Let's get one thing straight no matter how or why you die you're still dead and it doesn't matter if its caused by a Terrorist Organization or a Failed Healthcare system. Dead means Dead.
As I sit here writing this paper there's a heated debate in Washington on how to fix our Healthcare system or if we need to fix it at all. Heck why fix it, we come in at 37th place in the world. We should be happy there's only 36 countries ( some 3rd World ) that have a better healthcare system than ours, right?
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2000/en/pr2000-44.html
According to the 2002 Institute of Medicine 193-page report, "Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late 18,314 people die in the USA each year because they lack preventive services, a timely diagnosis or appropriate care." .http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/healthcare/2002-05-22-insurance-deaths.htm
That's 6.15 times the number of people who Al Qaeda killed on Sept.11.2001 each year! We all know how long it took Washington to react to 9/11. We shouldn't expect them to react any faster than when Wall Street/ The Big Three cried out for help. Over 50 Americans die prematurely each day as they drag their heels! None of them are going to die due to lack of health insurance. More recently the Urban Institute in 2008 estimated "137,000 people died from 2000 through 2006 because they lacked health insurance, including 22,000 people in 2006."
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411588_uninsured_dying.pdf
Just look at the numbers. If you're an American you are more likely to die prematurely from your country's lack of National Health Insurance than a Terrorist attack. These numbers don't lie. Politicians , Lobbyist and Insurance Companies lie.
Now here comes Washington's big Fourth of July break. Go ahead you Congress and Senate members take some time off you worked hard. Go home and ride in some parades but as you ride in that shiny new convertible do one thing. Be sure to hang a sign on the side saying I belong to an organization that allows 50 Americans to die each day. If you've supported Healthcare Reform have it say I'm ashamed to belong. If you've fought Healthcare Reform have it say I'm proud to belong.
In closing let's not forget those have been left physically damaged and/or finically destroyed. According to the Health Affairs Journal 2005 about half of the bankruptcy filings in the United States are due to medical expenses. The United States ranks 43rd in lowest infant mortality rate, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990. It's time we reevaluate who we vote for to make sure our leader's goals are to put America back to being cream of the crop instead of sinking us to the bottom of the barrel.
