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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 12, 2009
/ 16 Adar 5769
Uninsured who can't afford medical care lose a lot more
By
Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I have a renewed appreciation of my access to health care after witnessing the passing of a loved one last month. She outlasted most survival curves because of the financial resources available for her care, the competency of her medical providers, and the corresponding availability of her medication.
The laminated card in my wallet tells me those things are available to me, too. But they remain out of reach for more than 45 million Americans. There is something seriously out of whack where she got what many Americans cannot.
My memories are more raw than reflective. We did so many things together over so many years, but the fact that she enjoyed a full life is still of little consolation. All that seems to matter now is that she's gone. I know in time that I'll reflect on the pictures, videos, and jpegs with fond memory, but not yet. Instead, I'm paralyzed by decisions like whether to remove the bed in which she steadily declined for months. For now, it remains untouched.
In the end, she just ran out of steam. A combination of old age, kidney dysfunction, and the residual harm from an environmental disease took their toll. She couldn't keep food down, dropped lots of weight, and ultimately lost large clumps of her hair. Then came the end.
She was never provided health insurance early in life, and by the time she was an adult, her medical course made it cost prohibitive. Still, money was not a factor because of my availability to directly provide for her. I would sooner have mortgaged the house than let money stand in the way of obtaining her care. Which made her unique in the current climate.
Those resources afforded her tremendous medical attention. Dr. Matthias Genser, her primary caregiver, is old school - hands on, unhurried, and legitimately concerned. (Even his name is straight out of Mayberry.) She underwent emergency treatment after a fall close to Christmas. During a 10-day hospitalization, she received a full workup from both an orthopedist and a neurologist. All of which improved her quality of life and extended her time to the equivalent of 98 years.
Only now do I realize how lucky I was to have her around for that long. There are too many people in this country who wouldn't have the resources to take the measures I did. Forget caring for a best friend. They wouldn't be able to afford the right medical treatment for themselves. I can't imagine having that kind of uncertainty and helplessness always hovering just around the corner.
My experience reminded me of an exchange between Barack Obama and John McCain during the second presidential debate last fall. Tom Brokaw asked each whether health care in America is a privilege, a right, or a responsibility. McCain deemed it a responsibility - one assumed by employers and small businesses. He then explained his aversion to government-mandated health care.
Obama differed: "Well, I think it should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills - for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a preexisting condition and they don't have to pay for her treatment - there's something fundamentally wrong about that."
Right or responsibility? I'm still not sure where I fall in that regard. But I can better appreciate why health-care reform will play such a significant role in President Obama's budget plan.
During his recent address to the joint session of Congress, the president made several references to the "crushing cost of health care." His words dealt mostly with the financial. Left to run rampant, he said, the rising cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy every 30 seconds. Millions could lose their homes. Millions have already been priced out of their coverage.
And now I know this: All that doesn't even begin to explain what else the uninsured stand to lose when they can't afford medical care.
In the end, no sum could provide my friend what she required. Saturday night was our last together. We snuggled on the sofa and watched TV in front of a simmering fire. Last Sunday, she took a turn for the worse, and by Monday I was sure she let me know she'd lost her fight. She wasn't speaking, but her eyes told me it was time. She wanted rest of the permanent kind.
Yes, she's gone. And like Hall and Oates once sang, I'd pay the devil to replace her. Even though they weren't referring to a Labrador.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
02/06/09 My debate with Musharraf on hunt for bin Laden
01/29/09 Torture must remain an option
01/15/09 Making a case for suing Madoff
12/22/08 A difficult but rational chat about plans
12/17/08 Facebook epidemic: More than 120 million have joined, many too old for this nonsense
12/01/08 The high price of downsizing the news biz
11/14/08 Prescience on greed, arrogance of a system
09/29/08 Closer look at party lines
08/26/08 Obama's pick creates GOP opportunity
08/21/08 Fishing with the Angry Everyman
07/31/08 The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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