Protecting Angelina's Honor as U.S. Health Care System Kills 123 People Daily

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Donna Smith

Donna Smith, American SiCKO, is executive director of the Health Care for All Colorado Foundation

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May 15th, 2013 1:37 PM

Protecting Angelina's Honor as U.S. Health Care System Kills 123 People Daily

U.S. Health System Kills 123 Yesterday, Few Notice

By Donna Smith

Yesterday I wrote about the recent revelations from Angelina Jolie about her double mastectomy. I said nothing ill-willed about the mega-star nor did I imply she should have made a different decision or that she was not heroic. But, wow, the defenders of Angelina's honor sure came out in force. You'd have thought they all knew her personally and were afraid her tender feelings would be hurt by thinking about all the women around this country who lack access to even a fraction of the care she can ponder and pursue. I actually gave her more credit than that as she does seem to have a heightened sense of caring in a world that often lacks humanity. I believe she would appreciate and understand the plight of women like me who face cancer prospects with far fewer options due to our lack of health coverage or cash.

Yesterday, another 123 people died in the United States without access to necessary health care, and few souls raged with me, at me, to me, or about me in their comments. Another 1,978 went bankrupt due to medical crisis or medical debt or both, and no one worried themselves about that. Angelina's courage and her cancer prospects aside, these numbers ought be a national disgrace and public health emergency considered so dire that any person who had the capacity to avert the death and suffering and failed to do so would understand their complicity and be held accountable for it.

I do not believe we should create a health care system that protects my breasts as well as Angelina's or even as many other women with greater means than I have. In so many ways, I am average and ordinary and not in need of any extra attention that wealthier women can afford. That's the breaks, and if it were that critical to me, I would have spent my life fighting for that sort of recognition and financial success through my labor.

Some of those who commented yesterday understood my point, but just in case it was missed, let me state it again, in the name of the dead and suffering: Our health care system in broken because its motivations are based on making huge profits not on the human right to health care or the the public good that would provide. Some people can access extraordinary care while others are not able to access anything. Some cancer patients and survivors can afford proactive measures and reconstructive surgeries while others cannot even have follow-up check-ups. Our profit-first health care system needs transformation to an improved and expanded Medicare for all for life system.

No New York Times story or op-ed confessions from health care industry CEOs or provider who denied care to the dead and the dying who will pass today and tomorrow. No inquires by Congress about the deaths. Just damned silence.

So, since Monday's tally on my site, the numbers have jumped by two days' worth. I don't have to wonder if anyone will care today about these statistics. I know the answer to that.

The 2013, to date, U.S. medical-financial-industrial-complex system dead: 16,605

The 2013, to date, U.S. health care system bankrupt: 267,040

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