Dear Editors:
Where is our leadership? Where are our statespersons? Where is our prophet to lead us out of the wilderness?
Why isn't healthcare reform being linked to health criteria? Linking the need to reform to uninsured numbers is rather meaningless as Insurance cos. routinely deny payment for procedures. How about linking the need for reform with real criteria like under-five mortality? Insured/uninsured ratios or numbers simply reflect the ability of insurance cos. to skim profits from patients/victims.
Is there no one that will get out front with a positive cry for healthcare reform? Is there no one with the cajones to call to account both pro-life and pro-choice groups for their duplicity and challenge them to work together to ensure that infants do not die during childbirth and ensure that mothers don't die in childbirth? The US should be #1 in the world for having the lowest infant mortality rate and for having the lowest maternal mortality rather than being 20+ in both! Is there no one to challenge Congress to work toward the goal of the US having the lowest under-five mortality rate rather than 20+ - actually 40+? Who will challenge Congress to help the US to become # 1 in the world in having the longest life expectancy rather than 20+?
I believe that the US citizenry would like to be number one in 'life' and not just in weapons sales and military capacity. The US record in the four 'life' criteria above is abysmal. That the wealthiest nation in the world does not lead in these criteria is obscene.
The fastest and most efficient/effective way to work toward the above would be to immediately put all pregnant women and children under five in Medicare. Then after a year to adjust, put all persons over 55 in Medicare.
To say we can't afford it is absurd. We have poured trillions into the Wall Street Casino so they can continue to pay their 'people' outrageous bonuses as recently confirmed by Goldman Sachs. Much of this 'investment' is being kept secret by the FED with no oversight by Congress or anyone. The cost of doing healthcare is less than the cost of the Bush tax cuts. Ending the tax cuts, adding a minimal excess profits tax on oil cos., and putting a tax on transactions - especially derivatives and credit swaps - in the Wall Street Casino would cover the costs easily.
Someone please take the lead and push/fight for Americans to have the best healthcare - not the best health insurance program - not the best market driven 'system' - but the best in actual healthcare criteria!
Sincerely,
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