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Access to quality health care should be a right of every American citizen, not a privilege afforded to those who are poor enough to qualify for government assistance or fortunate enough to have the financial means to acquire it on their own or through their employer.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), was signed into law 2 years ago, a after decades of multiple attempts and multiple failed efforts to revamp America’s out-of-control health care system, and now many of us are watching closely as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of an individual mandate for those who lack health insurance to purchase it or pay a penalty. In addition to many other important provisions, the ACA also reforms certain aspects of how private health insurance companies conduct business, such as their requirement to increase insurance coverage for the millions of Americans with a pre-existing illness.
For a moment, roll back the clock to 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. It states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
We were promised basic rights. How is the right to live with dignity and minimal (preventable) suffering not deemed important unless one falls within a certain income bracket? While it is certain that we are not all going to agree on any one way to reform health care, we have to start somewhere. No solution is perfect, and we will most certainly have to tweak things along the way. But we cannot afford to wipe out the current law and start from scratch. The 30 million Americans who will soon have access to quality medical care under the ACA deserve – no, they have the right to expect – this country to protect their unalienable right to life! How can they be safe and happy when they are forced to suffer needlessly?
When I was a struggling college student, working two, sometimes three jobs to stay afloat (and still unable to afford much more than spaghetti topped with ketchup for dinner) there was absolutely no way I could have purchased health insurance. So, had I been injured in a car wreck, or, God forbid, been diagnosed with a serious illness, what would have happened to me? I was able, willing, and eager to become a productive member of society, but I was just one step away from total devastation, as are millions of Americans today.
My little girl is in day care and seems to bring home all the germs she can find. Recently, she had severe conjunctivitis with pus literally pouring out of both eyes. Every parent’s worst nightmare is watching his or her child suffer. As I watched her struggle through this illness, I grieved for all the mothers (and fathers) who watch their children suffer and know that even if they go to the emergency department for treatment, once they leave, they will not be able to afford the medication or follow-up visits required to optimize the outcome. Likewise, there are countless adults who watch their parents suffer, and sometimes die prematurely, simply because they lack the financial resources.
Time will tell what the Supreme Court decides about the ACA, but it appears that at least the personal mandate for health insurance may be in grave danger of repeal. News media, including CNN, have reported that the members of conservative majority on the bench are giving early indications that they may vote to repeal the personal mandate.
If this happens, the next question becomes: Will the entire ACA implode, forcing us to start from scratch with the possibility that it may be years before this vital debate on every citizen’s right to quality health care is resolved, or will it every really be resolved?
Is the status quo acceptable? Certainly it is, at least for some individuals with big bank accounts who will never watch loved ones suffer and die because they lack resources.
For the rest of us, I propose we do all we can to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, for no one knows what tomorrow may bring, and one day we could be among the ranks of the uninsured or underinsured.
Dr. A. Maria Hester is a hospitalist with Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Glen Burnie, Md., who has a passion for empowering patients to partner in their health care.
** This item has been corrected to say that the ACA law was signed 2 years ago.
Access to quality health care should be a right of every American citizen, not a privilege afforded to those who are poor enough to qualify for government assistance or fortunate enough to have the financial means to acquire it on their own or through their employer.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), was signed into law 2 years ago, a after decades of multiple attempts and multiple failed efforts to revamp America’s out-of-control health care system, and now many of us are watching closely as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of an individual mandate for those who lack health insurance to purchase it or pay a penalty. In addition to many other important provisions, the ACA also reforms certain aspects of how private health insurance companies conduct business, such as their requirement to increase insurance coverage for the millions of Americans with a pre-existing illness.
For a moment, roll back the clock to 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. It states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
We were promised basic rights. How is the right to live with dignity and minimal (preventable) suffering not deemed important unless one falls within a certain income bracket? While it is certain that we are not all going to agree on any one way to reform health care, we have to start somewhere. No solution is perfect, and we will most certainly have to tweak things along the way. But we cannot afford to wipe out the current law and start from scratch. The 30 million Americans who will soon have access to quality medical care under the ACA deserve – no, they have the right to expect – this country to protect their unalienable right to life! How can they be safe and happy when they are forced to suffer needlessly?
When I was a struggling college student, working two, sometimes three jobs to stay afloat (and still unable to afford much more than spaghetti topped with ketchup for dinner) there was absolutely no way I could have purchased health insurance. So, had I been injured in a car wreck, or, God forbid, been diagnosed with a serious illness, what would have happened to me? I was able, willing, and eager to become a productive member of society, but I was just one step away from total devastation, as are millions of Americans today.
