I am shedding some more "lyte" on the healthcare debate. While the rabid right are still waving their signs and barking at the wind at townhalls, millions of people with health insurance are going broke.
A new study out by the the American Journal of Medicine paints a dismal picture of life with a catastrophic illness. Even if you are insured, you are still in financial trouble. I don't want to confuse anyone with the facts, but they are hard to argue. 62% of all bankruptcies are due to a catastrophic medical event. Three quarters of those who filed had medical insurance. The overall share of medically caused bankruptcies increased by 50% between 2001 AND 2007.
Forget death panels and socialism. We are all just one serious illness away from disaster. That's the finest medical system in the world? Enough is enough. It is bad enough to be ranked below Costa Rica in the quality of our healthcare. It is bad enough that while spending more than any other country, we are far from receiving the best care in the world. It is bad enough to have our healthcare in the hands of executives who livelihood depends on denying us the care we have paid for.
We need to take our healthcare back. We need to send a clear message to insurance companies that the party is over. The current healthcare reform package is far from perfect, but it will go a long way in helping Americans get the healthcare that they are already paying for.
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