“Give me your Tired, Your Poor…but not Your Sick”

                Access to healthcare services is something every human being is entitled to. The United States spends 15% of its GDP on healthcare; this is a higher percentage than any other nation in the world. This certainly means that we must be the longest lived and healthiest people on the planet, right? Alas, this does not seem to be the case. The life expectancy in America is 78.5, placing us 50^th in the world. Our infant mortality rates are absurdly high at 6 deaths per 1000 live births. Healthcare is a very complex issue, so of course there are many factors to consider when wondering what we’re doing wrong.

                The biggest problem with our healthcare system is that it is largely privatized and not 100% universal. Considering the amount that is spent on healthcare, it is obscene that our government has not adopted a universal healthcare system that would cover all citizens. Compared to countries like France, Canada and Japan, the United States’ healthcare system seems to function in a way that is actively antagonistic towards the people it is supposed to serve. Running any healthcare organization for-profit is counter-intuitive  If you have no ill people seeking services, you aren't making money. If healthcare is treated as a product designed to deliver profit, it only makes sense to bleed people (pun definitely intended) in order to gain said profit. Over 60% of bankruptcies are filed due to high medical bills. When faced with astronomical medical bills due to liver failure, my mother chose to commit suicide rather than file for bankruptcy again. As much as I do enjoy thinking I’m a special snowflake, I know that I cannot be the only person who has had this sort of situation in their life. This is egregious. No one should be backed into that corner. No one in this country, the greatest country in the world, should feel it is necessary to terminate their own life because they literally cannot afford to be alive.

                Another serious flaw in our current healthcare system is the lack of price regulation (“Why an MRI costs $1080 in America and $280 in France”, Ezra Klein). In America, the cost of an MRI averages $1080, but in Germany the average cost for the same procedure is $599 and in France the cost is lower still (“US versus European Healthcare costs: the Data”). We use the same technology, so why are we paying exorbitant prices for the same care? Simply put, our government doesn't seem to be in our corner when it comes to our health. In other countries, the government aggressively intervenes to keep prices low for their citizens. Meanwhile, in the United States we are gouged for services that are owed to us. In the “land of the free”, life certainly isn't free. Capitalism is the beast that is killing us. It allows the healthcare industry to charge outrageous fees for life itself. Pharmaceutical companies charge astronomical prices for their product and give doctors incentives for prescribing whichever drug is the “new hotness”.

 Physicians in this country make double, sometimes triple what doctors in other first world countries make, and they actively lobby against the needs of their patients. The AMA has not only lobbied for limiting the number of physicians (“Health Care in the United States”), but also lobbies to limit more cost effective alternative medicine such as midwifery. As someone who intends on going into the medical field, I find this appalling. The primary reason one should want to be a physician is to heal the sick, not to fill your pockets.

At the end of the day, every person is entitled to be healthy. Life is precious, it is not a product to be bought and sold. Personally, I’m surprised by the amount of people who insist that life is sacred, but in the same breath speak of the “evils of socialized healthcare”. Well, which is it? Either life is sacred and we must do everything in our power to preserve it, or socialized healthcare is evil and only those who can afford to live can have life.

Commentary on Student Blog

In response to MWhite’s “Is the GOP War on Women a Reality?”:

Well said! I completely agree with this post, and applaud you for wording it so well. I’m forever mystified by women supporting a party so actively antagonistic towards them. I was absolutely disgusted when I heard Akin insist that our bodies have the ability to “just shut that whole thing down” in a case of “legitimate” rape. Seriously? I guess only white males are privy to the secrets and mysteries of the female body. And you also need to divine what “legitimate rape” is according to a member of the GOP…because it seems that they feel most women are “asking to be raped” by doing anything that accentuates or celebrates their femininity or sexuality.

