Healthcare is an important issue

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How many human beings have passed away, or will in America, — do you suppose — simply because of no real access to healthcare? Primarily on account of costs being prohibitive to even seek it.

It’s always appeared to me this should be the question to the American public concerning the only matter, other than death, that affects all of us. If not ourselves at a particular moment, family members and friends.

Some of the leading Democratic candidates for President of the United States are putting forth the idea of Medicare-For-All, or an expansion of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Republicans, as usual, are adverse to either.

For decades, every developed, industrialized nation on Earth, with the exception of the U.S., has had a universal healthcare system. Why we haven’t can be summed up in one word: Greed.

So, what are we hearing back instead of insuring all Americans?

The haves are whining about something that will benefit someone other than themselves for a change. A main complaint is that they wouldn’t be able to keep their own doctors, whether that would be a valid argument or not under Medicare-For-All? In response, I’d rather know how many have never had a personal doctor, period?

We really can be a selfish, self-centered country.

We’re bombarded that 140, or 150, or 160, or 170 million Americans — we can’t ever settle on a figure — are already insured.

If so at the highest number, that’s still a problem for tens of millions of human beings (approximately 330 million live in the U.S. today.)

This argument has always come down on the side of the haves in America.

Will decency ever prevail?

My late mother — Virginia Ann Newman Turner, called “Annie” — was high up among the most knowledgeable persons I’ve been around.

A number of times over the years, she said to me, “Jerry, don’t tell me what’s right. Tell me what’s wrong, and what can be done about it.”

Healthcare is a prime example of what my mom meant.

There are proposals on the table regarding this enormously important issue.

Will we ever make the right decision?

At some point in America, we must acknowledge this bottom line: Greed has been chosen over even death of human beings.

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By Jerry Turner

Guest columnist

The writer is a former Sidney Daily News sports editor (1973-75), was a Logan County Schools truant officer (1979-2005) and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force in the Vietnam era (1965-69).

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