Look at the elderly who live on fixed incomes and can barely get by as it is, then they have to fork over what little they do have just to pay for medication to live out their remaining years in moderate health. The elderly might not concern most people reading this because we are younger now. So here is something for you, in people ages 18-24 almost 30% of us dont have health insurance. I for one wouldnt have any if i wasnt in school now to still be on my parents insurance. Its not just the unemployed who lack coverage, 66% of people who do work dont have any either. If you are uninsured you are 25% more likely to die early than if you are insured.
Do we have the best healthcare in the world? Well, 28 countries have higher life expectancies for males than the U.S. And for females its even worse, 43 countries have higher life expectancies for you. The World Health Organization rated the US 37th overall. France was ranked 1.
The costs you pay go hand in hand with the rising salaries of the CEO's of your insurance companies. The more they charge you, the bigger pay increases they themselves recieve. American doctors focus more on the treatment of the symptoms than they do prevention of the problem. Thats not entirely their fault, since most Americans that do have insurance can barely afford the premiums for routine office visits that can last 10 minutes or less many times, they just skip them altogether and dont report to anyone for medical care until the problem is much more serious. This of course isnt what doctors are for. They are to help us prevent problems and remaing healthy. Perhaps if people werent intimidated by their insurance companies or others who have no insurance at all could go to the doctor without fear of going broke they could catch their problem in the beginning and get permanent relief.
People talk of Canada's healthcare system. The naysayers say they have to wait in line forever and it takes weeks just to see a doctor. The fact is they see their doctor more frequently than we do. This includes evenings and weekends because their medical personnel are paid more for keeping people healthy. Parish the thought! A doctor is rewarded for keeping you away from the hospital instead of referring you to somone who sells you overpriced drugs and often useless medication until you need more and more and then finally an expensive operation to fix what could have been prevented in the first place. I know about long lines, when i busted my nose open a few years ago i sat in the waiting room for three hours in pain. And dont get me started on the paperwork. Canada spends 11 cents per dollar on paperwork and administration. We in American spend 25 cents on that same paperwork and administration. And have you ever had to deal with insurance companies?!?! Wouldnt it be easier not to?
Think about all of this and your situation. Think back to when you were sick or injured and what you went through. Think about your friends or loved ones who have similar nightmares. Think of someone you know with no insurance and what might happen if they were to be hurt or become seriously ill. Then think about who you want to run the country, not just as president, but your representatives and senators. This needs to be fixed. It has been broken for far too long. Oh yeah, think about the 10 million children who have no insurance at all and what would happen to them if they got hurt or sick. It should make you yourself sick just thinking about this.
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