There's more.....
After a bit of research, I wanted to post my findings. Here's a link to an article from an AUSTRALIAN website (it's an LA Times article that apparently received little notice here in the States): http://www.smh.com.a... It quotes a study from the Institute of Medicine.
Over 18,000 Americans die each year from lack of access to health care because they don't have health insurance. That's about 6 times more people than the number who died on 9/11. I know that the terrorist attacks were a horrible blow to Americans...this one included...but I would like to ask why Americans are not equally disturbed about this statistic?
The answer? Perhaps it's because we believe ourselves to be above the destitute. We'll never be homeless. We'll never have to ask for help.
In reality, look at your savings account. If you lost your job today, would you be able to keep your home? Your car? Your "standard of living?" What would you do if you got sick, or had a terrible accident?
George Allen's answer is to let you "save" for your health. Without a job, or even with a low paying job, how is a family supposed to do that?
Jim Webb has the right ideas to address health care on www.webbforsenate.com:
Jim believes that all Americans deserve access to some form of quality health care. Health care legislation should focus on providing people access to health care, not simply on corporate profits.Reforming the Medicare prescription drug benefit should be a priority. The plan is a step in the right direction, but the benefit is confusing to consumers. By preventing Medicare from negotiating a discount the cost of the program is excessively high.
I know how broken the health care system is...and has been for years. I know that health insurance companies negotiate discounts with doctors and hospitals that are not available to those who don't have health insurance. Those who have no health insurance and lose pay due to illness or injury get NO discounts and can have their paychecks garnished by health care providers....up to 25% of their net pay. What would you do without 25% of your pay?
Even if you have health insurance, chances are you have to pay a percentage of charges which can be particularly devastating if you miss a few weeks of work because of a health problem.
Which brings up the question....can you set aside enough money every month to prepare for a health disaster? Think missing work for several weeks to a couple of months, depending on the severity of the problem. Personally, I had just such an occurence when I was a single mother with three children. I had to have emergency surgery and missed 6 weeks of work. We would have been on the streets if I hadn't had help. The rent didn't stop because I had a health emergency. I had to pay 20% of the hospital bill which was in the tens of thousands of dollars. It was a real hardship on someone who was working hard to support her children. Is everyone that lucky?
In a nation as wealthy as ours, why do the poorest of our citizens pay the most when they get sick? Why do the corporate hospitals and pharmaceutical companies dictate health care policy in this country?
Who represents YOUR interests? Not George Allen.
Jim Webb has a better answer on health care. Don't vote in the dark.