A dumptruck driver with a swollen ankle, went to a local free clinic and was given a prescription to get an x-ray and have an orthopedic surgeon look at it at the county hospital ER.  He had no way of getting to the hospital to get this done.  His ankle was swollen, broken or sprained; couldn’t drive his dumptruck, and he had no insurance.  He was that dreaded self-pay that never pays and is therefore turned away in non-emergent situations.  He became a resident of the Salvation Army house.   Orthopedic surgeons don’t fix people who don’t have insurance unless they have a lot of cash up front.  Free clinics can only do so much.

What are the essential requirements of an American life? Food, shelter, clothing, clean water, good health and an education.   Some of us think that access to health care is as essential as access to clean drinking water.  Some do not.

Those who are opposed to the Affordable Care Act which is a big step in providing health care to a wider range of Americans  seem to be concerned about the cost to them personally. “The more money we make the more they take.”   Who are they?

What are they doing with my money after they take it?  Isn’t that what we all piss and moan about?  What is this going to cost me?   A health care system that provides quality services for citizens is an acceptable and essential place for our money to go.  Health care and the health of this planet is more important than killing people in other countries.

The dumptruck driver could get back in his truck after his ankle was fixed and be a productive tax-paying citizen again.  How is that bad for you?