As I'm gaining strength and resting at home following my surgery, I can't help but feel extremely fortunate. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be without insurance and to go through something like this.
This morning I finally felt clear-headed enough to sit down and pay some regular bills (phone, cable, credit card). It was a pretty simple and straightforward: the money's there to pay the bills. I try to imagine what it would be like if I was one of the 47 million Americans who doesn't have health insurance, and to try to recover from surgery while also figuring out how the heck I would pay for everything.
Our dear, insiped leader, George W. Bush, was quoted a few months ago as stating how wonderful it is that every American has access to health care: all they have to do is go to an emergency room. Good lord. Can he truly think that's the end of the story? That everyone gets treated and lives happily every after?
No, if I didn't have insurance but had to have emergency care, I would be answering to bill collectors right about now, instead of getting healthier so I can go back to work.
I am a very fortunate person. I will never forget that. I will also never forget that 47 million Americans cannot say that. This is a real crisis looming inour country, and whomever we elect as our next president had better be ready to deal with it immediately.
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