Haley Hennes

October 5, 2007

Editorial

“Open Door Approach to Health Care”

Healthcare in the United States has long been under attack. With the outrageous growth in insurance premiums and high deductibles, it is no wonder the country has slipped to 37^th in health care worldwide.

The topic is on everyone’s mind these days. A Gallup poll suggests that health care will be the number one issue in the 2008 election. It is also making its way into pop culture. Healthcare issues have invaded the movie theatres with Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Sicko, which compares the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations. The topic of the uninsured has also been introduced in the plots of popular television shows like “Scrubs” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Commercials highlighting the issue can even be seen between the shows. The American Cancer Society, for example, has decided to dedicate its entire advertising budget to addressing the nation’s inadequate health care coverage this year.

Alamance County is the 38^th county in the state of North Carolina in terms of the most uninsured. The uninsured often slip through the cracks, not seeking health care until the problem becomes very bad, which often makes their health problems more difficult and more expensive to treat. Free clinics are a key part of the reform to change the nation’s healthcare system.

The Open Door Clinic is Alamance County’s free health clinic for the uninsured. It provides both acute and chronic clinics. This approach allows the uninsured to receive treatment that may catch some of the more serious conditions, like cancer, faster and provides a way to treat those with on-going conditions.

A common myth is that those who are uninsured are unemployed. This is not the case. Many of these families are hard workers, whose jobs do not offer health care benefits and only provides enough money to pay for mortgage and food.

To give a more concrete example, a local repair person once said, “Wanna know what my treatment would be if I got cancer? A bullet to the head.” This is a man who manages to put food on his family’s table, but has little to spend otherwise. He knows the costs of treating cancer would be impossible for his family.

You can help those like this repair person not be overwhelmed by health problems by volunteering your time and/or money to the Open Door Clinic. The Open Door allows everyone to receive medical services, providing a realistic alternative to the insane health premiums that plague our health insurance industry today.