As one might expect, a number of the victims of the Aurora shooting are in horrible shape -- requiring multiple brain surgeries and, most likely, prodigious amounts of health care services for the remainder of their lives -- and, as is the case for victims of crime in no other developed country on Earth, many of these individuals lack health insurance.
CBS reports:
"There are people who have had already numerous surgeries, numerous brain surgeries. There are some folks that are in bad shape," he told host Bob Schieffer. "Some of these victims... are going to be paralyzed for life."
He said the mood of the town is not yet angry, but in mourning. "But no one's bitterly angry, at least not yet.
"I think, you know, we're starting now to go through that grieving process, and I think some of that will come out, but not yet," he said.
Hogan said a process to provide donations is being set up because some of the victims don't have health insurance. "So any financial support would be greatly appreciated," he said.
With crisis after crisis -- including the
recent wild fires -- it becomes more and more apparent how insane it is not to provide access to health care for a country's entire population as a basic human right.
These victims have been through absolute hell, the remainder of their lives may continue to be horribly challenging, and the bloodsucking bastards at the big-profit health insurance companies profit off of their incessant lobbying to block any sort of proper universal health care coverage -- like single payer, Medicare for all -- in this country.
Again, we must hang our heads in shame for our collective inability to take care of our fellow citizens when they need us most.
Victims of this tragic shooting should be able to focus on getting well -- instead, those with health insurance, will be battling the bureaucrats at Aetna and Cigna (as well as the relentless hospital billers) to get claims paid out, while those without health insurance, will be forced to do battle with the for-profit bill collectors employed by said for-profit (and the non-profit ones, too) hospital chains.
Let me say it again, we must hang our heads in shame.