The health care system in the United States is a plan that works magnificently for some people and horribly for others. After our discussion in class on Tuesday, it is apparent that many reforms can be made to improve the system to benefit the majority of people in the United States. Even though the US may be seen as the most advanced technologically in terms of medical treatment, the overall health care system is not as exceptional. Working in a pharmacy, I see how expensive medications are without insurance. Even with some form of coverage, certain drugs can be extremely costly. I had never really given thought to how expensive it could be, however, to someone without insurance if they needed treatment in a hospital or from a medical specialist. I was shocked after watching the various clips from "Sicko." I was appalled to see how "unhuman-like" people can be. Can someone's life really be compared to a set, non-negotiable price? Is the money more important than the value of a person?
I know that these clips were meant to demonstrate the negative aspects of our health care system. I am also aware that there are many people in the health care "industry" who are not this way. For instance, I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon for several months, and he himself took care of the costs of medical procedures of several patients that did not have insurance. But then again, such an occurrence is rare. Improving the health care system in the United States will definitely be a task, but it needs to be done. By avoiding the problem, we are only making the situation worse! No one deserves to be dropped off on the side of the street, no matter what condition he/she is in economically. This should be a priority.
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The question that you asked in the middle of your post is of particular interest to me. This is a question we often throw out when discussing these financial issues: Can someone's life really be compared to a set, non-negotiable price? Of course, we are referring to health care and insurance and medical bills, but this question can be taken at a much broader and more severe level. Yes, people's lives can not only be compared, but be equaled to a set price. Money has and is in some cases considered more important than the true human value of a person. One such example is human slavery, which still exists today. There is a large network of human trafficking going on all over the world. The people running it embody this idea of money being more important than people. Even more than insurance companies or hospitals denying care, these people are denying life. Or even worse, they are forcing the slaves that they own to "live" abused, unjust lives that aren't even worth living. More than denying them a right to medical care, they are denying a basic human right of freedom. It happens on a daily basis right here in the U.S., right here in Atlanta. And actually, you can literally buy sexual slaves and child slaves off of Craig's List online. This goes to show how the issue of in any way putting a price on someone's life can escalate from refusal of medication to a lifetime of sexual slavery. Just as avoiding the problem of medical care makes it worse, avoiding the problem of human trafficking is only making the situation worse. And similarly, no one deserves to be put into slavery, no matter their economic condition. Both of these problems stem from a displacement of value in our society. It is all about money and personal pleasure. And by first curing this, by first redefining our pace of life, what we value, and how we spend our time, maybe we can solve both of these problems from the inside out.
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