A Healthy Solution for Everyone Disease plagues the lives of Americans every day. It takes lives. It brings sorrow to its victims and their loved ones. It tears families apart. It ruins dreams. People who get sick usually do not do anything wrong. Sickness can be caused by anything from simple exposure of a virus to a deficiency of a vitamin in one’s genes. When you do get sick, and we all do, the logical step is to seek medical attention. Most people do not worry about money during these times, because they have health care. However, some people cannot afford health care, and have to live in fear of illness since it would financially plague them and their family. No one should have to worry about finances when it comes to their health. People have to agonize just over getting enough food to feed their children. Due to their financial stress, people without health care have to decide between their own health and the financial well-being of their family. Many are forced to risk their lives because they cannot afford such the expensive medical bills they would be charged. Healthcare should be a right for every American citizen, not a privilege for those who are fortunate enough to live financially stable lives. Dr. Deborah Richter, a care physician of Vermont, has seen the issues of our healthcare system up close and personal: “One in ten Vermonters are uninsured and another one in seven are underinsured…They often avoid coming to the doctor and I have seen even young people die of preventable diseases. (Saib 10). These kinds of events are inexcusable; they should never happen. The system America has had for the past decades has highly favors the rich. It has put a price on one’s health, and if the price is too high for someone, they are forced to take a risk on their lives, and hope that whatever they have will merely go away. Most illnesses get worse without proper treatment; very few come and go. Even if it is something as plain as the flu, without proper antibiotics, the victim becomes a hotbed for viruses hoping to invade a weak immune system. There are many luxuries in life that do, and should, have a price on them. However, healthcare should not be a luxury that can be bought with money. It should be a given right that people can enjoy. Sometimes, due to unpaid dues, people will be denied medical attention until the pay said dues. However, this is not always a possibility, as was the case for one pregnant Ohio woman:
“Trina Bachtel was having health problems while pregnant, and she tried to get help at a local clinic. Unfortunately, she had previously sought care at the same clinic while uninsured and had a large unpaid balance. The clinic wouldn’t see her again unless she paid $100 per visit — which she didn’t have. Eventually, she sought care at a hospital 30 miles away. By then, however, it was too late. Both she and the baby died.” (Krugman 1-3).
These kinds of occurrences are intolerable, and yet they are not rare. Many other people