| Individual stories matter. Stalin once opined that the death of a single person was a tragedy but the death of millions only a statistic.
John Brodniak was a young man when he had his blackout. Testing after that finally determined that the left parietal lobe of his brain has a cavernous hemangioma. That's an abnormal growth of blood vessels, and in John's case it is chronically leaking blood into his brain.
He has lost his job, because he could not work.
Without treatment, he cannot be cleared to return to work.
Without a job he has no health insurance.
With no health insurance he cannot get treatment.
His wife and her children from a previous marriage were covered by her employment, but she could not add John because he has a pre-existing condition.
She used all her leave to care for John, then had to quit because caring for him was more important.
Now they have no income, and no insurance.
He qualifies for Oregon Medicaid but cannot find a surgeon to address his condition because the reimbursements are too low.
His pain is constant.
And our politicians dither about a health care bill.
Some are prepared to use delaying tactics to try to stop any bill, in the hopes of gaining political advantage.
Others will threaten filibuster to protect insurance companies rather than those they should be insuring.
Insurance companies illegally spend policy holder premiums to try to influence the policy holders and those who make health care policy.
John agreed to tell the story of his family in the hope it might help them obtain the medical treatment he needs, that their family can avoid being crushed because he is sick.
Kristof tells us the story of one man, then reminds us John's story is not so unusual. A Harvard study, to be published next month in the American Journal of Public Health, suggests that almost 45,000 Americans die prematurely each year as a consequence of not having insurance. John may become one of them.
almost 45,000 - remember that number.
Then consider these numbers:
number of Americans who died domestically from gunshot: in 2000 it was less than 30,000
number of Americans killed in auto accidents: in 2007 just over 41,000
The latter figure has been going down for several decades, since it peaked in 1972.
The number of Americans dying prematurely because they are uninsured is going up, as more Americans become uninsured.
Kristof tells us one story. There are thousands of stories we could tell.
But Kristof also gives us a powerful expression. Read his concluding paragraph: If a senator strolled indifferently by as John retched in pain, we would think that person pitiless. But isn't it just as monstrous for politicians to avert their eyes, make excuses and deny coverage to innumerable Americans just like John?
indifferently
avert their eyes
innumerable Americans
JUST LIKE JOHN
Perhaps the person will be named Juan, or Ivan, or Istvan, or Ian - all cognates of the name John.
Or it will be Juana, or Ivana . . .
JUST LIKE JOHN
Is not each of these worthy of our mercy?
Are we not responsible morally as a society for everyone around us?
Will we demand our elected officials act, or will we avert our eyes, and stroll by indifferently?
ARE WE GOING TO LET JOHN DIE? |
