There's nothing like personal experience to influence how you feel about something. Of course, compassion and empathy can stand in its place but, apparently, those two qualities are in increasingly short supply.
When it comes to health care in America, I come down, squarely, in the single-payer camp. Only by guaranteeing a decent level of health care for all Americans can we all be safe. I'll tell you why.
1. My family has saved thousands of dollars (more than $20,000 total) because of Obamacare. Our children are able to stay on our insurance until they are 26. One turns 26 at the end of this year and should be ready to handle that need on his own by then. We all know the deadline is approaching, and he is working and getting ready to take on that financial responsibility.
2. I have a friend who will suffer from a terrible disease for the rest of her life because she is not covered by insurance and did not get the health care she needed to avoid the problem. Between her family and mine, we have managed to keep her alive. Now, even though she has a good job, she can't get insurance because of her pre-existing condition. That part of Obamacare doesn't go into effect until 2014. We only have to help her stay alive for another 18 months. Of course, if Obamacare is repealed, that will be a moot point.
3. I have another friend who will suffer, in pain, for the rest of his life. He was hit by a car driven by an uninsured motorist. When the hospital found out that was the case, and he had no health insurance, they stabilized him. Then they took him, on a gurney, and put him outside, on the sidewalk. They told him he was not going to be able to stay in the hospital, and he needed to leave. He will live in pain for the rest of his life because, like Humpty Dumpty, they didn't finish putting him back together again.
4. One of my children suffers from a chronic illness. Thankfully, he will be covered, for another almost three years, under our insurance. However, if Obamacare is repealed, he will not only be denied coverage under our policy, he will never be able to get health insurance because he will never be free from his illness. He will be denied because of a pre-existing condition unless he can find work with a huge company or government entity. Even then, those institutions may choose to remove such coverage given the opportunity.
Americans are supposed to be family but, it appears, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, everybody is grabbing for what they see as theirs without ever considering, we are all in the same boat. If it sinks, we all go down with the ship.
So I would like to suggest that Americans reconsider healthcare. Regardless of who is elected president, it would be beneficial to keep some kind of comprehensive health care program in place. No one should be afraid to get sick. No one should have to choose between food or insurance premiums. If you don’t support such a commitment, you may live to regret it. The problem is, you won’t know until it’s too late.