My daily ritual (no matter where I am) is reading the Roanoke Times, my local paper. This morning I was sort of delighted – a call to action in Roanoke. Healthcare where profit is the goal – is that really the best we can do?
Joe Kennedy writes “We’ve read story after story about the political influence that drug companies buy, and about politicians who accept money, vote a certain way and assure themselves of more campaign contributions — and maybe even a splendid job at a splendid salary with companies that benefited from their votes.
Watching the Canadians, the English and the French laud their national health systems, with their free care, and their countries’ we-not-me mentality, made me yearn for a time that used to exist in America, before greed took over.” Read his entire article here.
I agree Joe. My first job in Law School was working for a wonderful non-profit in Richmond Virginia, called LINC – Legal Information Network for Cancer (check out their website here). My first summer there I attended numerous health care insurance appeals – trying to convince the most wealthy insurance companies to cover cancer treatment for folks, who were denied coverage becuase they had “pre-existing conditions.” We heard time and time again that chemo would not be covered, or some other treatment. Do you have $20,000 sitting around for chemo? Me neither, and I wouldn’t want to dig my family into debt either.
I think it is sad when profit wins out over care. Anyone agree?