Universal health coverage, like so many things those of us living below the median income line could use, is probably off the table now that we’ve got to figure out how to prevent total economic meltdown — in which we all get to pay for the bad behavior of rich people who operated in an environment bereft of any accountability for their actions. (The only good aspect of this whole thing right now seems to be the impending death of an irrational infatuation with deregulation that has dominated public policy for decades.)
What better time than to go to The Onion to remind us all what we’ll continue to live and die with thanks to having to bail out big investment houses on Wall Street:
DENVER—After years of battling crippling premiums and agonizing deductibles, local resident Michael Haige finally succumbed this week to the health insurance policy that had ravaged his adult life.
Haige, who had suffered from limited medical coverage for nearly a decade, passed away early Monday morning. According to sources, the 46-year-old was laid to rest at Fairplains cemetery, surrounded by friends, family members, and more than $300,000 of mounting debt.
“I miss Michael every single day, but at least he can finally rest now,” said Sheila Haige, who watched as insurance rates ate away at her husband over time. “What Michael went through, the humiliating forms, the invasive background checks, the complete loss of dignity and hope—I wouldn’t wish that kind of torture on anyone.”
The article continues…
According to an independent study released last month by the Mayo Clinic, health insurance is the nation’s No. 2 cause of death, claiming the lives of some 400,000 Americans each year. A silent killer, health insurance often strikes without warning, its harmful and profit-based policies avoiding detection until it is far too late. Although the cruel bureaucratic disorder does not discriminate, statistics have shown that senior citizens, young dependents, and those woefully underemployed are most at risk.
“I can’t tell you the number of patients I’ve had to deliver the bad news to over the years,” said Haige’s longtime family physician, Dr. Howard Silverman. “It’s never easy to look someone in the eye and tell them it’s going to have to be out-of-pocket. For most of these poor people, prayer is the only hope.”
If you enjoy reading humor that hits at some painful truths, read the whole thing here.