One of the most interesting problems with health care coverage is that all of those in decision making positions have health coverage. I reckon that’s a good thing. But when you have health care coverage, you think differently. You have a safety net, therefore you can go out into the world knowing that if you are injured or become ill, you’re safe. You’re OK. But that’s not the case for 45 million folks in this country.
I was talking to a friend who said he saw Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’. My friend is a retired DEA agent who retired on disability and now draws a pension. He also works for the county government and has health benefits through his job. His wife is retired from state government and also has health benefits for life for both her and her husband. My friends comment was that sure, there’s a lot of Americans who aren’t covered but for them, there’s assistance; Medicaid, grants etc.
My friend needs some time on the streets. You can tell who has coverage and who doesn’t. Just watch when people smile. Bad teeth? No coverage. That may be one way to quickly establish a persons socioeconomic status these days. But it goes deeper than that. The cost of health care just keeps going up. So how can you afford care?
That’s what my friend doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know what it’s like to try to buy something that you need that you simply can’t afford. And that’s what politicians don’t understand. They’ve never had to walk in those shoes singn’ the health care benefit blues.
