We Need It Now: Demand a Compromise on Health Care

Stephen Smith

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The president of the United States, the leaders of Congress and every American who comprehends the necessity of resolving the great health-care dilemma was in attendance, albeit virtual attendance, at the recent health-care forum.

And most of us had a horror story to tell. Makes no difference if you live in the White House or in a single-wide in Podunk, Iowa - you can rattle off -anecdotes about friends and acquaintances whose lives have been irrevocably and tragically altered by illness and the cost of health care.

I'm inclined to dismiss these stories as examples of how we misguidedly offer the specific to validate the general, but there's more to it than that: These tales of woe are so pervasive, so endlessly available, that they get in the way of rational decision-making. We all get it - these days a sick, uninsured millionaire can become a pauper in a matter of months.

Recently, I e-mailed an old friend to ask if he was enjoying his retirement. He wrote back immediately with a long story to tell.

"Retirement is OK, but not what we had hoped for," he began. A month after my friend retired, his wife learned that she had breast cancer.

"She is doing fine after four surgeries, and we thought life would settle down," he continued. "Then, in November, we learned that Sean [their son] has a brain tumor. He has gone through radiation and is now on his second round of chemo. We will not know how successful the treatment has been for another six to eight weeks, when he has an MRI. Sean's tumor is Grade 2 but is being treated as though it were high grade."

On and on he went, page after page. The oncologist had told him that he hoped to greatly extend Sean's life - or to cure him. The tumor is on his left temporal lobe and is "inoperable because it might leave him with no cognition, memory, speech, etc.," my friend continued.

I'm deeply sympathetic, but what it all came down to is that my friend had once had health insurance, but it lapsed when he retired and his wife and son fell ill before he could get a new policy. By then, they both had pre-existing conditions, and now he's bankrupt. This circumstance can be rectified through legislation.

Closer to home, a friend has been a patient at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital for the past five weeks. He contracted the H1N1 flu - for God's sakes, if you haven't gotten the vaccine, get it! - and he's been in an induced coma and on a respirator during most of his stay. Last week, he had to be revived. Every day, someone offers an update on his condition. And they usually mention that he has no health insurance.

"You do the math," someone suggested.

The truth is this: Someday soon, you and I will probably be the subject of sad stories. We might not develop breast cancer or suffer a brain tumor or catch H1N1, but our chances of avoiding every serious illness or -accident are zero. Zilch.

So my suggestion is that we drop the storytelling. As much as we like carrying tales about our friends and relatives, there's no one in Congress who cares enough to punch our TS card - and the storytelling just -muddies the already tainted political waters.

The wisest politicians at the health-care forum - Lamar Alexander, Dick Durbin, Chris Dodd, George Miller, Jim Cooper, Tom Coburn, Mike Enzi and Paul Ryan - were those who -didn't distract us with sad stories. They offered workable suggestions and straight-ahead facts and left the emotional manipulation and political vehemence to their fractious party henchmen.

So here's the deal: Forget the -jeremiads. E-mail your Congress members and give them the simple facts. Tell them you want the health-care dilemma settled via compromise. And let them know they'd -better do it soon. Election Day is right around the corner.

Stephen Smith lives in Southern Pines. Contact him at travisses@hotmail.com.

More like this story

richinakesia 1 year, 11 months ago

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bfalkens 1 year, 11 months ago

Although, I believe, you are saying we should not pay much attention to medical horror stories that capitalism has no remedy, I believe these stories should be in the forefront. You cannot sell health. If a person with a million dollars is about to fade, a doctor can hypothetically charge him a million dollars. What would you pay for your health?

My major problem with the health debate is one glaring point no one is stating. Here is some straight talk. If you are uninsured, and get cancer, those who vote against universal health coverage admits you to death. I want anyone against health reformation to state, honestly, if you get a deadly illness without insurance, YOU DIE. Stop playing with words and dancing around the subject. I voted for Obama, mainly, for his stance on health insurance. My sister got leukemia, and her insurer dropped her without anyone missing a payment. Try getting insurance with that "pre-existing" condition. Luckily, her situation was helped, but not by an insurance company. I'm tired of people tiptoeing around the issue. State what your stance means and stand by it. Namely, are you selfish and wish ill on the ill-prepared, or are you willing to say everyone has the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

These stories must be revealed and understood. These horror stories are the reality when you put a price on health.

Behan 1 year, 11 months ago

Odd that a lib would use the words "right to life" in describing their philosophy.

aub 1 year, 11 months ago

"State what your stance means and stand by it."

You first, bfalkins. What is the trade-off that your stance requires?

RmeMP 1 year, 11 months ago

This country has THE BEST healthcare system in the world - PERIOD. Is it cheap and perfect - no. Yes I feel sorry for some of the people's stories that I hear; but I also know first hand, having been to several different countries in this beautiful world, that we still have it made medically speaking HANDS DOWN! This is not a perfect world; people do in fact get sick and people do in fact die, I'm sorry for people's loss when it happens. If you think our healthcare is soooo bad, I beg you to please spend a year or two as I have somewhere else - then see how fast you kiss the floor when you get back here. Yes, healthcare is expensive; maybe if we as adults teach our youth to start paying for it as soon as they ht 18, instead of 40, it wouldn't be as much as it is... Please don't tell me that they can't afford it either - take a look at the priorities we have in this country; we eat like kings, we drive the most expensive cars we can afford, live in the biggest houses, drink beer, smoke cigarettes, watch our LCD televisions, USE OUR COMPUTERS, etc, etc... Try living somewhere where you have to worry about the water you drink, or if you will have to wait to see a doctor for several days - I HAVE. At least in this country, you can be homeless, on your deathbed, and still be able to walk into an E.R. and be seen. Again, I now our healthcare isn't perfect, but it is the THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!! How about instead of trying to shove this down our throats as fast as possible, while a HUGE majority don't want it the way it's written, we take our time when dealing with 1/6th of our economy and do it right?! I'm not trying to upset anyone here, but this isn't something you can just "undo" once it's done.

bfalkens 1 year, 11 months ago

An ER can't help someone dying of cancer.

I thought we lived in the best country in the world.
Why can't we provide a form of healthcare to all our citizens as other countries do? Remp, have you been to these countries?

These are the countries with some form of universal health coverage, two of which we pay for, but don't have it here:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom

(http://www.gadling.com/2007/07/05/what-countries-have-universal-health-care/)

No, but all these countries health industries are falling apart. I'm sorry I told a true story about how health insurance in this country is a sin. How much does the insurance company take out of health costs, when insurance companies do not facilitate the procedures that help health. They are paper pushers, claim deniers, and as far as I'm considered, murderers. 30%. That is the insurance companies cut for providing the paper-pusher service.

Hands down we do not have the best comprehensive coverage of a population. We may have the best doctors, but that is due to the amount of money they make. I have no problem paying the doctors, but insurance companies are a sham. Pharmaceutical companies, who make their product in our country, charge us the highest prices by multiples of 100's of percentages over cost in other countries. Why does it cost us more for our medication? Why can't people on a good insurance plan get the best medications for their illnesses like other countries that have a more responsible health system? The answer is money.

I think the main problem is the racial biases or the socioeconomic biases we harbor in this country.

State this critics, "those without health insurance, or those whose insurers drop them, who get deathly ill will die." Just state it and I will shut up. Say that the mentality we will grow in this country is one that is willing to allow its people to die when death can be avoided by a better system. Say it once. I'm tired of the built up lies.

Thank you god reconciliation.

Not all liberals support abortion, but I see the hypocrisy.