My little girl is in day care and seems to bring home all the germs she can find. Recently, she had severe conjunctivitis with pus literally pouring out of both eyes. Every parent’s worst nightmare is watching his or her child suffer. As I watched her struggle through this illness, I grieved for all the mothers (and fathers) who watch their children suffer and know that even if they go to the emergency department for treatment, once they leave, they will not be able to afford the medication or follow-up visits required to optimize the outcome. Likewise, there are countless adults who watch their parents suffer, and sometimes die prematurely, simply because they lack the financial resources.
Time will tell what the Supreme Court decides about the ACA, but it appears that at least the personal mandate for health insurance may be in grave danger of repeal. News media, including CNN, have reported that the members of conservative majority on the bench are giving early indications that they may vote to repeal the personal mandate.
If this happens, the next question becomes: Will the entire ACA implode, forcing us to start from scratch with the possibility that it may be years before this vital debate on every citizen’s right to quality health care is resolved, or will it every really be resolved?
Is the status quo acceptable? Certainly it is, at least for some individuals with big bank accounts who will never watch loved ones suffer and die because they lack resources.
For the rest of us, I propose we do all we can to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, for no one knows what tomorrow may bring, and one day we could be among the ranks of the uninsured or underinsured.
Dr. A. Maria Hester is a hospitalist with Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Glen Burnie, Md., who has a passion for empowering patients to partner in their health care.
** This item has been corrected to say that the ACA law was signed 2 years ago.
Access to quality health care should be a right of every American citizen, not a privilege afforded to those who are poor enough to qualify for government assistance or fortunate enough to have the financial means to acquire it on their own or through their employer.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), was signed into law 2 years ago, a after decades of multiple attempts and multiple failed efforts to revamp America’s out-of-control health care system, and now many of us are watching closely as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of an individual mandate for those who lack health insurance to purchase it or pay a penalty. In addition to many other important provisions, the ACA also reforms certain aspects of how private health insurance companies conduct business, such as their requirement to increase insurance coverage for the millions of Americans with a pre-existing illness.
For a moment, roll back the clock to 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. It states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
We were promised basic rights. How is the right to live with dignity and minimal (preventable) suffering not deemed important unless one falls within a certain income bracket? While it is certain that we are not all going to agree on any one way to reform health care, we have to start somewhere. No solution is perfect, and we will most certainly have to tweak things along the way. But we cannot afford to wipe out the current law and start from scratch. The 30 million Americans who will soon have access to quality medical care under the ACA deserve – no, they have the right to expect – this country to protect their unalienable right to life! How can they be safe and happy when they are forced to suffer needlessly?
When I was a struggling college student, working two, sometimes three jobs to stay afloat (and still unable to afford much more than spaghetti topped with ketchup for dinner) there was absolutely no way I could have purchased health insurance. So, had I been injured in a car wreck, or, God forbid, been diagnosed with a serious illness, what would have happened to me? I was able, willing, and eager to become a productive member of society, but I was just one step away from total devastation, as are millions of Americans today.
My little girl is in day care and seems to bring home all the germs she can find. Recently, she had severe conjunctivitis with pus literally pouring out of both eyes. Every parent’s worst nightmare is watching his or her child suffer. As I watched her struggle through this illness, I grieved for all the mothers (and fathers) who watch their children suffer and know that even if they go to the emergency department for treatment, once they leave, they will not be able to afford the medication or follow-up visits required to optimize the outcome. Likewise, there are countless adults who watch their parents suffer, and sometimes die prematurely, simply because they lack the financial resources.
Time will tell what the Supreme Court decides about the ACA, but it appears that at least the personal mandate for health insurance may be in grave danger of repeal. News media, including CNN, have reported that the members of conservative majority on the bench are giving early indications that they may vote to repeal the personal mandate.
If this happens, the next question becomes: Will the entire ACA implode, forcing us to start from scratch with the possibility that it may be years before this vital debate on every citizen’s right to quality health care is resolved, or will it every really be resolved?
Is the status quo acceptable? Certainly it is, at least for some individuals with big bank accounts who will never watch loved ones suffer and die because they lack resources.
For the rest of us, I propose we do all we can to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, for no one knows what tomorrow may bring, and one day we could be among the ranks of the uninsured or underinsured.
Dr. A. Maria Hester is a hospitalist with Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Glen Burnie, Md., who has a passion for empowering patients to partner in their health care.
** This item has been corrected to say that the ACA law was signed 2 years ago.