Healthcare
Robert P. Watson
Harry Truman used to give a speech to new aides when they came to work for him. President Truman told them that the bankers had their lobbyists, the big corporations had their attorneys, and the privileged had their pals in Congress. But, he reminded his staff, the regular folks had only us (Truman and his staff) and the people needed Truman to champion their causes. This is a lesson not lost on me, but apparently not heeded by the current Administration. Nowhere is this more needed today than with the issue of healthcare.
Quite simply, we are in the midst of a healthcare crisis. Healthcare costs are escalating at rates far above inflation and over 50 million Americans have NO health insurance, while countless others are underinsured. A disproportionate percent of those without coverage or with too little coverage are mothers with young children.
If President Bush and the Republican Congress wanted to make good on their claim to lead with values and morals, then I can think of no better examples of a gap between our values and our actions than the reality of leaving millions of American children without healthcare, failing to provide enough flu vaccinations during flu season, and putting the profits of big insurance companies above the healthcare of our citizens. Healthcare is a "values issue" and providing universal coverage is the moral answer to the dilemma.
almost one-half of Americans declaring bankruptcy do so because of runaway medical costs.
Tragically, our fellow Americans are delaying treatment, have no preventative care, and often their first healthcare comes when they visit the hospital. An emergency room is no place for primary care! This not only increases everyone’s costs – on average only one-third of the cost of treatment comes directly out of the pocket of the uninsured, while the rest is passed on to the taxpayer – but is unacceptable in a nation as great as the U.S. And many Americans are one paycheck or one health crisis away from bankruptcy. After all, almost one-half of those declaring bankruptcy do so because of runaway medical costs and a family health emergency.
Universal healthcare is not only the moral course of action and best way to assure that our children, families, and seniors enjoy the right to good health, but it is good for the economy. General Motors had to layoff 25,000 employees. It did so in good part because of the soaring costs of healthcare. It is estimated that approximately $1,500 of the cost of each GM car is healthcare, meaning there is more healthcare than steel in each car.
GM – like its competitors in Japan, Korea, and Germany – would like to be out of the employer-based healthcare business to focus on the auto business. The U.S. remains the only industrialized nation on the planet without universal healthcare and, if we do not act, it is foolish to think that the present course of action of doing nothing will address the healthcare crisis.
