We need healthcare
A friend with severe medical issues lives with me. Because she is not yet dying, emergency rooms and doctors give her referrals to specialists. But without insurance she has been unable to get an appointment.
This situation has been going on for months, and we don’t know how this will be resolved. As a result, she is despondent and getting sicker. If she dies in my house, the blame will be at the feet of those in Washington and Tallahassee who insist that we can not afford to help her.
The United States supports about a dozen aircraft carriers worldwide and spends an enormous percentage of its GDP on the military-industrial complex. We can pay for that, but not medical care for the poor?
Our military spending is excessive, dangerous and, even if necessary, is no excuse for the indifference we show the sick and disadvantaged in our country.
This country is strong enough to work for every citizen, but we must care and embrace a can-do attitude, otherwise all that military strength will be nothing more than armor for a society not worth fighting for.
Eric Hess, Miami Beach
This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 11:18 PM with the headline "We need healthcare."