Every day of every year in America someone is sick and in need of affordable, if not free, health care. It has long been my dream that the need for health care should not hold someone back from a desired lifestyle or taking wanted employment. The strong should help the weak, and the old should help the young. We need to help our youngest and our oldest, and we all need to help each other because it is the right thing to do. Sometimes we are sick, and sometimes we are well, and we must help those unable to help themselves.
It was with great pleasure that I read this article today by Marian Wright Edelman and Richard Kirsch. Edelman is a friend of Hillary Clinton, and was involved in universal health coverage plans in the Clinton Administration. While it may not have fully succeeded, the initiative was quietly begun and has germinated as these italicized excerpts show.
"In the next week, we expect Congress to put legislation expanding the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) on President Obama's desk.
...CHIP was important legislation passed in 1997 that expanded health coverage to millions of children over the past 11 years. But now is the time to enact real health care reform that will provide coverage to every child in America.
...One thing we've learned over the years is that children must have comprehensive, guaranteed coverage that does not differ from state to state.
...We must now move forward with real health care reform for all children - and for everyone in America - in 2009. With his signature, President Obama will be taking a first step towards fulfilling his campaign promise of affordable, accessible health care for all in 2009."
See the article in HuffPost here
Very fortunate we are in our family that our university health plan is wide-ranging, allowing us to have catastrophic and disability health insurance.
Do you agree with universal health care? Would free or inexpensive coverage ever have helped you or your family financially? Do you really think that America is the only country performing and paying for health and drug research despite evidence to the contrary? Do you believe that medical research by American drug companies is paid for by expensive health care expenses borne by Americans sick enough to need it, and that foreigners owe all their drugs to America?
Jim Cramer said on his investment show 'Mad Money' the he pre-supposes that investors have "health and disability insurance" and "no credit card debt" and a "rainy day fund" in the bank before they invest in the stock market. In my view, these and "living in your means" and "being able to pay taxes" are some important imperatives for a healthy financial life. What are your views?
No comments:
Post a Comment