Healthcare for the Uninsured – a third world problem in a first world nation
Every year, more than 44,000 Americans die simply because they have no health insurance. Congressman Grayson recently launched a website http://www.namesofthedead.com/ to honor but a few of the unfortunate masses.
Reading the stories on the site dispels the common misconception that the uninsured population is largely comprised of illegal immigrants and societies parasites. These people are just “Joe Average Americans” that are victims of the US health care system.
As a New Zealander I find this hard to fathom, as do most other people I discuss this with… a first world country similar to ours, with people dying unnecessarily because they cannot afford healthcare… Surely not! This is a third world problem they say – you must be mistaken.
What ever happened to the American Dream?
Are all men created equal except for those who cannot access medical insurance??
Where does Medical Travel fit into this?
It is not and will not ever be a panacea for the US Health system, but it can certainly help.
Medical Travel is not for everyone. There are some people that travelling for treatment is simply unsuitable for and some procedures which do not fit the criteria, for example, treatment that requires multiple visits over a long period of time.
However there are people living with pain and illness that may benefit from affordable treatment offshore. As I read the names of the dead, I tick off many that we could have helped, particularly in the early stages. The big question is, how do we get the message through?
Source: The Medical Traveller
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