It’s Cheaper and Less Painful to Die than to be Financially Raped by a “For Profit” Hospital
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
In the United States, a single night’s stay in a hospital
will cost $2607.
A normal birth of a child, $14,768.
The least expensive heart surgery: angioplasty: $28,200.
Open heart surgery with a highly rated surgeon: $200,000.
Care for Leukemia: annually, $156,000.
And the list goes on and on.
These are all costs to patients like me who have no
healthcare. When my wife and I were eligible for Medicare, healthcare we paid
for all of our working years, we could not afford the monthly cost and keep our
home. Now we cannot afford the penalties because we couldn't afford it several
years ago. Is Medicare a viable option for all seniors? I don’t think so.
I believe that no senior American should be required to pay
anything for healthcare. I fail to understand politicians when they claim that
America is the richest country in the world. I don’t live in that country. If
this is true, there is no excuse why the United States is the only country in
the world without universal healthcare.
AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT MONEY, NOT THE WELFARE OF ITS PEOPLE
Access to healthcare is a right reserved for the wealthy. Working
class Americans who have insurance are forced to accept less than the best
doctors and facilities.
“For profit hospitals” are a black mark on America and its
hope to become a great country.
POVERTY IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS AND
NON-VIOLENT CRIME IN AMERICA
Republicans deny an irrefutable fact that poverty is a major
cause of non-violent crime. There is no other way to say it: they are “full of
shit.” The survival instinct is one of the most powerful emotions within every
man and woman. They will do anything to save their families.
The average income of all incarcerated men and women prior
to their convictions is $19,650 per year. Yearly income for non-incarcerated
Americans is $41,250.
When a family member is suffering from a debilitating or
life-threatening disease of injury, and adequate medical care is beyond the
reach of that family, it is not unrealistic that any means available might be
used to find a solution.
You won’t hear or see it on the television news, but healthcare
is a national crisis in the United States. In 2022, 8.4 percent of our nation’s
people had zero insurance. 26.7 million Americans were without any form of
healthcare.
[Are Americans satisfied with their healthcare?
Only one in three Americans (32%) are extremely or very
satisfied with the U.S. healthcare system. Three in five Americans say the
healthcare system is a hassle (61%) and that navigating it is stressful (63%).
More than half of Americans say the system treats them more like a number than
a person (53%). Feb 27, 2024.]
And a question: why can’t I choose the Affordable Care Act
instead of Medicare? It’s cheaper, and offers better care for all. Our
government has no interest in the lives of senior citizens.
These statistics are unforgivable in “the richest country in
the world.”
THE TWO ISSUES COMPLETELY IGNORED BY OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
IN 2024 ARE INADEQUATE HEALTHCARE AND DOMESTIC TERRORISM
The basic facts confirm that if the United States has a
healthcare system which served all Americans equally, there would be a savings
of about 650 billion dollars each year.
The facts are clear. Out of 15 developed nations, America
ranks last in most of the issues important to the vast majority of our nation’s
people. These critical issues include healthcare, education, and most
importantly, quality of life.
There are 546 men and women in our nation’s capital with a
single responsibility: to serve the needs and wishes of the American people.
Over the last eight years a single public servant continues to fight for every
American.
Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders, understands and cares about
the majority. He is not in Washington to serve the super-rich. His interest lies
solely with the working class. There is no current “healthcare system” in
America. There are several individual systems but none work together. This is
why more than 85 million Americans are either without health insurance or are
underinsured. It is also why the “system” is the most expensive in the world and
offers inadequate medical care for most.
Only one other issue poses such a great danger to all
Americans: the growth of domestic terrorism. For more than seven years our
nation has suffered from mass shootings which far outnumber the days on the
calendar. There have been so many mass shootings across the country that only a
small percentage are reported by the media. Only when shootings occur during
large gatherings, or when the “body count” reaches a level considered shocking,
do the majority of news agencies report the carnage.
No one has been able to offer me a common sense reason why
an average citizen needs a weapon designed for a single purpose: to kill as
many humans as possible in the shortest period of time. This is the only
reasons assault rifles and high-output magazines exist. They were intended for
use by the military, and a few law enforcement agencies exclusively.
However, one political party refuses to act in a manner
which would save American lives. They offer “thoughts and prayers,” and nothing
else, while accepting bribes from the NRA gun lobby.
The estimate of the cost of gun violence in America annually
is more than 557 billion dollars.
THE FINAL TALLY
So, let’s be clear, our government’s failure to solve
healthcare and domestic terrorism, is clear and unforgivable.
Our government spends 1.5 trillion, yes that is a “t,” on
the most ineffective healthcare “system” in the developed world each year, and
557 billion dollars related to domestic terrorism. This total adds up to an
unforgivable sum of more than two trillion dollars each annually. I owned a
small business, and I could do better than our current incompetents in Washington
today. The only explanation for their failures is massive corruption.
Isn’t it strange that in almost every situation, doing the
right thing saves lives and money?
Op-ed by James Turnage
Find my novels on Amazon
Sources: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Fact-Sheet_Medicare-for-All-2023.pdf
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-much-does-federal-government-spend-health-care
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