The recent death of a friend forced me to reflect on the current state of the
US on multiple levels. Although they received
unemployment after being laid off due to our struggling economy, they earned too much to qualify for government assisted healthcare.
Some people think the solution is simple when they never had to choose
between food and shelter or a medical appointment. But if you have been
on the other side, you are set up to lose before the race has even started.
While I was
in grad school, I had grandiose visions of helping everyone in need. At that
very same time, I did not have health insurance because I was trying to
minimize the amount of money I borrowed. Luckily, nothing ever happened to me. But living within minutes of the top medical
centers, a person should not have to be lucky to survive. On a plane headed to a continuing education
course, a flight attendant summoned for any medical personnel to hit the
overhead light to assist in an emergency. Within seconds, a dozen lights were
brightly illuminating the cabin. That
act signified to me that most health care professionals have an innate desire
to help those in need.
I've been terminated from a position for refusing to forego quality at the expense of drastically increasing revenue. I was paid well but treating 5-6 patients in an hour is modern day slavery (just my thoughts). In spite of this, I am still a part of a system where the brightest minds generally do not always accept insurance. I am a part of a system where insurance companies dictate treatment in far too many cases. And I am part of a system where HIV is undetectable in Magic Johnson, yet people in the city where I reside still contract the disease at epidemic rates. In a country with the brightest minds in medicine, no one should ever die from conditions that are easily preventable or treated yet it happens every single day.
Gandhi once said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.” Whether you agree or disagree with my stance on universal healthcare, I think we all agree that a better solution than death is imperative. I charge each of you to write or call your congressional representatives. Believe me; the lobbyists are doing the same.
Words I Never Said – Lupe Fiasco
I've been terminated from a position for refusing to forego quality at the expense of drastically increasing revenue. I was paid well but treating 5-6 patients in an hour is modern day slavery (just my thoughts). In spite of this, I am still a part of a system where the brightest minds generally do not always accept insurance. I am a part of a system where insurance companies dictate treatment in far too many cases. And I am part of a system where HIV is undetectable in Magic Johnson, yet people in the city where I reside still contract the disease at epidemic rates. In a country with the brightest minds in medicine, no one should ever die from conditions that are easily preventable or treated yet it happens every single day.
Gandhi once said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.” Whether you agree or disagree with my stance on universal healthcare, I think we all agree that a better solution than death is imperative. I charge each of you to write or call your congressional representatives. Believe me; the lobbyists are doing the same.
Words I Never Said – Lupe Fiasco
Vent – Big K.R.I.T
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