Back in the 1980s, I was a secretary for the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
I got a pretty good overview of health care systems and problems around the world, from cancer, AIDS, mother and child health, vaccination, tropical diseases, etc.
At one point, it became obvious to me that the United States was some sort of outlier in the world. The American health care system was based on profit, exclusion of ordinary illnesses, lies, gamesmanship and trickery. It’s a kind of bait-and-switch system that plays with human lives. The American system is called a “health scam” by the rest of the world. I remember thinking: “Why don’t they just call someone and ask them how to create a health care system that works for people?” I was young. I thought somehow the American government just didn’t know how to do it. That was 45 years ago.
While Americans donate massive amounts of money into corporate “health scam” profits, what return are they getting on the investment? The U.S. is 48th in life expectancy. The devastation of the system includes premature death, high disease rates, drug addiction, homelessness, bankruptcy, food insecurity, crime, etc. The unnecessary suffering that people endure cannot be calculated; however, we all experience it in one way or another. Maybe it’s time the U.S. woke up and made that phone call. The world is watching. We are all waiting.
JOAN FOX
New Orleans
