This is Cynthia Campbell. I’ve not met her yet, but this clip is the reason why I got in to a huge fight with my friend, Patrice.
Patrice champions workers rights through her film making. It started innocently enough. She was looking through www.carollinreporting.com and suggested I check out www.guaranteedhealthcare.org and watch some testimonials from middle class workers who cannot get health insurance. This included Cynthia Campbell, a professional nurse who was diagnosed with, not one, but two late stage cancers just as her health insurance was expiring. As you saw, her story is heart breaking. She says she’s been paying her premium but claims her insurer will not extend her policy because she now has a pre-existing condition. Her pre-existing condition will likely kill her. Patrice, my friend, declared that insurers are morally obligated to insure Cynthia. I replied that insurers are a business. They issue policies, calculate risks and maximize profits while providing a much needed service. The moral obligation to provide health care for all bears down on society as a whole and government. I, as a tax payer, would pay more if I knew my dollars would collect and send someone in to chemo and save a life. I do not expect a business to guarantee my coverage any more than I expect an investor to fund me solely on my right to make a living. There are more than 40 million uninsured Americans. Is it government’s responsibility to guarantee coverage for all? Or should insurers be legally required to offer insurance to everyone who can afford the premium?
News Room
October 2nd, 2007 · 1 Comment
Guaranteed Healthcare? By Whom?
Tags: Video · Carol Reports
1 response so far ↓
1 D.S. // Oct 5, 2007 at 8:34 am
Thank you for sharing Cynthia’s story. If more people see the faces of people trapped in these situations, more noise will be made about healthcare coverage for all, especially people with cancer. I look forward to more stories and video from you that provoke thought and discussion.
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