Condition: critical; our healthcare system leaves millions unserved and it's a national shame. (Where we Stand).Our country is facing a massive healthcare crisis, Millions of Americans don t have access to medical treatment. While we're second to none in medical expertise and technology, we're way behind in making healthcare and health insurance affordable for working families. One out of six Americans--44 million--has no health insurance. With the cost of medical care skyrocketing, that's a prescription for disaster, A simple outpatient outpatient /out·pa·tient/ (-pa-shent) a patient who comes to the hospital, clinic, or dispensary for diagnosis and/or treatment but does not occupy a bed. out·pa·tient n. procedure can run thousands of dollars; treating more serious problems can leave uninsured families penniless pen·ni·less adj. 1. Entirely without money. 2. Very poor. See Synonyms at poor. pen  ni·less·ly adv. .
And the cost to society--in human, as well as economic, terms--is
enormous.
Most adults without health insurance--85% of them--work hard in low-paying, non-union jobs and can t afford to buy insurance on their own. But as premium costs continue to soar SOAR - 1. State, Operator And Result. A general problem-solving production system architecture, intended as a model of human intelligence. Developed by A. Newell in the early 1980s. SOAR was originally implemented in Lisp and OPS5 and is currently implemented in Common Lisp. , even better paid employees, including many professionals, are losing healthcare benefits. And the bad news just keeps getting worse, As most states make deep cuts in spending to cope with revenue shortfalls and huge budget deficits, millions of our poorest citizens are losing Medicaid benefits, their lifeline life·line n. 1. a. An anchored line thrown as a support to someone falling or drowning. b. A line shot to a ship in distress. c. A line used to raise and lower deep-sea divers. 2. to decent healthcare. The healthcare crisis is an incredibly complex problem, and there are no easy answers. But we can solve it, and one place to start would be to insist that our government invest in making decent healthcare affordable for working families, rather than provide more tax breaks for the rich. If we continue to put off dealing with this critical issue, we will soon become a nation in which good healthcare is a privilege only the wealthy can afford- everyone else will just have to hope that they don t become seriously ill or injured The casualty status of a person whose illness or injury is classified by medical authority to be of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern, but there is not imminent danger to life. Also called SII. See also casualty status. . For a nation as affluent as ours, that's appalling. Sandra Feldman Sandra Feldman (October 13, 1939 - September 18, 2005) was an American civil rights activist, educator and labor leader who served as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) from 1997 to 2004. , President, American Federation of Teachers American Federation of Teachers (AFT), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. It was formed (1916) out of the belief that the organizing of teachers should follow the model of a labor union, rather than that of a professional association. & AFT Healthcare To learn more about the healthcare crisis, visit our web site at aft.org RELATED ARTICLE: FACTS * Between 1997 and 2002, the average cost/or basic health insurance plans went up a staggering 56%. * Uninsured adults are/our times more likely to put off or forego getting the medical care they need-resulting in greatly increased hospitalizations/or problems that could have been avoided or managed in a doctor's office. * Of the 44 million uninsured Americans, one quarter are children. |
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