Although I completely agree with Robin’s feelings voiced in the prior blog, that we need some type of medical insurance coverage for everyone, I have another concern. Everything you read or hear these days seems to refer to uninsured people as “them.” As in “them” versus “us.”  As if it could never happen to those of us lucky enough to have healthcare insurance right now.

That’s such nonsense. Depending on the circumstances, any one of us could become uninsured at any time. Look at Robin’s example of the young college-age student with the main option of declaring bankruptcy due to a complicated illness that still needs treatment. Most people without insurance are just like you and me; not the nonworking lazy folks that others would have you believe. I know exactly what I am talking about. Why? Because for the past 3 years I have exclusively worked at a clinic for people without insurance.

Let me tell you about the circumstances of some of my patients. One lovely man is in his 50s, and has for years worked at the airport as a skyhop. That’s right. He’s the one who lifts your heavy bags onto the scales and then onto the dolly to roll it over to the check-in desk.  And sometimes, when no dolly is available, he carries it himself to the check-in desk. He usually works 12-14 hour days, and has been healthy for years. But now, he’s been having back pain, and his weight has crept up causing him to develop high blood pressure and high blood sugar.

Easy you say. Give him something for his back pain, put him on blood pressure medicine and tell him to lose weight. Not so fast. He doesn’t have health insurance because it is too expensive for him to buy, and it is not an included benefit with his job. He has children at home and a wife who is ill. Medications are expensive. And what happens if his back “goes out” so that he can’t work for awhile? He will probably lose his job as he has no medical leave; in addition, he cannot pay for physical therapy or other treatments for his back. He’s a hardworking, diligent, and responsible citizen who helps you and me out when we fly. And, do you think he shouldn’t be offered healthcare coverage he can afford?

Another patient of mine worked for years as an administrator for a nonprofit organization that gave out grants to needy people. When her arthritis got so bad that she couldn’t stand up or sit down without excruciating pain, she had to go on disability. But it’s not enough to allow her to pay for medical insurance. She desperately wants to work, but can do little because of her constant pain.  And she definitely can’t afford joint-replacement surgery herself. She shouldn’t have an affordable option for medical insurance?

Yet another patient is a fine piano teacher trained at the best conservatories in the country. Never ill in her younger years, she didn’t have medical insurance because she couldn’t afford it but blessedly didn’t need it. Now she’s in her 50s with all the illnesses that come with aging, and has had to slow down her teaching. And she still can’t afford insurance. She’s very important to many young piano pupils and to their parents; she is literally teaching how to have joy in their lives through music. And she doesn’t deserve to have affordable medical insurance?

As I said originally, these people are not “them.” They are us. Think about it.