ARE THE UNINSURED THE NEW UNTOUCHABLES?
By Jennifer Rawlings
Have the uninsured become the new untouchables? The “untouchables” are a low caste in India and South Asia. This group of people is suppressed in low paying jobs and often referred to as “broken people” In India the “untouchables” are denied basic rights and services freely given to those belonging to a higher caste.
Those without health insurance in the United States are often denied basic rights to life saving medical treatments and many are forced into living a compromised life. They become a “broken people” denied the same rights and services given to those fortunate enough to have health insurance.
I am not a political person. I vote, but I have no particular party loyalty. I am mom that believes in leaving the world a better place than I found it. I often write about the starving and disenfranchised around the world, but today I want to talk about you , your neighbors and the kids down the street at school.
My friend Lisa has four kids, a career, and received an organ transplant. She got divorced and when the COBRA runs out she will be uninsurable. She will have to pay for her expensive drugs that keep her body from rejected the new organ out of pocket. These costs will most likely leave her bankrupt. Leaving her and her four children below the poverty line.
My friend Sue, a mom, has a child with special needs. She works in a job she hates, for an emotionally abusive boss so that her child can continue to have health coverage and not fall between the cracks with a pre-existing condition.
Lack of health insurance tears apart families and bankrupts millions.
Not only does health insurance determine your ability to pay it can very well determine weather or not you live or die from a traumatic emergency. A study done at John Hopkins with data gathered from the National Trauma Data Bank discovered that those without health insurance were TWICE as likely to die from trauma compared to those with insurance.
If we look around our homes and schools we need to speak up for the “untouchables” the “broken people” living in our neighbor hoods and demand that everyone has the right to healthy life.
Names have been changed
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I just had a recent conversation with some friends over this issue. Example friend gave. 24yo Female, perfect health all her life, working part time job, no health insurance, finds out she has cancer. Each chemo treatment is 20K, she needs two a month. Medical people will not give chemo unless at least half the treatment cost is paid up front. So, that is 20K a month! What 24yo has 20K a month? You might as well have told her it would be a million dollars a month. Family and friends are pulling together all they have to get this woman the treatment she DESERVES! I honestly don’t know how anyone in the medical field can look another human in the eye and tell them they are not going to help them because they don’t have the money to pay for those services. I couldn’t do it. No one should have to worry about money, when they just need to focus on getting well and living life.
It’s interesting you bring up India on this topic because one of the people I was discussing this issue with is from India. He has been in the States, going on 15 years now and he is so amazed at how our medical system is run. He recently had a mild heart attack. He was in hospital for a couple days. Not only is he amazed at the bill for that stay, but also the costs of the after care. He is not able to take the generic medication prescribed, but his insurance will not pay for the name brand, so he has to pay for it out of pocket. He is constantly getting the runaround on payment for services. So, not only are our uninsured citizens in trouble, but also those who are insured. We are all in need of some serious help.