Free to Die

We Americans take many risks in life and each day we go without medical insurance we are taking the risk of something serious happening. How will medical costs be covered for individuals that are uninsured?  At this year’s debate, Representative Ron Paul was asked a hypothetical question by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer; what should we do if a 30-year old man decides he doesn’t want to pay for medical insurance, but suddenly has to spend six months in the intensive care unit in the hospital? 

When you read the article Free to Die , you get a better idea of the issues we face with today’s health care. Even though the hypothetical man did have a job and was offered insurance, he opted to not pay for it because he was healthy. As Paul Krugman wrote in this article, most individuals who do not have medical insurance are those who can’t afford it, not because they didn’t want to pay for it.

If you watched this year's Republican Presidential debate, you clearly hear many audience members yelling out that the hospital should let this hypothetical man die if he's uninsured. I believe it’s important to keep up to date with how our Presidential candidates view health care issues and what they plan to do to make a positive change. Although everyone's opinions on the issue of health care are different, I don't believe people should die because they can't afford health insurance.