Forty seven million without health care.
Millions more, to make a claim, don”t dare.
Their high-paid insurance they might lose
If they missed the small print of the Don”ts and Do”s.
They just might have to foot the whole bill
If they overlooked the run of the mill
And didn”t divulge a condition unrelated
Or an obscure problem understated.
The lucky ones sign up at work
They”re told that they”re getting a salary perk
But there are co-pays, extra for children and spouse.
There are deductibles, enough to bring down the house.
Many dentists aren”t included, eye care either.
Some drugs aren”t included, don”t get a fever.
If you get sick, you might be dropped,
You”ll never know until the benefit stops.
Lose you job, the insurance goes
To buy it now you”ll pay through the nose.
You can”t afford it, going broke
Your hard-fought savings up in smoke.
Don”t get sick now, hang in awhile,
Find another job, force a smile.
Re-mortgage the home, that”s the ticket.
Most bankruptcies are due to the health care thicket
But all aren”t in such dire straits.
Our seniors don”t have to meet these fates.
The poor, the young, the vets have care.
Almost half of us have single-payer.
A better system all around,
Low overhead and little down.
Can”t be dropped if an emergency strikes.
Can”t be hit with premium spikes.
Can”t be denied for reasons inane.
No paperwork to drive everyone insane.
Those who use it say it”s the best.
Don”t pay insurance companies to feather their nest.
Why do we pay them? I”d like to ask.
They get thirty percent, I”m aghast!
Thirty percent of our dollar, for what?
Collecting the premium, passing the buck?
They have no doctors, no nurses, no care
They provide nothing, but get their full share.
If they didn”t exist we”d be better off.
Take the savings and stop the rip-off.
How can we afford it, you ask?
Through proper management, it”s not a hard task.
We”re paying more now than all other lands
They”re getting it done while we wring our hands.
Among wealthy countries we rank 36.
For insurance based care, that”s quite the fix,
When we spend double what the others do.
Our life span is less than Londoners too.
Opponents scream “Socialism,” the term of the day.
But we”re scaring ourselves silly, that”s what I say.
We”ve got socialist roads, police, firemen too.
Our military is socialist, their motto, “Can Do.”
If insurance were involved in these pursuits,
There”d be more slick salesmen in three-piece suits
Selling protection against these risks
While they stuffed their pockets to get their kicks.
Health care is basic to life”s moral needs.
Insurance for necessity is equivalent to sleaze.
The greed is astounding; the lies know no bounds
The arguments baseless; they have no grounds.
As premiums rise we”re all at fault
For not stopping this robbery and calling a halt
To the excess of companies taking all they can rake
The public can do this; we all have a stake.
We sorely need a government plan
To ban together and defeat this scam.
If not, we”ll be told, by insurance rendition
That death itself is a pre-existing condition!
Laird Bagnall
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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