After listening to Obama address Congress (and the Nation), I am still proud that he is our President. He is such an eloquent speaker that has the ability to evoke emotions on a deeper level than most political figures I’ve witnessed before me. However, I question how much positive ‘change’ he will make with regards to reforming our entire health care system. Granted, I have a slimmer understanding than I’d like to have concerning this political minefield. However, I do feel that we need a huge change not a mere modification of the existing system run by insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations.
Why has it taken until Barak Obama to do something about health care for every American when it was proposed by Teddy Roosevelt over 100 years ago? Why… because Obama does represent change, enormous change. But will he take a giant leap or take a small step to maintain the status quo?
Health care IS our deficit problem; which is a crying shame. It soaks up money that could go to education, the environment, economic development and a million other programs that benefit society. Obama read a letter tonight written by Senator Ted Kennedy during the last month of his life but mailed to Obama after he passed per his wishes. The quote that summed-up much of Senator Kennedy’s view of the American Health Care system: “What we face is a moral issue. Not a detail of policy but rather an issue of social justice and the character of our country.”
Obama mentioned in his speech tonight that “even though Americans spend more than anyone else in the entire world on health care, we are no healthier for it”. This led me to research, who is considered the healthiest nation in the world? After all, health is what this should all be about, right? The answer= France. So, why not look at what they are doing, how their system is working and what we can adopt?
According to NPR, the WHO tried to do a statistical ranking of the world’s health care systems. They studied 191 countries. France came in first and America ranked 37th. Some people questioned what factors they really studied. So, there was another study done that measured “amenable mortality --deaths that could have been prevented with good health care”. Looking at 19 industrialized nations, France was first again while the US was ‘dead’ last.
Suffice it to say, I may not be able to explain all the particulars of the French health care system regarding payroll taxes, medical unions, governmental regulations and a national insurance program but surely someone can crack that nut for our elected government.
Anyway, the stats show that the French live longer and generally have healthier lives. I believe that a healthy life that starts at birth. Here in the United States, mothers are lucky to get 6 weeks off for maternity leave if they can afford to do so. And, they can only receive public assistance if they are poor enough to qualify for it. While in France, mothers automatically qualify for months of paid leave from work after giving birth. They receive a child allowance and home visits from nurses along with subsidized day care. Not to mention, these guaranteed services provide jobs for the country’s citizens. I believe this kind of system nurtures the family unit, increases the bonds of attachment and remains proactive by offering supportive services rather than being reactive to desperate situations.
It is my hope that their will be real reform that meets the health needs of the less fortunate while supporting families, children, elderly and single adults. If it can be done somewhere else in the world, surely we can do it here!
No comments:
Post a Comment