The issue of uninsured Americans was something that I was drawn to because, my own mom is uninsured. Even though it has not really affected her, because she is healthy, she still has not gone to the doctor or the dentist in many years. Who knows what the cost would be without insurance. Also, who knows if she really is healthy, there could be something. If there was something though how would she pay for it? I was also interested in this topic because, it has been in the news a lot lately, and has received a lot of attention. In addition, I knew that it was a growing issue in America, but I did not realize just how many people are uninsured and how big of an issue, this is. Before I started research, I really did not know much about the problem of the uninsured, just what I had read in a paper, or on a website, and what I had heard in the news. This still was not very much information. Once I began research though I read the personal stories about what people, and families go through without insurance, and what they go through to pay their insurance premiums. I also was faced with to me the shocking number of uninsured Americans 47 million. I discovered that the issue is not just with the millions that are uninsured, but there are also many who are underinsured and have less coverage then they really need. In addition, there is the issue of Americans who have insurance, but are struggling to pay the premiums having to sacrifice in other areas of their lives that are just as important. I have discovered that even though this issue has become a large one over the past few years, the government is starting to step in to help out these Americans. There still is plenty to be done, and a lot more that the government could be doing. One story inparticular that I remember is this one; �I was a small business owner until 3 weeks ago. My wife went into the hospital twice last year. We could not afford insurance at the time. However, we are now paying the price. We lost our business, our home and everything we have. We have now been forced to move into our daughter�s basement. We are 60 and 65 years old. If we get back on our feet, I am moving to Canada. This is a good story to share because; it shows how much this family lost in a short time. It shows that if the couple would have been able to have insurance they most likely would still own their business, and not be living with their daughter. It also shows that this man is so fed up with America�s idea of health care that he would say, and consider moving to another country with much better health care. Once more to add to this, the man saying these things is a U.S. veteran. Which also shows that this issue is affecting everyone across the board, not just the poor, or underprivileged. It is happening to the middle class, military families, working families, and the family on your block. Reading the stories and looking at the stats definitely toughened my thoughts that America needs to be doing something to help these 47 million Americans.
So many Americans are uninsured, 47 million if this issue is pushed to the back burner, then more and more Americans are going to be susceptible to become uninsured. This issue needs to be looked at close by the government, and they should be looking at ways to reduce the huge number of uninsured. The possible solutions are, reducing the cost of healthcare, so that even if you are uninsured you would be able to afford the health care costs. Lower the cost of insurance premiums to make it more affordable for those who do have insurance, and make it more inexpensive for new people to receive. Maybe the government should be seriously considering a countrywide healthcare system, so that every American would be able to receive health care, regardless of social class, or earnings. If this vast issue is not dealt with, more Americans will be losing the fight with health care, unable to pay for coverage, or hospital bills. People will go without necessary treatment, and unfortunately, more Americans will die. I think for an American to die because they were unable to afford the care that they needed is senseless.
This is a topic that all Americans should care about, because unfortunately at this time anyone could become uninsured themselves. With the bad economy, when people lose their jobs they often lose their health coverage. Therefore, Americans should be interested in this topic, and researching it more, to become prepared if the worst happens to them. Also to spread the word about the condition of health coverage. If we banded together we as citizens would be able to push the government into acting now!