But I've held out for too long on the moral issue of our times, also known as the United States
I loathe those two words because there are so many unclear, confusing messages associated with them.
Instead, I’m going to refer to the control of people’s life expectancy and well-being through medicinal practices as a moral issue.
This is the moral issue of our times.
First, two simple facts:
- The United States spends $4,631.00 per capita on health care. That’s #1 in the world.
- The average life expectancy of an American at birth is 78.11. That’s #50 in the world.
Simple facts such as this make me curious, and I don't understand why others aren't more intrigued. I've been shocked in the last few months by ignorance and un-Christianlike attitudes that I've witnessed in several fellow Americans. People (rightfully so) gripe about making their insurance payments, but when asked about the best way to help others, the response too often seems to be an “every-man-for-himself” type of answer.
This is where the morality of the issue comes in. Every man has the right to life, but the current United States healthcare system (a profit-driven industry) prevents that.
I urge all of my friends and family who are unsure where they stand on this moral issue to search, ponder, and pray about a change in American healthcare. Do so without fearing change. Instead, do so with the aim of helping others.
After some brief travel abroad over a year ago, I’ve had the opportunity to observe American culture through a foreigner’s lenses (some call it reverse culture shock), and what I’ve seen is an attitude that Americans tend to ignore reality when it is “just too sad.” Joseph Smith, the first Latter-day Saint prophet said, “We cannot be saved until we have risen above all our enemies, not the least of which is ignorance.”
Please rise above ignorance and do what you can to help others.
The following story brings a visual element to the issue, which is hard to find in the mass of misinformed speeches and text flooding our news sites and televisions. Click here, scroll to 1:10:17, and watch a 2-minute story.
This. Should. Not. Happen.
People are dying prematurely in our country, and it doesn't need to happen. Our country was not founded to survive without work. Work is required to fulfill the promises of the Constitution, including the promise of life.
I urge you to keep the debate going. Stay or get informed. Pay attention to facts and don’t be swayed by opinions.
Write your congressperson. Write something on your blog, or facebook page, or twitter page. Make a comment at the dinner table. Do something.
2 comments:
I'll agree that the issue is very complicated. I'm surrounded by people with a lot of financial interest in the outcome.
There are all too many factors that influence the cost of healthcare and life expectancy. Diet is one of the largest ones. America tends to spend tons on tertiary care (emergency, ICU, end-of-life) while primary care (family medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics) is attracting fewer and fewer of the brightest medical students because the pay is lower than things like surgery, cardiology, and most other -ology's. Medical malpractice lawsuits have a role in cost. I could go on and on and on...
I appreciate your concern for doing the "moral" thing. I too am intrigued by the subject, so I'll share a couple thoughts. Sometimes "simple facts" aren't actually that simple:
1. You can't measure "health care efficiency" by comparing countries' life expectancy. There are way too many factors involved (race, genetics, culture of exercise, eating habits, choice of entertainment, etc.) None of these things have anything to do with health care, but certainly affect life expectancy. Remember "confounding variables" from stats?
2. Nobody disputes that people come from all over the world to get health care in the United States. That's because we have the best health care in the world. Yes, the profit-driven capitalistic society we live in has created the best health care available on this planet.
3. Yes, we are guaranteed the right to life. Since when does that mean that the government should pay for our health care? Should they buy everyone clothes and a house? We also have the right to bear arms. Should the government buy everyone a gun? In America, you are FREE to make the life you choose to MAKE. That means that if you MAKE it, its yours. Nobody is going to GIVE it to you.
4. Nobody is arguing that we should let sick people die. We already have laws against that in this country. Last year I took a friend of mine to the ER who was having trouble breathing. The room was FULL of immigrants coughing and sneezing. Were they gravely ill? No, they had colds or the flu. They couldn't afford health insurance, but they were all getting treatment anyways in the most expensive way possible. Although I've been sick several times, I haven't been to the ER since because it's too expensive. The fact is that the ER is flooded with uninsured non-emergencies every day (especially during the flu season).
5. People treated in #4 got health care but didn't pay. There's no free lunch, so who paid? Everyone else who DOES have health insurance paid with higher premiums. This is another reason health insurance is more expensive in the United States.
6. If I understand you right, you're saying that if the government starts running health care in the country, it will magically become more efficient. Is there a precedent for that? Well yes there is, social security, medicare, medicaid, VA system, etc... expect that the VA system is HORRIBLY unpopular and the other three are all well-known to be going bankrupt. The government has never been able to do anything more efficiently than the private sector. This is going to be no different.
There are a lot of factors that affect health insurance costs, but a government takeover is not the answer. Tort reform, access to insurance across state lines, and other things are a good start. Nobody likes expensive health insurance.
I noticed you linked to the Michael Moore film about health care. Wow. Do you agree with a lot of what he preaches? He made another movie about the evils of capitalism. Your "Catherine in California" life wouldn't be quite the same without capitalism.
Just some things to think about.
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