The Cost of Being Uninsured

I had lunch with an old friend the other day. He’s a retired educator, so I wasn’t sure where he stood on the issues of healthcare (in Michigan, teachers have the BEST healthcare).

It was an interesting discussion – he is passionate about healthcare reform. As an educator, he saw how many people fell through the cracks; how many young people did not have access to healthcare; and the high cost of being uninsured.

The costs are not all just the financial costs of going to the doctor and getting prescriptions filled. The cost is in delayed care – those who are unable to see a dentist, and so they have no teeth. With no teeth, you can’t eat. When you don’t eat, your brain and body can’t develop as they should. And you can’t learn. You can’t get a job when you have no teeth… think about it. Would you hire someone with no teeth?

What about the children who have never seen an optometrist? If they can’t see, it makes it very difficult to pay attention in the classroom. Then they are labeled as “trouble-makers” and ADHD. Really what they need is a pair of glasses.

We take so much for granted and assume that everyone has the same values (I get so tired of hearing that word!) and the same resources. But, we don’t. For some families the reality is that food on the table and heating the house are the first priorities – and everything else has to wait.  For that tomorrow that never comes.

The burden is heaviest on the working poor, those families who have jobs – sometimes two or three jobs, but still can’t get ahead. If they get fifty bucks ahead, the car breaks down. In spite of their best efforts, they just can’t make it.