No one should die because he can’t afford insurance

Well, here we go again. I had thought I had said it all in my letter in January. However, I guess I should have known better. As you may or may not recall, I spoke of the “golden years” not being anywhere close to golden, as it’s more expensive to live now than ever before since we are not only taxed on our Social Security we earned through the years, but our health insurance rises from $52.37 per month to $415 per month. So, our money goes right back to the federal government. That is the last place it should go. We are the ones who should make the decision.

How could I not realize that even the young are suffering? How about a proactive, ethically sound, hard-working young man not yet 29 who can’t afford to go to a dentist because he has no insurance? Seriously, the majority of what’s left of his teeth are jagged. It’s affecting his overall health, and what is left need to be completely pulled. He has not one good tooth in his mouth and there is nothing he can do about this. It makes me physically sick to my stomach. This person works as much as possible, is the caretaker for both parents and has not one bad bone in his body – and yet he has to try and endure constant pain.

What happened to pay it forward? Oh, that’s right – it was just a movie. What is happening to the United States of America? Those who have money will never know what some of our young people are dealing with, to the point of death, as they spend money like it’s water and half the time brag about it.

That’s right; I am aware people earned their millions and billions, but why wouldn’t these people reach out to others who can’t get a break? There are still many, many young people who work as much as they can, and they are the only person in their family to accept their responsibility. In this particular situation, the father can quit his job with no notice. He doesn’t care because it falls completely on his son, who moved from out of state to be here for both parents.

And, of course, when you live in South Carolina and only get paid $7.50 per hour, I can’t imagine how anyone can save money, let alone have insurance. You sound like this overhaul of health insurance will benefit so many more people. Get real. No one should die because he doesn’t have insurance.

Maybe everyone should just be patient since all of this is supposed to change. When? How?

To all the young ones out there taking responsibilities way before they should, I think of you all and hope that you keep your morals, ethics and good spirit – no matter the challenges you face.

This story was originally published April 23, 2017 at 9:32 AM with the headline "No one should die because he can’t afford insurance."