Letter: Health care system is lacking

Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 | 9:16 a.m.

Vice President Dick Cheney says that Americans have the best health care system in the world. Shouldn't he be required to tell us that only some Americans, himself included, have the best health care in the world?

There are now 45 million Americans without health insurance, and the number is rising. When doing his research on the subject of health care, did the vice president miss the fact that, according to the World Health Organization, the United States ranks 37th in health care performance? Maybe he had some old information.

A typical trip to an emergency room to treat an uninsured child who broke a leg while playing could have a serious impact on a family's finances for months or even years. A serious illness to a parent without health insurance can eliminate opportunities for spouses or children, whose entire lives may be affected because of the financial strains of paying endless medical bills. Some Americans will die only because they don't have access to the health care system the vice president speaks of.

Are these statistics that Americans should be proud of? The fact that we are the only industrialized country that does not provide equal health care for all its citizens speaks volumes about the compassionate Bush administration. In order to make our country great again, Americans need to wake up and stop accepting the nonsense that politicians spew for their own gain.

Incidentally, for those who want to live longer, there are 47 other countries whose citizens enjoy longer life expectancies.

PHIL VENTURA