Healthcare Reform in America is about public safety not about taking access
What is wrong with the debate?
One issue I have with the entire health care reform debate is not with any particular bill or any particular person that is for or against reform. I take issue with how they frame the debate. They never look at the crisis with our health care system as a safety issue. People will get sick and people will die prematurely if they don't have the proper insurance or access to health care. The alarms should go off at this startlingly revelation. People will die and could potentially spread disease to others if they are hesitant about seeking medical care. According to the Department of Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance, 46 million people will die because of lack of insurance.
"The Harvard report, finding 45,000 excess deaths linked to uninsurance, made news partly because it was so much larger than past estimates. Why the big difference between the Urban Institute/IOM numbers and the latest report? Dr. Woolhandler explains that the Harvard researchers aimed to replicate what IOM had done back in 2002 but with more recent data" -- factcheck.org
Why should the federal government be concerned with our safety with these indirect dangers but don't jump at the oppurtunity to remedy some of the issues that we know are directly causing the death of many Americans right now. Why spend billions for wars in Iraq in Afghanistan? Terrorists might potentially attack us at home from the foreign land. Why go there when we know tens of thousands will die to heart disease and cancer and other ailments, some prematurely because they don't have adequate health care insurance. Or their health insurer will deny their claims. These problems that exist in the health care industry aren't a fuzzy satellite photo where a potential threat might exist. These are people in the US that have diseases and have to wait out for their cancer or diabetes or other chronic illness because the companies that can protect them are out to make a profit.
FactCheck.org Related Posts:
Dying from Lack of Insurance
"A new study from researchers with the Harvard Medical School found that 46,000 deaths a year can be attributed to the lack of health insurance."
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/dying-from-lack-of-insurance/
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"From 2002 through June 30, 2009, six of the largest insurers operating in California rejected 47.7 million claims for care – 22 percent of all claims.""
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/denial-of-claims/
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"A study determined that 46.2 percent of bankruptcies were attributable to a major medical reason. Debtors cited at least one of the following specific causes: illness or injury (28.3 percent of respondents), uncovered medical bills exceeding $1,000 in the past two years (27 percent)"
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/12/health-care-bill-bankruptcies/
One issue I have with the entire health care reform debate is not with any particular bill or any particular person that is for or against reform. I take issue with how they frame the debate. They never look at the crisis with our health care system as a safety issue. People will get sick and people will die prematurely if they don't have the proper insurance or access to health care. The alarms should go off at this startlingly revelation. People will die and could potentially spread disease to others if they are hesitant about seeking medical care. According to the Department of Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance, 46 million people will die because of lack of insurance.
"The Harvard report, finding 45,000 excess deaths linked to uninsurance, made news partly because it was so much larger than past estimates. Why the big difference between the Urban Institute/IOM numbers and the latest report? Dr. Woolhandler explains that the Harvard researchers aimed to replicate what IOM had done back in 2002 but with more recent data" -- factcheck.org
Why should the federal government be concerned with our safety with these indirect dangers but don't jump at the oppurtunity to remedy some of the issues that we know are directly causing the death of many Americans right now. Why spend billions for wars in Iraq in Afghanistan? Terrorists might potentially attack us at home from the foreign land. Why go there when we know tens of thousands will die to heart disease and cancer and other ailments, some prematurely because they don't have adequate health care insurance. Or their health insurer will deny their claims. These problems that exist in the health care industry aren't a fuzzy satellite photo where a potential threat might exist. These are people in the US that have diseases and have to wait out for their cancer or diabetes or other chronic illness because the companies that can protect them are out to make a profit.
FactCheck.org Related Posts:
Dying from Lack of Insurance
"A new study from researchers with the Harvard Medical School found that 46,000 deaths a year can be attributed to the lack of health insurance."
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/dying-from-lack-of-insurance/
----
"From 2002 through June 30, 2009, six of the largest insurers operating in California rejected 47.7 million claims for care – 22 percent of all claims.""
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/denial-of-claims/
----
"A study determined that 46.2 percent of bankruptcies were attributable to a major medical reason. Debtors cited at least one of the following specific causes: illness or injury (28.3 percent of respondents), uncovered medical bills exceeding $1,000 in the past two years (27 percent)"
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/12/health-care-bill-bankruptcies/
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