Today we got a call from a husband who woke up to find his 29 year old wife lying in their bed not breathing and blue. The medic dispatcher gave the man CPR instructions over the phone while the police and the paramedics drove lights and sirens toward their residence. The arriving paramedics were able to drug-induce some cardiac electricity but she was still not breathing on her own. She is going to die.
The officer relayed this message to us: The female had lots of health complications and post-partum depression. They have a four month old baby. She had not been taking her own medications because she couldn’t afford to get them refilled.
This is just another example of the appalling state of our health care system. The woman died likely because she had no health insurance. Dead at twenty nine is sad. Motherless at four months old is tragic.
Something has to be done. We live in a country with the best quality of health care possible. We must get the money from somewhere to allow everyone access to this care. Nationalized healthcare is not the only answer. Restructuring Medicare and Medicaid might work.
The nation as a whole (or at least the politicians) are so worried about paying more taxes. If a few bucks more in taxes would have enabled this child to have a mother who could read to her, care for her, attend her graduation, etc., then it’s worth it.
But that’s just me.
E
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