SBNHS (Should-be National Healthcare System)

Despite the esoteric nature of my title, this is a simple post. I am one of over 40 million Americans without health insurance. This phenomenon is one of the most glaring sources of our inequity that I can see. In a nation with such wealth whose health care spending is near to 15 percent of our GDP, to have over 40 million people without health insurance is a defeat in the realm of our government's purpose. How can a country so rich in ideas fail so significantly in protecting its citizens from the woes of injury or ailment, with the huge economic and social costs these traumas can cause? A national health insurance system, a National Health System, is long overdue. There are no arguments that can refuse it on economic, social or moral grounds. Economically, there are many societies that have ensured the well-being of its citizens, while spending a far smaller share than the U.S. currently does. Socially, we leave behind a large portion of our citizens who live in poverty without health insurance and lead less fulfilling lives than they should. I was at the river last summer and one of the men we met there had brought his kids along. He warned them against getting hurt "because Daddy doesn't have health insurance". This illustrates the moral component compelling a National Health Care system. If a large percentage of the population has to be overly cautious while at home or work, America cannot thrive. If we are spending 15% of our $11 trillion GDP on healthcare while leaving 1 in 7 without health insurance, there cannot be long-term health security. For all the rhetoric about freedom and security, as long as the health care needs of all go unnoticed, the security of all is in danger. From the flooded city of New Orleans could come an unforeseen epidemic of disease that could have been prevented if all our citizens health needs were attended to. The public health of the nation rests on the early detection and isolation of new epidemics, as well as those already existing. There is a large benefit in a society that is aware of the health of its members. A new outbreak of Avian flu or another contagious disease could be disasterous if there is not a system in place to detect its presence and spread in the most vulnerable, the poor, who are also most likely not to have health insurance.