I was just reading an article on CNN this morning and its a familiar story of a family who has been battling with Cancer for years and eventually couldn’t afford their skyrocketing health insurance premiums. The article points out that in 1981 6% of personal bankruptcy was over medical bills. In 2007 that number is up to 62% of all personal bankruptcy resulting from medical bills.
Our system of providing health care is broken, and its getting more broken. Although we have some of the most innovative specialists in the world in this country, many can’t gain access to them. So when reading this CNN story it occurred to me.
Health Care provision should not be in the hands of for-profit companies. Its only natural that they are concerned with profits, investor concerns and Wall Street. So they make decisions only as generous as is required by state law. Their very existence puts them at odds with patients needs. Maybe its time to rethink this. Maybe a public option or single payer system is in order because this is an issue of protecting the citizenry.
We have a public military.
We have a public police force.
We have a public education system.
We have private alternatives for each of these. However, the public service is adequate in most cases and in some cases, exemplary.
Just a few thoughts for this morning.
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