Everything costs so much nowadays -- and prices keep going up and up. Expenses and more expenses! When will income exceed expenditures so that more of us can save for the future? Few people win a large lottery prize. What a rip-off! I don't personally know anyone who has won. But people continue to chase the dream of hitting it big.
The federal government ostensibly will help, through Medicare, the elderly and those with disabilities. Medicare Part D will be of value to a small proportion of people who happen to be most poverty-stricken, but it will not be of great value to most. Wisconsin's SeniorCare program is far superior.
As some of you know, I'm a busybody advocate who bothers people at local, state, and federal levels. In the October issue of Asian Wisconzine (or "Asian Wiz," as our editor calls it), I closed my column with the following question: "Shouldn't our state and federal representatives come up with a plan that will assure health care for all as a right, not a privilege for those who have money?"
Wisconsin Senator Mark Miller and Wisconsin State Representative Chuck Benedict (a medical doctor, by the way) held a press conference on Oct. 20 to announce that they and 14 colleagues introduced 2005 Senate Bill 388, or the Wisconsin Health Security Act in the state legislature. If you are interested, I urge you to contact either legislator or the state legislator representing your own senate or assembly district. Ask about the bill and urge that a public hearing be held to discuss it and note suggestions. If the senate bill (and its Assembly counterpart) passes both houses of the legislature and is signed by the governor, the Wisconsin Health Security Act will enable the state to make health care a right for all.
Senator Miller said that in Wisconsin, 593,000 persons were without health insurance in 2003. Twice that many were uninsured at some time during the past two years. Those data are particularly interesting in view of the fact that the 2000 U.S. Census reported that Wisconsin's total population was 5,363,675. More than one person in 10 had no health insurance. No wonder we read about special fund-raising events being held to pay for medical and related expenses.
Further statistical information presented by Sen. Miller included: 25 percent of the uninsured were children; 50 percent were employed; and 80 percent of the uninsured lived in households where at least one member was employed.
The statistics depict the size of the problem, but they cannot reveal the worries and heartaches that result when sudden medical costs occur because of health conditions or accidents. If a family has no health insurance or one with all kinds of deductibles and other conditions and a child has an accident or an acute health problem, how can they pay the bills? What can they do? Sometimes, health problems have to be ignored or treated with home remedies. Other times, friends or relatives must be approached for financial help. When the usual resources are not available to meet fiscal needs, sometimes the alternative chosen may be bankruptcy. Another alternative might be to approach a religious organization or a public or private agency for help. If only there were enough money saved up or available to pay for medical costs; but for many, that's only an "If," or just a "We should have."
Rep. Benedict, who was a neurologist in Beloit for nearly 20 years, said he was " appalled by what is happening today in our health care system. Administrative costs and record pharmaceutical profits are taking the place of actually helping patients and families." He pointed out that even our veterans are going without needed health care. He indicated that administrative costs should be reduced and redirected to health care services.
The Wisconsin Health Security Act will not be embraced by many legislators; it probably will not even have the opportunity of being reviewed in legislative hearings so that the public could be better informed, raise questions, and discuss the many issues involved.
Chances are that most of those who take time to read this will not check with their legislators to ask about Wisconsin Health Security Act. So next issue, I'm going to write an informative, but excruciatingly boring, column with details of the Act which, incidentally, was the result of many rewrites and changes made by legislators, staff, and the Coalition for Wisconsin Health since almost two decades ago.
