Furries who don't live in the United States probably won't "get" this. In all Western nations but mine, socialized, universal healthcare is free, and is provided to all with as long as you chip in a tax. I know that is varies and differs between countries, (Canada and Australia have similar programs, but have different results), but it's pretty much the same all around.
For those who live in America like I do, you know where I'm getting at with this.
In 2006, my father almost died from a fall while working on building a house. The scaffolding that he was standing on snapped. I was young at the time, but knew very well about the reality of the situation, and I was very, very afraid. My family has been cursed with sudden, unpredicted deaths. My cousin died in a car accident without warning, and my great uncle was killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. So loosing my father seemed like the pattern was just going to happen again. Thankfully, the pattern broke that day. He was airlifted to a hospital in upstate New York, and despite fracturing his neck, and severing vertebraes, my father lives to this day and made a semi-full recovery.
But it cost us tens of thousands of dollars, and our entire family went bankrupt. We were upper middle-class until the accident. After that, we were forced to sign onto food stamps, sell out house, and in 2010 we could not afford to live in our home in New York and were forced to move to California. In a MOVING TRUCK. Following the accident, my Dad was fired by the construction company, and is suing them not just for wrongful termination, but for failure to maintain safety protocol for the scaffolding.
Non-Americans would be shocked that my Dad's hospital visit would cost us so much, if not cost anything at all. Many believe that it is unimaginable that our government would choose not to cover its citizens for hospital visits, and that we could go bust trying to afford surgeries.
Some Americans who had just suffered an accident would refuse to take a ride in an ambulance to the hospital because they would be burdened with debt should they survive. We are terrified of going to the hospital!!
And yet The United States government pays more money than any nation on earth to prop up our flawed medical plan. Americans are dependent on third-party health insurance plans to cover their costs, and if you lose your job, you could lose your insurance.
I blame politics as part of the problem. For non-Americans furs who don't know how Congress works, I'll just let you know that we only have two political parties that can hold federal offices; The Republican party and the Democratic party. The Democrats (liberal) have been pushing for universal healthcare since Bill Clinton. But the Republicans, who are staunchly conservative and hold a majority and control Congress' House of Representatives (sort of like the American parliament) have repeatedly shot down any attempts to bring up such an issue, fearing that Americans will become dependent on big-government handouts. Give me a break. We are the single most powerful nation on the face of the Earth; a nation that totes and hails our freedom to own a gun and drink until you pass out, yet since the majority of Congress has been opposed to gay and women's rights, the government's inability to compromise on aiding our ill and sick citizens is sadly not surprising.
We have excellent health care, provided by some of the most skilled doctors and professionals in the field. But health COSTS are astronomically high.
So I'll leave you with that, forums. What can America do to solve our medical cost issues? What stories do you have to share? And what do non-American furries think The United States can learn from your elected bodies?
I love my country. God bless this country! But I fear the price and coverage of health care may never change when I come close to death like my other family members have.
Thanks for reading, anyfur.
