American Cancer Society Considers Access to Healthcare Important Political Issue
According to an artilce appearing on CNN’s web site, the American Cancer Society considers access to healthcare an important issue; important enough that the organization will devote its entire advertising budget for 2007 to highlighting the problems faced by Americans who do not have enough or any health insurance. See full story at http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/09/17/cancer.ads/index.html.
With the Presidential campaign gaining momentum, candidates who expect to have a realistic hope of election will be forced to grapple with many of the tough domestic issues that appear to have eluded attention during the last many years. One of those issues is the continuing problem of a lack of meaningful access to healthcare faced by a significant number of Americans. According to the article, an estimated 47 million Americans are without health insurance while another 16 million are effectively underinsured. This problem is compounded by a continued trend of escalating costs, especially for major medical or treatment requiring hospitalization.
Although the American Cancer Society has focused its attention on the impact of being uninsured or underinsured on those with cancer, the effects are no different for those similarly impacted by other diseases. Being without health insurance or being underinsured causes many Americans’ to forego diagnostics and preventive care that could prolong or save lives. When catastrophe does strike, many American’s, even those with health insurance, are left financially devastated.
The questions that must be answered by American’s is whether it is acceptable for some American’s to go without adequate healthcare because they are too well off to be eligible for government assistance but too poor to afford their own insurance. And whether or not it is OK in this country for hard working American’s with inadequate coverage (or even sometimes with average coverage) to be financially devastated by the occurence of a major illness. The answer on both counts should be a resounding NO. Every American citizen should feel safe knowing that quality and affordable healtchare is available regardless of one’s socioeconomic status.
America is the greatest and wealthiest country in the world today. I am convinced that we have the capacity to roll up our sleeves and find ways to resolve and address these problems. Hopefully, our Presidential candidates from all parties will present, discuss, and explore a variety of meaningful options for addressing healthcare issues. Finding a solution will be difficult. It will take 1) attention 2) creativity and 3) compromise. But I am convinced we can succeed. Hats off to the American Cancer Society for helping to focus and shape the dicussion on these important issues. It’s about time.
