Shalom My Gantseh Megillah Family and Friends,

I intended, last month, to write about the healthcare mess in the United States. Most of you remember that moments before the first guests arrived for my 60th birthday celebration on July 11th, we received word that our 105-year-old Aunty had died. This precipitated a change of focus in my monthly message, so now I will approach the original topic.

The future of healthcare is a prime topic of all the presidential candidates from both parties. All the candidates admit that something must be done to improve the healthcare situation in the country. Only one candidate, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, proposes to take the profit out of healthcare. He believes that every citizen should receive top notch medical care without risking personal financial collapse. All the other candidates retain private enterprise profit by including the insurance and pharmaceutical companies in their health plan proposals. This keeps healthcare focused on corporate profits rather than equal care for all.

I live in Canada, a country where single payer, universal healthcare is the name of the game. Every resident of Canada has access to doctors, hospitals, clinics, and all other necessary medical procedures without having to consider the costs. The government manages the system and pays the healthcare providers directly.

It is true that taxes in Canada are somewhat higher than they are in the states, but it is interesting how I rarely hear Canadians requesting lower taxes and less healthcare. In fact, a recent Quebec tax cut was roundly criticized by the population, who felt that the money would be better invested in the healthcare system.

Some of the presidential candidates, Giuliani in particular, refer to the systems in Canada, France, Great Britain and Switzerland as “socialized medicine.” Giuliani even spits this phrase out like it is some kind of filthy curse word. What Americans forget is that Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, as well as the entire Veteran’s Administration health system are all social programs. Very few Americans wish to abandon these programs which make up the social safety net.

In the United States, the word “socialism” is used as a tool of fear, and many Americans confuse it with “communism.” We are the only Western industrialized country that does not offer universal healthcare. The U.S. boasts some of the very best medical technology and scientific advancements, and yet there are millions of citizens who simply cannot afford to see a doctor.

I am a member of an online chronic pain support group which has over 500 members.. A third of our group cannot afford to see their doctors in order to get a prescription for their medications. Many cannot afford to fill the prescriptions they do have, and some are so seriously in debt, because of medical bills, that they are on the verge of suicide. My heart breaks when I read their stories.
It falls on us not be frightened by the words “Socialized Medicine.” Healthcare is not a privilege, but a right to which every American is entitled. We cannot be scared away by shouts of “higher taxes.” We must demand what is right for ourselves, and for our fellow citizens.

What good are lower tax rates if it means that almost 50 million people have to go without health insurance and access to healthcare?

Because we allow the private sector to finance our electoral system, most of the candidates aren’t interested in changing the “for profit” model of healthcare. They continue to line their pockets from the contributions of the corporations who keep them in office. There is no incentive to cut back on any of their contributor’s windfall profits.

The United States is a great country, and key to its greatness is its ability to reinvent itself. We have much to be proud of and still much to do. I fear somewhere along the line we have permitted our desire to be rich to overtake our responsibility to be fair. Individually, I see people helping other people all the time. Strangers in the street stop to assist others who are in need. Neighbours routinely help neighbours through terrible crises. We often open our hearts and our wallets to bring comfort and aid to people who live in distant parts of the globe. It’s time government starts to behave as we do, and start to treat all the citizens of our country as their most important priority.

My mother used to say, “Rich or poor, it’s good to have money.” Well, that is indeed true, but for many people, the money simply is not there. We are responsible for protecting our neighbours, and the very least we as a country can do, is to make sure that everyone receives adequate medical care.