When Mary Fell
Several months ago I saw a news story about a woman (I'll call her Mary) who lost control of her car and plunged down an embankment. Though it was a well traveled road, she was not readily visible to other drivers as her car was covered in brush far below. Her family was panicked when she did not return home and for days she was listed as a missing person.
When Mary was finally found and rescued she was unconscious and remained in a coma for some time. She eventually came out of the coma, received treatment for her injuries and was deemed well enough for discharge from the hospital. Yet another surprise awaited her. The hospital bill was in excess of a million dollars. That's right...a MILLION DOLLARS!
Hard to fathom, right? In today's world, health care costs have risen to such an extreme that any unexpected illness or emergency can spell financial disaster for those who are uninsured. In this case, the woman and her husband had not been married very long and were not insured. It was sad to see her young husband say how he dreaded breaking the news to Mary about their newly acquired financial hardship.
This is the kind of story that Democrat candidate's speeches thrive on. No one should be faced with this kind of healthcare cost, on top of the personal trauma of the accident and recovery. All the more reason for healthcare to be taken over by the federal government.
That the federal government could do a better job of keeping down healthcare costs, provide the kind of quality Americans expect and do it more efficiently is a questionable claim to be sure. Republicans are quick to point out the many faults with government run healthcare.
While the politicians wrangle over this issue, one lesson we can learn from this story is the need for everyone to obtain health insurance. When we are young and healthy it is easy to believe we don't really need it. When we are underemployed or unemployed we can't afford it. However, everyone should make every effort to keep themselves covered under some kind of plan. kaiser insurance for example has many options to choose from. Whether you are single, married or have children there is a plan designed for your needs. They are flexible and best of all, affordable.
When the Democrats hold their convention in the coming months, look for more healthcare horror stories. John McCain had also better pay attention and have some ready responses and solutions to offer. There are more Marys in the world than many Republicans want to admit.
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