I believe that the question of the value of human life is very relevant for the current health care debate in congress. One member of congress recently observed that 22 thousand people die each year from a lack of health insurance. The Institute of Medicine claims that more than 40 million Americans (including 10 million children) do not have health insurance. Why don’t they have insurance?
Most of those without insurance either cannot afford it or have been rejected by insurance companies due to existing health conditions. And despite rumors, at least 85 percent of the uninsured are American citizens, and 80 percent are from working families. Some of the uninsured had insurance until their employer dropped the policy or they lost their job (an increasing number due to our financial crises).
About the uninsured, note that a large number of them work in jobs that make our lives easier and more convenient, the service industries (fast foods, restaurants, maintenance workers, medical staff). Many of these people are economically poor but very hardworking. What are these people worth?
Then we have the under insured. These are people with health insurance, but who have rapidly mounting debt because of: “copay”, deductibles, and costs that insurance companies do not recognize (sometimes more than 25 percent of the bill). I have friends with more than $75,000 in medical debts. I know people who have lost their homes because of high medical bills. Many of these under-insured people are teachers, police officers, firemen, and small business workers and owners. What are the under insured worth?
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Monte Stevens said,
October 4, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
I’m not sure what to say in answer to this wonderful commentary. You have said it well. I feel our insurance companies have moved away from their initial purpose. I also feel that is true of our medical systems: drug companies, hospitals, physicians. You ask a good question, how do we relieve the pain of our people?
Doom said,
October 4, 2009 @ 4:18 pm
I am with Monte, this is a good question. I do not know the answer, but I do know that it is not to provide more profits to the big insurance companies. They have already established that they do not care for the people they insure.
Colonel Doom
Sarah Puglisi said,
October 5, 2009 @ 10:24 pm
I hope that somehow coverage comes to all Americans. But I’m certain the way of it is paved with a whole lot of folks afraid they might “lose something.” Like some profit.
I’m sorry you were asked such a thing about your son.
I am unsure how to acknowledge to you that I know i cannot even imagine such a thing…but I do know that we are often talking in terms of people inhumanly-I hear it in my work quite often. The lack of compassion and care is horrifying.
Sarah
Opa said,
October 6, 2009 @ 9:33 pm
Sarah,
Thank you for you concern related to my son. Insurance companies ask that question, I think, to get people to agree to a small out of court settlement. The agent for the company that was at fault actually tried to explain that earnings of the lost individual really ought to determine their settlement worth. It did not hurt my feeling because I considered the source. And I had already heard from many people who thought he was a very good person.
Similarly, in the current health care debate, health insurance companies are really showing what they care about – money, not people. And they are spending millions of dollars in an attempt to buy congressional votes and in an effort to convince the people that a government solution is evil. It is a shame that Health Insurance Companies have become so cold.
Sarah Puglisi said,
October 8, 2009 @ 8:49 pm
It makes me heart sick.
Larry said,
February 5, 2010 @ 8:24 am
Now that the debate has drug into its fifth month and the special interests have added provisions that protect their interests, have you changed your mind?
physician assistant said,
June 15, 2010 @ 10:41 pm
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it