Baraka_Guru

It still doesn't speak to the point that a lack of even the most basic care is an issue to far too many Americans.

In thinking of this, it seems to me that America is at a disadvantage for having a long history of a convoluted system, so to "modernize" it into a workable form of universal health care seems disruptive. But major and revolutionary programs are never easy. It's not like Canada just up and created our system overnight. It took a number of years, and it evolved over more years.

But it happened. It started on the provincial level, in a highly rural/agricultural/resource-producing province that had a shortage of doctors and needed a solution. From there, other provinces and eventually the federal government saw the benefits of providing essential medical care to everyone. Now we have a single-payer system with no co-payments (for the most part), which means people don't need to worry about losing their work insurance (unless it's dental, though many workplaces provide this) or whether they can afford to go to the doctor with their children.

It's a shame that a nation such as America can generate so much wealth and yet not be able to provide basic medical service to its citizens. It's a shame that people go bankrupt because of health issues.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot