Cross-posted at Eclectablog.
Watching Meet the Press this morning, I was shocked to hear Senator John Kyl say this:
"I'm not sure that it's a fact that more and more people die because they don't have health insurance. But because they don't have health insurance, the care is not delivered in the best and most efficient way."
Uh, dude, you're a goddam SENATOR! Haven't you been PAYING ATTENTION???!!!
This isn't rocket science, Senator. A Harvard study found that 45.000 people a year die due to lack of health care coverage.
I know it.
Proponents of health care reform know it.
Pretty much any thinking person that is paying the least modicum of attention knows this.
FactCheck.org even says:
Now, on to the tough question: Is the 45,000 figure accurate? We can’t say for sure, but scores of other studies also conclude that persons without health insurance have a higher chance of dying prematurely than those with health insurance.
People ARE dying because they don't have access to health care insurance. They postpone treatments, they quit taking medications, they wait until things are SO bad that they need emergency care.
And some of them die.
Quit pretending that you aren't aware of this. It's common knowledge.
Perhaps if you weren't so beholden to the health insurance industry ($106,000 since 2004), you'd be able to see what everyone else already knows:
People ARE dying because they don't have access to health care insurance.
I'm just sayin'...
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At ammasdarling's suggestion in the comments, here is contact information for Senator Kyl. You know what to do.
WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE
730 Hart Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4521
Fax: (202) 224-2207
PHOENIX OFFICE
2200 East Camelback, Suite 120
Phoenix, Arizona 85016-3455
Phone: (602) 840-1891
Fax: (602) 957-6838
TUCSON OFFICE
6840 North Oracle Road, Suite 150
Tucson, Arizona 85704
Phone: (520) 575-8633
Fax: (520) 797-3232
Email contact page is HERE.