Participation is a must
(printed February 05, 2013 in the Times Argus Opinions/Letters)
It is time to participate in health care reform. The term “health care” in this country has sadly become an oxymoron. Our health care does not represent the values of decent Americans.
Keeping the status quo in this country is unacceptable. The very system that is supposed to keep us healthy is obese — obese with greed. Currently Vermont spends $5 billion on health care and this will increase to $10 billion by 2020 if we fail to act.
This is not a partisan issue. The current system robs from everyone without prejudice.
It is not just the patients who are unhappy with the status quo; the medical community is fed up as well. As a taxpayer, I want to know that my money is being used for research based on truth. Currently, my tax money is being used to pay for expensive advertising campaigns, expensive lobbyists and unnecessary lawsuits. None of these activities benefit individual or community health. On the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of distrust and misinformation.
Who is responsible for getting the tremendous amount of waste and fraud out of our current system? We are. And there is strength in an educated community. Vermonters have an opportunity now to get educated about health care and turn around an ailing system. I invite my neighbors to register for VPIRG’s interactive health care webinar on February 12th where top health care experts from across the state will be convened to answer questions from the general public. To register, visit http:bit.ly/HCwebinarVT today! Public input is essential to creating a health care system that works for us. I invite everyone to do their homework and add their voice to this debate.
Rachel Chevalier
Stowe