Better health coverage needed

By Pippa C. Abston, M.D.
Letters, The Huntsville Times, Nov. 11, 2011

Thomas Parker wrote in a letter to the editor, "since when have people been denied medical care just because they have no coverage?"

He asks us to check out the facts. Where has he been? Has he been living in one of the other developed countries that does provide health care for everyone? Here in the U.S., we do not.

Not only do uninsured people get denied care, but they die because of it.

Go to www.namesofthedead.com and read some of the stories their grieving families tell.

It is true that for a real emergency, the emergency rooms cannot turn people away. By the time a person's high blood pressure or cancer or diabetes gets that bad, it is often too late.

I agree with him that we should not vilify hard work.

We should insist that the insurance corporations stop getting rich off our hard work while we get less and less coverage.

We can work together to fund our own health care, through Medicare for all.

Pippa C. Abston, M.D., Ph.D., resides in Huntsville, Ala., and is a member of Physicians for a National Health Program.

http://blog.al.com/times-views/2011/11/find_education_efficiencies_be.html