“The design of any country’s health care system involves political, medical and economic decisions. But the primary issue for any health-care system is, as President Obama made clear last week, a moral question: should a rich society provide health care to everyone who needs it? If a nation answers yes to that moral question, it will build a health-care system like the ones in Britain, Germany, Canada, France and Japan, where everybody is covered. If a nation doesn’t decide to provide universal coverage, then you’re likely to end up with a system where some people get the finest medical care on earth in the finest hospitals, and tens of thousands of others are left to die for lack of care. Without the moral commitment, in other words, you end up with a system like America’s.”
-- T. R. Reid, Newsweek, Sept. 21, 2009
(Photo: Bushwick, Brooklyn, Sept. 2009)
Thank you for posting this. It seems obvious to the likes of you and I, but maybe not to many Americans. What are we doing in this country? Do you think Pod might marry me - or - adopt me? Then I could have a European Union passport.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I'm so ashamed to be part of this spoiled society.
We seem to be lacking the moral imperative to look out for others in this country. It may be a hard sell because generations of people would need to be re-educated to see the value of EVERYONE having health care. We cherish the dream of Horatio T. Alger, but the reality is very few come up from the bottom to find that success.
ReplyDeleteI'm convinced that we will ALL pay the price if we don't do something about this problem.
I was written a script for some antibiotics yesterday, and according to the receipt, were it not for my healthcare coverage the pills would have been $370! There are only 12 pills!!!
ReplyDeleteSomething is wrong in this country that we can't see fixing health care as a priority...of course then again, we don't see fixing education as a priority either...
....and the Dallas Cowboys play in a stadium that cost 1.25 Billion dollars.
Yup...something wrong.
I'm surprised that more people don't see the moral imperative. I thought this statement was such a beautiful, concise summation of the problem. And I find it so interesting that so many of Obama's opponents are right-wing Christians -- and yet, how can refusing to provide universal health care possibly be Christian?
ReplyDeleteAs for the stadium, you're right, Utahdog -- something IS wrong.
Amen to this post; I am ashamed of this country right now and would happily accept an EU passport and the obligations of citizenship in any of the other nations you named.
ReplyDeleteI don't think our country as a whole has any kind of moral feeling about much of anything, let alone healthcare...
And also in Australia where we have a smaller population than Canada.
ReplyDeleteMs Soup