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Pay or Die
An old friend came over today.
Hadn't seen him in a couple of years.
He's a self-employed contractor.
He's uninsured.
Two weeks ago, he was driving home from a job.
He felt a severe pain in the back of his head.
His right arm was going numb.
His chest was getting tight.
He drove to his family doctor.
The doctor called the ambulance to take him to a hospital 35 miles away.
He said no, he couldn't afford the ambulance ride.
He got someone to drive him.
Jun 05, 2011
An old friend came over today.
Hadn't seen him in a couple of years.
He's a self-employed contractor.
He's uninsured.
Two weeks ago, he was driving home from a job.
He felt a severe pain in the back of his head.
His right arm was going numb.
His chest was getting tight.
He drove to his family doctor.
The doctor called the ambulance to take him to a hospital 35 miles away.
He said no, he couldn't afford the ambulance ride.
He got someone to drive him.
He was admitted for one day.
They did a catheterization.
Cost -- $18,000.
Doctor tells him that he has an aneurysm on his aorta.
Needs an operation.
He asked the doctor -- how much?
Doctor says $180,000.
Can't afford it.
The doctor sent him home with a warning -- don't lift anything heavy.
He drives home.
He has worked all his life.
He refuses to take handouts.
He's going to pay the doctor for the catheterization at about $200 a month.
He's 63 years old.
He figures if he can live two more years, Medicare will kick in and he'll get the operation.
If not, he says he'll die knowing that the system is corrupt to the core.
He says that it's so corrupt, there is nothing you can do to change it.
You can't go through a month here in West Virginia without running into someone holding a raffle, or a yard sale, or a party held to raise money for someone who is sick without insurance.
My buddy came over to do some work on our place.
My wife and I were talking to him on the porch.
I asked him how he was feeling and he told me the story.
When he told us that he couldn't afford the procedure that would save his life, and he was resigned to it, my wife excused herself, stood up, and went inside.
She came back and apologized.
I just stared at the floor.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. He is also founder of singlepayeraction.org, and editor of the website Morgan County USA.
An old friend came over today.
Hadn't seen him in a couple of years.
He's a self-employed contractor.
He's uninsured.
Two weeks ago, he was driving home from a job.
He felt a severe pain in the back of his head.
His right arm was going numb.
His chest was getting tight.
He drove to his family doctor.
The doctor called the ambulance to take him to a hospital 35 miles away.
He said no, he couldn't afford the ambulance ride.
He got someone to drive him.
He was admitted for one day.
They did a catheterization.
Cost -- $18,000.
Doctor tells him that he has an aneurysm on his aorta.
Needs an operation.
He asked the doctor -- how much?
Doctor says $180,000.
Can't afford it.
The doctor sent him home with a warning -- don't lift anything heavy.
He drives home.
He has worked all his life.
He refuses to take handouts.
He's going to pay the doctor for the catheterization at about $200 a month.
He's 63 years old.
He figures if he can live two more years, Medicare will kick in and he'll get the operation.
If not, he says he'll die knowing that the system is corrupt to the core.
He says that it's so corrupt, there is nothing you can do to change it.
You can't go through a month here in West Virginia without running into someone holding a raffle, or a yard sale, or a party held to raise money for someone who is sick without insurance.
My buddy came over to do some work on our place.
My wife and I were talking to him on the porch.
I asked him how he was feeling and he told me the story.
When he told us that he couldn't afford the procedure that would save his life, and he was resigned to it, my wife excused herself, stood up, and went inside.
She came back and apologized.
I just stared at the floor.
Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. He is also founder of singlepayeraction.org, and editor of the website Morgan County USA.
An old friend came over today.
Hadn't seen him in a couple of years.
He's a self-employed contractor.
He's uninsured.
Two weeks ago, he was driving home from a job.
He felt a severe pain in the back of his head.
His right arm was going numb.
His chest was getting tight.
He drove to his family doctor.
The doctor called the ambulance to take him to a hospital 35 miles away.
He said no, he couldn't afford the ambulance ride.
He got someone to drive him.
He was admitted for one day.
They did a catheterization.
Cost -- $18,000.
Doctor tells him that he has an aneurysm on his aorta.
Needs an operation.
He asked the doctor -- how much?
Doctor says $180,000.
Can't afford it.
The doctor sent him home with a warning -- don't lift anything heavy.
He drives home.
He has worked all his life.
He refuses to take handouts.
He's going to pay the doctor for the catheterization at about $200 a month.
He's 63 years old.
He figures if he can live two more years, Medicare will kick in and he'll get the operation.
If not, he says he'll die knowing that the system is corrupt to the core.
He says that it's so corrupt, there is nothing you can do to change it.
You can't go through a month here in West Virginia without running into someone holding a raffle, or a yard sale, or a party held to raise money for someone who is sick without insurance.
My buddy came over to do some work on our place.
My wife and I were talking to him on the porch.
I asked him how he was feeling and he told me the story.
When he told us that he couldn't afford the procedure that would save his life, and he was resigned to it, my wife excused herself, stood up, and went inside.
She came back and apologized.
I just stared at the floor.
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