Righteous Indignation, Ch. 13 (p 94-101)
The Blood of Our Neighbors: American Health Care Reform -- Fox & Seltman
Last night a group of us born in eight different countries discussed health care in the U.S. Two of the participants were graduate students from Ghana. They are appalled (this is not an overstatement) that basic health care is so expensive here.
One has to have monthly blood work, and he can't afford this expense that his basic school insurance does not cover. Back at home, in what he describes as a developing nation, he is able to get this done with minimal cost. The other, a PhD candidate in education, shared his wife's experience studying in England. She had to have 2 surgeries while living there, and the costs were covered for her.
We understood their frustration, as we are dealing with our second major medical bill without insurance (previous experiences described here). Two other friends of ours are having a midwife deliver their baby at home because they don't have adequate insurance. They are just praying the birth goes smoothly.
All this is to say that I don't approach this subject with an unbiased attitude. I understand the experiences of both uninsured and under-insured. For those who want to learn more about the US debacle, you can begin with these older articles:
- France is healthcare leader, US comes dead last: study (AFP, 8 Jan '08)
- US Ranks Last Among Other Industrialized Nations On Preventable Deaths, Report Shows (Science News, 8 Jan '08)
- SiCKO [I wrote this review and analysis at the end of 2007.]
"The Rabbis explain that the elders need not proclaim that they are innocent of murder, but rather that they are innocent of ignoring a person at risk and in need" (p 95).
"...unless we intervene, we are guilty" (p 95).
"If the community, or the body politic, has the power to prevent life-threatening illness, or to treat that illness, and does not, it stands liable" (p 98).
How can I intervene? What can I do about health care? What is my part?
(2) "Patients are not to be seen as sources of profit, but as God's children, all equally deserving of good medical care" (p 97).
This makes sense to me from since I come from a Judeo-Christian background. But how can we effectively argue this in the context of capitalism and free markets and supply-and-demand and no-free-lunch? What is a wise approach?
(3) "The solution is a single-payer universal health care" (p 98).
What are the pros and cons of this solution? How can the obstacles listed by the author (i.e., stakeholders in the current system) be overcome? Are there any other solutions on the table for consideration?
(4) "What can individuals do?" (p 99).
We are directed to Healthcare--NOW!. What level of involvement can you sustain on this issue? How high of a priority is it for you?
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