Regarding Health Care Reform

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

September 2, 2009

Dear President Obama,

I have been meaning to write you for some time now.

Since the days of your inauguration and last year’s campaign, I have wanted so much to share with you my congratulations and thanks for all that you have done for our country already; for the inspirational being that is your persona and all your ideas.

I’ve wanted to share with you my experiences recently, on a delegation of fellow Jewish rabbinical students to Senegal under the auspices of the American Jewish World Service: what I witnessed in West Africa, the dire effects of abject poverty contrasted with the deep admiration and excitement felt towards you, and by extension, the United States, by villagers who have never so much as picked up a newspaper or turned on a light bulb.

I’ve also wanted to share with you my thoughts following many weeks this summer in Israel, where skepticism towards you and your peace efforts are so very disconnected from the sincere promise that your work brings to the region and its hopes for the future. My prayer is that you will not confuse Israeli recalcitrance with a lack of support for your policies amongst American Jews, and that you will continue to push forward in your policies of peace.

But all those thoughts must now wait for another opportunity. Because now is the time for more pressings matters: I am writing this letter to support your struggle for Health Care Reform.

As a twenty-six year old, mostly healthy man from an upper middle class suburb of San Diego, I have never had to worry much about the costs of health care. I have been privileged with the freedom to choose from amongst this country’s best doctors for any ailment which has afflicted me. The prohibitive costs of health insurance have been shielded from my eyes for most of my life thanks to the generosity of my parents. The promise of the American dream has given me more than I could ever want in my life, including access to top quality health care. I may currently be a poor graduate student, but I am surrounded by a safety net of giving family members.

Our system is unfair, unjust, and broken to its very roots.

The fact of the matter is that health care, just as much as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is a fundamental human right. In the wealthiest country on the planet, it is abhorrent that millions of Americans are unable to afford health insurance. It scares me to death that so many of my fellow citizens - those even with health insurance - have been driven into bankruptcy and debt because of sky-high medical bills following an illness. It saddens me that it has taken this long for a serious debate about health care to even begin.

So I thank you for all that you have done so far in this effort. I know just how serious the political risks involved are. I know how very complicated it may be to effectively reform health care. I understand just how difficult it may be to include a public option.

Yet I am writing you today having just witnessed first hand the brokenness of our health system.

You see, three weeks ago I came down with a stomach flu. Within a day of contracting the bug, I was severely dehydrated and unable to retain fluids. I had no choice but to go to the Emergency Room to seek treatment. I was admitted for a little over two hours, during which time I saw a doctor for less than ten minutes, received an IV of fluids and antibiotics, and was given two glasses of apple juice. I left the ER still sick, but saved from more serious complications.

The bill for this short visit to the hospital was $9,575.27. Even after my insurance coverage kicked in, I have been billed the staggering amount of $2,547.38. Let me be clear: for basic health services resulting from a common flu, despite my health insurance, I, a graduate student living off of Federal Stafford Loans, have been charged two and a half thousand dollars.

I am blown away that our country’s health system exists in a way that I must question whether I can afford emergency medical attention. I am astounded that, because our system is so backwards, such a routine and simple health service costs such extreme amounts.

I am saddened that, while I, either through further loans, or the generosity of my family, or both, will find a safety net to help me pay these bills and avoid more serious financial complications, I know that this is a luxury that most Americans are without.

President Obama, your leadership, your vision, and your work has been beyond inspirational to date. The tasks ahead of you are more than anyone could wish upon their self. Yet I beg of you to not stand down when it comes to Health Care Reform.

This issue goes to the very core of who we are as Americans. Are we a country that takes care of our fellow, or would we rather leave those most sick and poor to wallow in their pain and debt on the streets of our cities? Can we really achieve the dream of liberty and justice for all? I pray that the answer is yes. And I know that you are our greatest hope for success.

Thank you for all you do, and for trudging ahead the long, difficult road ahead,

David Singer
521 Avenida Primavera
Del Mar, CA 92014

Comments

[Lori Bolotin]

i couldnt agree more

[Howard]

Tell the hospital to stick their bill

[zach]

David, this piece is excellent. I hope that the President takes the time to read it himself. Perhaps he will share it with his colleagues across the aisle as well. Yet, I wonder how many of them will listen.

[Sandra Levinson]

As your Grandmother, I couldn't be more proud of such a profound letter. My hope is that our President reads it. I am sure it will move him as much as it does me.

[Michael Rosenberg]

A devastating example of how unfair and distorted our present system is. So well written...our hope is that the President and/or his advisors read and use it.