U.S. Healthcare or Lack Thereof

The lack of healthcare in the United States is a disgrace, and we should be ashamed as one of the wealthiest nations, not to have adequate coverage. Now, I fully believe that generosity is a choice, not an obligation, and if wealthy people want to keep their earnings, then that is their prerogative. Yes, healthcare comes from raised taxes, so yes in order to have adequate healthcare, there must be some communal responsibility. But at what point is it the job of the government to implement whatever necessary to insure its people?

When I talk with my foreign students, it's almost embarrassing to have any discussions about healthcare. It is so appalling here, that on many occasions, I've had students fly to their home country for, what are, minor medical procedures. But they do this, because in many cases it is free in their country.

I may seem hypocritically selfish, because I was never an advocate of healthcare before. I was spoiled in that my dad's healthcare covered me until I was 25 years old, whether I was a student or not. Last year at age 24, he changed jobs, and in the blink of an eye, I lost my health insurance. For the first time in my life, I had the fear of getting sick. I was the healthiest child alive, never even having been to a hospital. I never wore braces, I never broke a bone and I rarely missed school on account of a legitimate sickness.

Ironically, the day I lost my insurance was the day I felt sick. Losing health insurance turned me into an instant hypochondriac. Small things that I would never bat an eye at suddenly seemed monumental, because in my mind, I thought I had better treat this now, before it is too big to afford. Months after losing my health insurance, I cut my mouth. Naturally, it got infected. I was reduced to going to the sleaziest clinic I could find, and still paid $55 for the doctor to tell me what I already knew. I needed antibiotics, which "cha-ching" cost another $30. I got off easy at $85.

An area where I did not get off so easy was medical exams for the Peace Corps. I depart in July for South Africa, and I stopped applying last year, because I just lost my insurance. This year, I guess I assumed I'd magically have insurance. I was wrong. I didn't want health insurance to stand between me and my dreams, so I figured, "how bad could it be?" All I needed were for doctors to tell me I am healthy enough to live in Africa. Well, over $800 later, I was deemed healthy. Over $800 out of pocket for about 5 minutes worth of exams per doctor. That's a week in Spain, two weeks in Iceland, two roundtrip flights to Berlin, four roundtrip flights to Las Vegas and so on...

For the millions of uninsured people out there, I have discovered some solutions to reduce medical costs. They come at the price of sacrificing quality of care, but for smaller, minor illnesses, it may be better than nothing. One solution, that in my opinion, does not sacrifice the quality of care, is to check out dental schools. I've not seen any for regular medical exams, but I have seen plenty for dental. When I did my Peace Corps exams, I needed a dental exam, and it was suggested to me to visit the NYU dental school. You are treated by a student, under strict supervision from the professor (also a dentist) and I think the student went above and beyond to give greater quality of care, because his grade depended on it. I called about five dentists to price all that I needed done, and all concurred that I was looking at about $300. At the NYU dental school, I had the same work done and was charged only $80.

Healthcare is essential, not just from a caring "save the world" standpoint. An insured society would create healthier, more productive citizens. It's a shame that in the richest country in the world, people have to live in fear of getting sick. I can afford to get an ear infection, but if I were to break my arm, well then I'd be in a world of financial trouble. As we slowly approach another election year, I hope to see this topic debated in greater depth, and more solutions reached. This should not be a political issue; it should be an obvious choice as the wealthiest nation.