Healing Health Care

Healing Health Care

Levi Pulkkinen Op-Ed Paper March 10, 1997

As Grant nears the end of his forty-fifth year old age begins to shed its ominous light over every aspect of his life. He has already watch four of his teeth rot out because, although he works nearly sixty hours a week, he cannot afford basic health care. As he enters the twilight years of his life, earlier than anyone should, he is faced with failing health and no way to pay the doctor bills. The fact that someone who has worked all their life may not be able to obtain adequate medical and dental care because of their station in life goes against all the ideals that have made America great.

As we enter into the twenty-first century we see new cures and treatments springing into our clinics and homes at an unprecedented rate. Only a fool would argue that these advances are not helping millions, but the costs inherent with these new remedies make them inaccessible to many Americans who would benefit greatly from them. From 1971 to 1991 the price of health related goods and services climbed 30 percent faster that of other goods, placing far out of the financial reach of the working class of this nation. It is time to consider a true national health-care system, in order to insure that everyone, not just the wealthy, can enjoy good health. As it stands, America is the only civilized country where access to basic health care depends on where one works and how much one is paid. For many well insured people there is debate about our nation¹s stance on the separation between the individual and the state, but the fact of the mater is that if our friend Grant had been born five hundred miles to the North he would still have his teeth and a much brighter future.

In Canada, where they have had a national health insurance since 1967, a citizen is guaranteed treatment for any illness that may afflict him or her. In addition to keeping their people heather, and as a result happier, the Canadian system has kept costs minimal while research and development has continued at the same, if not faster, pace that we see here. Around the globe we can see the correlation between national health care systems and better quality of treatment.

In Japan, they have countered the medical problems inherent with a crowded society through national health insurance, and as a result enjoy a extremely high quality of living. Even here we have harnessed some of the power of