Reply #133: Honestly I was reluctant to reply to your post and have mixed feelings about it

[davidpdx]

I agree with you that the health care in the US is terrible and that there is no reason why everyone shouldn't have health insurance. I sympathize with you as much as I can, not knowing you at all, but that your family is hurting.

I'm lucky enough to live in a country (South Korea) where we do have great health care and someone like your ex-wife would get the full medical attention she deserves. There have been many times in my life where I too haven't had health care (when I lived in the US) and have medical issues I've needed resolved (I take medications that are expensive without insurance and I'll leave it at that). I also had a root canal when I was in college (it was an emergency thing) and it sat on my credit report for years until I finally was able to clean it up by paying it (I'm sure the mark is still there).

My father-in-law had intensional cancer a few year back and he had two surgeries and that was hard on the family. Their family is very poor (no income, long story) and the government provides health insurance here as well as discounts their bills because they are elderly without any money (I think it cost him about $4,000 out of pocket for almost a full month in the hospital including surgery and everything, which was picked up by family). I can't imagine how much the equivalent care would be in the US.

This is where the mixed feelings come into play. I still believe we have a chance to change how things are done, but they aren't going to come overnight, nor in a year. We have to continue to put stories like your ex-wives in the forefront to keep reminding people that the fight is far from over. That if this isn't done, families will be torn apart and needlessly lose loved ones. I don't think giving up is an option, because the consequences are getting little or nothing if we do. No matter what, we must keep insisting for an affordable health care plan that allows most everyone to be covered and where preexisting conditions won't cause us to be turned away.