The student in my office was so short of breath he could only say one word per breath. He was having a severe asthma attack. He was out of medication, had no primary doctor, and no health insurance.
I am a school nurse. This child’s lack of a regular doctor wasn’t because his parents didn’t care. It was because they couldn’t afford health insurance. Now he needed expensive emergency care.
Do I think that universal, affordable health insurance is essential? Yes, I do!
Of course, asthma is not catching. This was a plus for his classmates. What if he had come to school with a fever and untreated strep throat. In two to five days, the incubation period for strep, I would have seen more sore throats.
Untreated strep throat can cause heart complications. You see how this snowballs? Health insurance for all is protection for all.
President Obama is right. We need affordable health insurance for everyone! That saying “an ounce of prevention is cheaper than a pound of cure” is so true.
Mary Tolle, R.N.
Sanger
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