Let's Think Logically

I will resume my myths next week. For this week, I would just like to pose some questions for us to think about regarding health care. Today, I'd like to talk about common sense issues regarding health care, namely how being healthy is less expensive for your employer, your sister employees, and you.

Think about being at work. You do not have an employer-sponsored health plan or you have one but it isn't all that great. You have to pay each month for this plan, and you can opt out of the plan if you want to. Participation is not mandatory. You opt for the health insurance, and your co-worker, Justine, in the cubicle next to you opts to not take insurance as she cannot afford her part of the premiums. This means that her children and spouse aren't covered either. But, she isn't worried because they're young and in good health.

Justine gets a call at work from one of her children. You can hear her part of the conversation. One of the kids is sick. Nothing to be done. It isn't too bad. The next day, Justine comes to work late because her child is still sick, and she had to find someone to stay with the kid. You and Justine were supposed to start on a project first thing that morning. You had to start on it without her. You and she get to working on the project, and Justine gets a number of phone calls from home. The project should have only taken both of you four hours, but it's the end of the day, and you're still not done. You have to take it home and finish it because, if it isn't finished on time, you lose that account, which means your company loses that account.

It's the next day. Justine is very late this morning. You've had to do her work in addition to your own. Your productivity has been compromised because of her sick child. This continues for a few weeks. Her child is very sick now, and Justine has to take him to the emergency room because the family doesn't have health insurance. Turns out the child has a respiratory disease that could have been treated easily when the child first fell ill. Now, the child will have to stay in the hospital. Justine doesn't know how they will pay for this.

Months go by, Justine's productivity has declined. Clients have complained and are threatening to move their accounts to another company. Justine and her husband are going bankrupt because of the hospital bills. Her husband has taken on another job, which means that the kids will have to be home by themselves because they cannot afford child care.

Justine hasn't been feeling well lately. She's not sure what's wrong, but she can't go see a doctor because she can't afford it. She has missed so much work now that the company decides she has to be let go. The company lost some clients due to Justine's underperforming on their accounts.

So now Justine and her family have no health insurance, they are going bankrupt, she lost her job, and she is very sick. Who will hire her? How will she get health insurance if she gets a new job because she and her child have pre-existing conditions? Besides Justine and her family, who is paying for this lack of health care?

While I may have invented Justine and this scenario, it is unfortunately being played out across the country. Check out http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7806-02.pdf, http://pnhp.org/excessdeaths/health-insurance-and-mortality-in-US-adults.pdf.