Most if not all of us have either been to an emergency room or to a doctor's office. We get there and fill out a mountain of paperwork, wait for what seems an eternity to get called to the back, and wait another lifetime before the actual doctor comes in and does a three minute exam and gives us a prescription for drugs to help us feel better. On top of all of this is the most important stack of paperwork that we have to fill out, the insurance information. This is the form that both the doctor's office and the emergency room staff seem to stress over the most. One of the reasons that we wait so long in the lobby is because there is someone who is making sure that the hospital is going to get paid while we sit in pain. They verify that our insurance is valid and that we are covered for the services that will be performed that day. It is possible to get treated without insurance, but it would result in receiving a huge hospital bill which most of can't afford that would ultimately ruin our credit rating, in turn affecting other aspects of our lives. I have always defended our healthcare system because I felt that it keeps lazy, deceitful lowlifes from taking advantage of it and driving our premiums up. But after watching the documentary, "Sicko" and doing more research on our system, I am leaning more towards a universal healthcare system like the rest of the industrialized nations have. I believe that if we adopted a universal healthcare system, our citizens would have healthier and happier lives.
Many of us neglect going to the doctor on a regular basis because we don't have adequate healthcare coverage. Some of us have to come up with ten, twenty, or even fifty dollar co-pays before we can be seen. Even after we are seen and diagnosed, it's such a hassle trying to get the proper care because the insurance companies are trying their best to withhold our claims. They throw every excuse in the book at us in order not to pay our claims. From "preexisting condition" to "experimental procedure", insurance companies do everything to save themselves money and deny us our right to proper care. As a result, we miss out on preventative measures that could possibly extend our lives. The United States ranks 21st in life expectancy for men and 20th for women. I think this is directly related to the high cost and the inability to obtain quality healthcare.
My wife recently gave birth to our son at a major hospital here in Jacksonville. While we were there, she and the baby were given the best possible care by very courteous and professional employees. Even though I was elated to have my son safely delivered into our lives, I couldn't help but worry how much the bill would be after my insurance company paid their portion. Sure enough, a few weeks after we got the baby home and settled, hospital and doctor bills started coming in the mail. Luckily, my wife and I were prepared and were able to handle the bills but other people are not so lucky. The high cost of healthcare can cause some people to go into serious debt. This causes unnecessary stress which is one cause of heart disease. People in debt are usually less happy than those that are not. Unhappy citizens make for a resentful nation and more crime. If we didn't have to worry about our healthcare costs, our citizens would have less debt therefore making life a little easier to bear.
Many politicians in this country are vehemently outspoken against a universal healthcare system. They would have us believe that we have the greatest healthcare system in the world. In reality, the United States ranks poorly compared to other industrialized nations in healthcare despite having the best trained healthcare providers and the best medical infrastructure of any industrialized nation. They also would have us believe that universal healthcare would be too expensive when in reality the costs would be lower than the current system due to lower administrative costs. Any argument that the government can throw at us can be proven wrong with extensive research. So why do we continue to deprive our citizens of free healthcare? So the rich can get richer and the poor to stay that way. Enjoy your shorter lifespan and life of debt.
4 comments:
HA HA funny at the end or i didnt get it. Congratulations GOD bless your son he is the future! Apprecitate ya!
You make an excellent point about the way politicans will come up with every escuse in the world to argue against universal healthcare. The whole while they are arguing,people are dieing. It's reaaly sad.
Congraulation on your little one!
Nice conclusion, "Enjoy your shorter life span and life of debt." Nice. You made it personal, and that is what it needs to be. From the get go I could tell that here was some one who had experienced healthcare in the U.S. firsthand.
Good Job! I liked the post and can appreciate the experience you've gone through. Your comment "Many of us neglect going to the doctor on a regular basis because we don't have adequate healthcare coverage" is unfortunately true in most cases. I too was once in that same boat until I married a military retiree and became active duty military myself. We have too many friends that pay monthly what we pay annually for health coverage and I consider our military healthcare benefits above average. I too believe we should as a nation adopt universal healthcare; it would negate premature losses of loved ones and promote a more healthier and stronger people in our country... we do afterall have the freedom to do so!
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