessible for health insurance for five years. This is an injustice in health. The number of uninsured people is increasing one million each year. Not having health insurance is a problem in itself, but it also effects people in other ways, people are unable to pay their bills, they are racking up medical debt, and they are getting numerous calls from collection agency’s. People’s socio economic status is critical to health care, and with the economy in a bad situation, the problem is only increasing and premiums and profits are only rising. We need a real health care reform before our premium takes all our income; this is predicted to happen if nothing changes.
In this presentation several examples were given about people who severely suffered and still are, due to America’s serious health care problem. In most examples the results were death due to not being able to afford treatment, not being able to get surgery, or individuals could not afford their medications. One man killed himself because of the stress he was going through and the stress it was putting on his family. They gave one example where a lady got a free mammogram, had breast cancer, but couldn’t afford any of the treatment, and shortly after she died. One elderly man had a double hernia, the surgeon agreed to operate for $500 for each hernia, but he couldn’t afford the hospital cost of $8,000. Is this okay America that people are dyeing because of a system that doesn’t work but we are not doing anything about?
Single payer solution just might be the answer, it is the soul of democracy, to care and protect the people in our country. To offer freedom and health care for a lifetime. Where individuals can pick their doctors, their hospitals, ect. This will give total access to healthcare for all residents of America; no one will be denied care. What can we as citizens do? Well in order for single payer to go into effect, we need official support, so we need to elect officials who support this. Insurance now is all commercial, and this is the problem, it can not be in the solution. This is a movement, a call to action. We need to remove the private profit insurance corporation, this “profit” is a huge problem, it produces as much profit for stockholders, which cuts back insurance and insurance only the healthiest people.
This solution will fund health care publically, covering everyone automatically. This is a humane system. America needs to catch up with the other industrialized countries. The money to publically fund this healthcare reform will come from the taxes of all residents, these taxes will be less than premiums, co-payments, deductibles, and co-insurance. Of the 435 politicians, 72 are in favor of this movement, we need to get this number to majority. The reasons the politicians are against this, has nothing to do with the future of America and their people, but the fact that these insurance companies fund a lot of money to these politicians campaigns. This is a big change that is blocked by the big corporations, so in order to put the single payer solution into affect we have to build this from the people up.
Is this a human right? I think as a human and a citizen of the United States I have the right to know I will always have access to health care. Our tax dollars go to the roads we drive on, so why not pay taxes to help us live healthier lives, and not have to worry about the expensive aspects of healthcare now days. We do things socially, why not health care?
