Get Well Soon...

As Presidential Primary season heats up (though not in Kentucky, where our primary is the equivalent of the last guy picked in the NFL draft: Mr. Irrelevant), my attention has been drawn to the six semi-legitimate candidates, three from each party, who have a shot at becoming our next president. I cannot and will not pretend to have a comprehensive knowledge of each candidate's campaigns or their stances on the wide variety of hot-button issues being discussed across the airwaves and (presumably) in living rooms across America. However, I can and will speak here about the issue which concerns me most as a citizen of this country: Health Coverage.

More than 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance, roughly one sixth of our current population. I do not know what percentage within that 50 million are under the age of 18, but I would wager that it is unpleasantly high. If we cannot agree upon a health care plan which offers universal coverage (which is my preference), surely we can agree that every person under the age of legal adulthood deserves reliable, immediate medical care without consideration for their ability to pay. While it is true that hospitals cannot refuse to treat a patient in need, regardless of insurance status, they may, at their discretion, withhold certain treatments or procedures that, while proven effective, are too expensive or else are not covered by a patient's current insurance plan. The wealthy are, in many instances, able to provide themselves with better health care than others. This may seem normal in a capitalist society which extols personal ambition and gain as a high virtue. I will concede that working hard and investing intelligently are commendable; even that they give the wealthy the "right" to a more luxurious mid-size sedan, or a country club membership that most of us could not afford. Health coverage, however, is not a rolex, an Armani suit, or a Hawaiian vacation. It is a basic right. The first right, actually, described in the Declaration of Independence. Life. Not merely to live, but to live healthily, live well. Health care is for everybody.

I do not know which if any current presidential hopefuls can make a real difference on this front, though I know many plan to. Keep the uninsured in mind as you consider your vote for president in 2008. Along with the Iraq War and immigration, the decisions made by our next commander-in-chief on this issue will play a vital role in America's tangible future (as opposed to the mythical future which candidates seem to address in which everybody is smart, well-fed, wealthy and happy), for better or for worse. Do some research on the subject and the candidates and figure out early where you stand, so that as election day approaches, you don't end up voting for the guy with the prettiest sign.

Thanks for reading.