Comments

The existing economic situation will definitely impact any plans either presidential candidate has to lower the number of Americans without health insurance. In recent years, health care reform has taken a front seat in the media, but with the combination of the stock market plunge, housing crisis and major job losses, there’s no doubt that those problems overshadow the millions of Americans with no or very health insurance. As the government attempts to figure ways of bailout for the financial industry, which is absolutely necessary to keep the economy from going down under, I’ve heard nothing recently about a governmental bailout plan for the health care industry. Of course, the financial turmoil is important, but also are the 46 million Americans, including school-age children, that live without health insurance. With millions of American household having employer-sponsored and affordable health insurance, the idea of families not having health care is hard to envision, and some don’t see it as a major problem. But because we all are impacted by gas prices, the Iraq war and the housing crisis-these things take precedent. It’s really sad that health care isn’t taken as seriously as other major problems. The effects of not having adequate health care can be long lasting. For example, Black women are 67 percent more likely to die from disease, like breast cancer, because of issues related to not having access to screening, early detection and treatment, according to the American Cancer Society Inc.