I can’t stop thinking about all of the people in this town, this state and this country who are sick or suddenly find out they are sick.
One day, my husband went to the doctor and, after many expensive tests and appointments, found that he had cancer. That was terrible news but, seven months later, he seems to be doing a bit better. Meanwhile, the bills are flowing in: thousands of dollars. Insurance coverage has paid for it all.
Aren’t we lucky? No, we have Medicare, the thing some people want to do away with. We have a pension-covered supplemental (some states want to do away with). We have paid nothing so far, as in zero dollars.
What keeps me up at night and makes me feel guilty and sad is that when I read about a lady who got cancer, she had to give up her retirement plan, her house and all her savings. And now she doesn’t know how she will stay alive.
What kind of country is this? Who are these people who won’t extend a hand to cover tens of thousands of people in this state when the federal government will pay all costs for three years and then 90 percent after? Are they moral people? Are they decent people? How do they see a country’s values?
They say this is the greatest country on Earth. Really? How do they measure that?
If a child is hungry, I am ashamed to eat. How do they enjoy their steak dinners?
Ellie Leight, Poland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
