We face many challenges today. These challenges often paralyze us from action because of our own fear and prejudice.
One of the most challenging issues of our day is that 47 million people in this nation who have no health insurance. The uninsured rarely advocate for themselves. Their reasons for being uninsured often are painful and personal. Most of us would be shocked if we realized the identity of the uninsured. They work in business and agriculture, have families and face the same health challenges of any of us. More than 8 out of 10 people who are uninsured are employed. They are the elderly and small children. The number of children in the United States today without insurance is 8.7 million, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the uninsured numbers. They go without vital medication and immunizations. Many are our friends, neighbors and family members.
Recently, I had a discussion with a relative who was out of work. He had been searching for a job for more than a year. It suddenly dawned on me as he discussed his struggle to survive financially, to ask him if he had health insurance. His response, "You have got to be kidding, of course not!" I was shocked and worried. Any catastrophic accident or major illness could leave him permanently financially disabled. A new cycle of poverty, though unintended, would begin in the life of someone motivated and well educated.
Health care in America is a critical issue now more than ever. Many of us speak of the worries we have in the rising cost of health care and its affordability. We know medical issues will play a major role in the political life of our nation and that the government is attempting to remedy the situation, but this may take years to resolve even with a concerted effort.
It often is said that the uninsured deservedly are in the state they are in because they are lazy or have squandered their resources. Most of the time this is not the case and with the recent downturn in the economy, families who previously had been unaffected are now faced with an overwhelming burden to find coverage for their children after a sudden job loss. Last year, 62,000 people in Wisconsin lost their jobs and the spiral is spinning faster as the economic downturn continues.
There is a tremendous moral imperative that we care for those in our midst who are in need. The issue of the uninsured is not the latest cause to rally around; it is a serious crisis in our midst that most of us cannot see. If we are blind to the needs of others, we will certainly all stumble. The needs of the uninsured are a matter of justice and a matter of great importance. We never will build a better world for our children if we cannot guarantee adequate health care for all. It is just that simple!
- Fr. Michael E. Klarer is pastor of St. Victor Parish in Monroe.
One of the most challenging issues of our day is that 47 million people in this nation who have no health insurance. The uninsured rarely advocate for themselves. Their reasons for being uninsured often are painful and personal. Most of us would be shocked if we realized the identity of the uninsured. They work in business and agriculture, have families and face the same health challenges of any of us. More than 8 out of 10 people who are uninsured are employed. They are the elderly and small children. The number of children in the United States today without insurance is 8.7 million, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the uninsured numbers. They go without vital medication and immunizations. Many are our friends, neighbors and family members.
Recently, I had a discussion with a relative who was out of work. He had been searching for a job for more than a year. It suddenly dawned on me as he discussed his struggle to survive financially, to ask him if he had health insurance. His response, "You have got to be kidding, of course not!" I was shocked and worried. Any catastrophic accident or major illness could leave him permanently financially disabled. A new cycle of poverty, though unintended, would begin in the life of someone motivated and well educated.
Health care in America is a critical issue now more than ever. Many of us speak of the worries we have in the rising cost of health care and its affordability. We know medical issues will play a major role in the political life of our nation and that the government is attempting to remedy the situation, but this may take years to resolve even with a concerted effort.
It often is said that the uninsured deservedly are in the state they are in because they are lazy or have squandered their resources. Most of the time this is not the case and with the recent downturn in the economy, families who previously had been unaffected are now faced with an overwhelming burden to find coverage for their children after a sudden job loss. Last year, 62,000 people in Wisconsin lost their jobs and the spiral is spinning faster as the economic downturn continues.
There is a tremendous moral imperative that we care for those in our midst who are in need. The issue of the uninsured is not the latest cause to rally around; it is a serious crisis in our midst that most of us cannot see. If we are blind to the needs of others, we will certainly all stumble. The needs of the uninsured are a matter of justice and a matter of great importance. We never will build a better world for our children if we cannot guarantee adequate health care for all. It is just that simple!
- Fr. Michael E. Klarer is pastor of St. Victor Parish in Monroe.
