By By Katherine Yaremko
With the health care debate still fueling the fires in Washington, accusations and fear continue to make up a large portion of the discussion. I wasn’t expecting to write another article on health care; but, I was shocked by an editorial I found by Nicolas Kristof. I think this article calls for a more serious tone than my previous one. Kristof’s piece is a frightening example of what happens when bickering and politics cross paths with the reality of human life.
Thirty-two year old Nikki White, an employee and athlete, passed away in 2006 from a severe inflammatory condition, a condition which probably would not have taken her life had she received treatment sooner. After being laid off of work, White was forced to go without health insurance, only being treated after losing consciousness years later. White is not the only one to suffer such a tragic story. Her death may have occurred three years ago, but her situation is highly similar to a number of other Americans. There are many who, while it is their Constitutional right, continue to hurl fallacious comments and make insane analogies between universal coverage and a fascist takeover.
These complaints, both from members of the public and Congress, are impacting the administration, as it appears that having the option of a public plan alongside private insurers is now very unlikely to happen. That this will happen primarily as the result of misinformation and irrational outbursts is tragic. The real argument should not concern itself with economic ideology, but with saving individuals who will die prematurely.
It is during precarious times when we are most inclined to be swept up in pure emotion, most likely to search for a reason to express rage, to feel part of some grand movement, when we need to bring ourselves back down to Earth and remember the real issues at stake—the lives with whom we interact. When addressing government and politics, it is easy to generalize issues and see only the effects and consequences of policies on our own lives. It is easy to fantasize about disasters which will affect us individually, and concoct worst-case-scenarios in which we envision how horribly things will turn out in our own lives. But the millions of Americans without health insurance face an equally dangerous situation. Where will we be as a nation if we forget the impact government policies, or the lack of them, have on those outside of our immediate lives?
It is completely baffling as to why sections of the American public would insist that Obama’s health care reform resembles socialist policy; however, it is even more frustrating when members of Congress engage in it. If our elected representatives are as illogical as some citizens in the streets and town halls, how much faith can we have in those we elect to represent us?
Furthermore, the division of the Democratic Party on the issue of health care is doing nothing to help insure those without coverage. Ideologically, Democrats and liberals have tended to be more diverse than Republicans and Conservatives. While Obama understandably will be unlikely to gain support from many Republicans, it cannot even guarantee that he will be able to garner unified support from his own party.
What, in the end, should we fight for? A loose ideal which many of us do not clearly understand, or the welfare and lives of our fellow human beings?