  Rush Limbaugh is a different bin of manure entirely. When I heard him proclaim that any woman who uses birth control is a slut, I was flabbergasted. Part of me thinks he said it solely for ratings because surely, *surely* no one can be enough of an idiot to not understand the full range of what birth control does. Certainly, it can be quite useful in preventing pregnancy. It can also be amazingly useful in managing conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), irregular or painful menstruation, endometriosis, and certain hormonal imbalances. I guess all these women who wish to lower their risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer must be tremendous sluts…either that, or Mr. Limbaugh didn’t do his research. Guess which option I’m betting on. Do these people not even consider doing research?        
  The fact that the GOP claims the war on women is a falsehood is absolutely ridiculous to me. In Arizona, legislation was passed that effectively removes any rights a woman has over her reproductive system. Guess who sponsored that legislation? A Republican. Personally, I believe that abortion is an option that all women should have available to them. I don’t know if it is something I could do, but I’ve known women in situations where it was the only option. No woman should ever be forced to carry a child to term when it is medically known that the fetus is not viable and will not survive beyond birth. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is often one that haunts women who have had to make that choice. My mother was forced to undergo two abortions before I was born due to her age and it was an experience which tormented her to her dying day. Though some women do use termination as a birth control method, many women do not and they certainly don’t take it lightly.
  “How about admitting that you will never understand what it is to be a woman. That you will never know what it is like to become pregnant, whether by choice or as a result of rape or incest.” This is absolutely correct and males in any kind of policy-making position should heed these words. I don’t believe men should have any kind of say in what a female can and should do with her body. A man will never ever *ever* understand what it is to be pregnant. A man will never understand the physical toll a pregnancy can take on a body. A man will never understand the heartbreak of finding out your baby will not survive to term. A man will never understand what it’s like to carry a child as a consequence of unwanted sexual violence. Certainly, some men might be able to understand on a conceptual level, and some may be able to sympathize…but they will never be able to empathize with any of those positions. Honestly, I believe the time and energy of the GOP would be better spent doing some ACTUAL good for the citizens of our country instead of treating the sexuality of women like some nuclear arms threat. Seriously, boys…I promise we won’t turn into terrifying amazons and wreak havoc on your little card houses if you leave our ovaries unattended.

God is a Bullet, Have Mercy on us Everyone

                I adore firearms. I take great delight in the craftsmanship and artistry in a well-made pistol or rifle. There is nothing more perfect than understanding a weapon so completely that one strikes their target true every time. That being said, I believe this country’s gun control laws are way too lax. Gun ownership is not a “right”, it is a responsibility.

                When I hold a firearm, it is always in my mind that I am taking my life and the lives of those around me in my hands. Any mistake could be lethal. Proper training and exposure are essential in ensuring that people have the proper respect for firearms. Many Americans who have grown up around guns and have been properly exposed to them feel this way as well. That being said, the vast majority of people who own a gun will end up injuring or killing themselves due to improper training and handling.

                A gun is not a toy. The media and entertainment industries, however, glamorize firearms to the point where the gravity of hurting or killing another human being is completely removed. When you shoot someone in a video game, there are no consequences. You don’t go to jail, you don’t have to watch the light fade from someone’s eyes, and you don’t have to witness the toll it takes on that person’s loved ones.

                According to federal law, as long as you are a United States citizen, over 21, and can pass a criminal background check, you can acquire a handgun. Federal law does not require safety training or psychological examinations. This is egregious. Safety training should be required for anyone wishing to own a firearm, as improper use can result in injury or death. Since the only purpose of a firearm is to hurt or kill another living thing, it makes absolute sense that a psychological examination should be required in order to obtain one. At the very least, mandatory safety training would increase knowledge and would make it more apparent to people that owning firearms is a serious responsibility.

                Guns are unnecessary for ordinary citizens to have. Many other countries do not allow their citizens to have firearms and their murder rates are far below those of the United States. Approximately 30,000 people are injured each year due to firearms. The firearm-related homicide rates in America blow away the firearm homicide rates of every other high-income country. How can we honestly claim to be the “greatest country in the world” when we can’t even get a handle on firearm injury and mortality rates?

                As much as the federal government seems to adore pushing responsibility to the states, I believe it is their duty to regulate all dangerous items and substances. This includes firearms. The individuals in Congress need to get their heads on straight and re-evaluate their priorities so they better align with what will be beneficial to this country and its citizens. Many Americans feel that guns are “a way of life”, but this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, they are a means to a rather messy end.