PAGE 8 PROGRAM SUCCESS – OCTOBER 2009 Millions of Uninsured Americans Need Healthcare Reform
By Dr . Henrie M . Treadwell Guest Columnist
The uproar at this summer ’ s raucous town hall meetings , Rep . Joe Wilson ’ s outburst in Congress and the endless debate over whether some opposition to healthcare reform is racially-tinged are a major disservice to the millions of Americans who need healthcare reform .
Rep . Wilson doesn ’ t worry about costs if a member of his family falls ill ; he is covered . The majority of the people screaming and waving signs at town hall meetings don ’ t worry either . They are covered . Their family members walk into a doctor ’ s office or hospital emergency room , flash insurance cards and receive the best treatment available .
But who has been speaking on behalf of the 46 million uninsured Americans ? When they get sick , there are real consequences . Do they pay the mortgage or the hospital bill ? Do they buy food or save to pay for the tests that may prolong a family member ’ s life ?
These are issues that deserve attention from our lawmakers and policymakers , not red herrings like “ death panels ” and purported coverage for illegal immigrants . It ’ s disheartening that public officials elected to serve their constituents have the audacity to play political football with something as crucial as healthcare reform . Our nation will have a serious discussion on healthcare reform only when the politicians put their constituents ahead of their desire to maneuver for political gains . What ’ s so disturbing is that many opponents of healthcare reform , and most assuredly many public officials , are aware of the data showing how quickly healthcare costs are rising out of control and damaging our society .
The reality is that our safety-net systems are crumbling under the cost of caring for people who are uninsured or underinsured . The working poor simply have no or limited options for providing healthcare for themselves and their families . This predicament devastates
Uninsured Americans Need Healthcare Reform Dr . Henrie M . Treadwell Tallahassee , Florida October 2009
communities of color , where more than seven million African Americans are without coverage . This is not a contrived problem ; rising healthcare costs are a real crisis .
So why , suddenly , must healthcare reform legislation become a budget-reduction bill ?
Instead of focusing on how to obtain the best coverage possible for millions of people without insurance , the debate in Congress has been transformed into a referendum on which plan can save government the most money . This is not how it should be . When Congress was allocating billions of dollars for the war in Iraq , the focus was on how to win the war , not on how much taxpayer money could be saved .
Dr . Henrie M . Treadwell
Right now , the nation needs its leaders , President Obama and the Congress to focus on the best plan for the people , regardless of the cost . There has been much debate over whether there should be a “ public option ” allowing the government to offer insurance . The public option should be considered not based on its cost , but its merit . It should be included if it can offer additional competition in the marketplace and drive down the premiums charged for other insurance plans . Now is not the time for ideological battles over government-run programs , now is the time for finding and implementing programs that work , be they government , private or hybrids . The nation needs programs that reduce the cost of insurance to consumers and cover the uninsured . This over emphasis on costs has led to some ridiculous proposals that would ultimately be bad public policy if enacted .
Sen . Max Baucus ( D-Mont .), for instance , has a plan mandating that all Americans purchase health insurance . Because his plan has no public option , struggling middle-class families would be forced to buy health insurance at rates likely to be difficult for them to pay . The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released