The Cost of a Cure

The other day we received the bill from the hospital I stayed in for 30+ days last fall. It was over $370,000. After some haggling, my portion comes to $1,400. That's still a lot of money. Of course the total has yet to arrive, since the $370,000 does not include lab fees, doctors visits, etc., etc. I am facing a stem cell transplant (not from babies), which will likely cost nearly $100,000, along with another three weeks in the hospital. The numbers start adding up. We are still in debt from the first time I had leukemia in 2001. Don't worry, I'm not asking for money. I am one of the fortunate ones who has medical insurance. 46.6 million Americans do not have health insurance.

We are the richest, most powerful nation on earth, and yet we are the only "civilized" nation without universal health care. I am quite sure that the lobbyists and President Bush's friends all have coverage, but even those of us who have health insurance face enormous costs. You may have to wait a while for certain procedures in Canada, but at least you get the procedure, and you aren't bankrupted in the process. It's time for America to join the other "first world" nations and stop spending billions of dollars on tax cuts for the wealthly and unprovoked wars, and start providing health care for every person who needs it. If that sounds like socialism, call me a socialist. I'd rather be called a Christian, caring for the least among us.