James Camilli talks about issues revolving around Medicaid and healthcare in the U.S.
Editor’s note: This letter to the editor was submitted to the Cherry Hill Sun by resident James Camilli
I agree completely with the article that appeared in your recent letters column regarding Medicaid funding, but I’d like to amplify the point. The problem is not limited to Medicaid, but concerns dentistry generally. According to a recent book, fully one-third of the U.S. population is going without routine dental care, because they can’t afford it and are not covered by insurance (Medicaid and Medicare don’t normally cover dental care, unless augmented by other plans such as here in New Jersey). There have even been cases of people dying due to simple infections that got out of hand and spread to the brain (this includes children). And in a country with as much wealth as the U.S., this situation is a disgrace.
But this is also true of healthcare generally. I suppose diversity, individualism and private initiative have their good points (or so we’re told), but not when it comes to healthcare. Actually we could do with a little more unity, commonality and public (government) involvement. Most other modern nations (like Canada or England) are way ahead of us and already have adopted some form of universal healthcare (socialized medicine). When are we Americans — -who at one time were the world leaders in democracy — -going to catch up?
Unfortunately we can’t look to Washington for leadership on this issue, at least not while Donald Trump and his team of Republican ne’er-do-wells are still enthroned. But citizens should avoid going along with the system like a bunch of sheep and take every opportunity to fight back. And remember, the U.S. was founded in 1776 as a democratic republic, not a business enterprise.
James Camilli
