I heard a story of a man living in England who started having trouble with his vision.  Because of socialized medicine (so the story line went) he had to get onto a wait list in order to be seen by a optometrist. By the time he got in to see the doctor he was blinded by glaucoma. This was a story of why we don’t want a socialized healthcare system.  I have to wonder how many Americans go blind because they don’t have health care insurance.

A common belief is that uninsured people can go to the emergency room and receive care “because no-one is turned away!”  A lot of people unknowingly have high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart trouble.  Many times theses diseases go undiagnosed because they don’t seek medical care and because they don’t have health care insurance.  These diseases are known as silent killers. By the time these patients do have emergencies and go to the ER, the cost of their care is exponentially higher than if they had received ongoing preventative healthcare!

Currently, forty-seven million Americans do not have any healthcare coverage. The Institute of Medicine reports 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in America due to lack of health insurance. The institute further states that America, of any other country, spends the most on healthcare yet is the only wealthy industrialized nation that does not insure their citizens.

As a physical therapist, I encounter many problems with our current healthcare system. I am critically aware of patients who have increasing out of pocket co-pays, deductibles and the denial of services that were once covered by their insurance.    One denial of coverage for my patients is physical therapy services. I know friends, family, and patients who have healthcare coverage and are no longer able to afford it!

We need a comprehensive healthcare reform plan that gives everyone an equal opportunity to be healthy without forcing anyone to give up the care they have. With the Missouri CHIP’s program at ever increasingly jeopardy, it is time that we do something to institute a public healthcare program for all Missouri residents.

The current system is outdated and undermines the promise of modern medicine. We need a new system that provides health care coverage more affordable, more widely available, and supports ongoing medical research