heartbreaking to see three families struggle with disease and economic hardship, in the absence of healthcare insurance:
BILL MOYERS: Welcome to the Journal.
Some years ago, surgeons opened my daughter’s skull and removed a brain tumor that threatened to kill or blind her. Less than a month later, when one of my arteries suddenly shut down, open heart surgery saved my life, those skilled physicians and hospital still glow in my family’s memory.
But the dual crisis in our lives cost tens of thousands of dollars. When the insurance came through, we breathed a sigh of relief. The economist and Nobel Laureate, Paul Krugman, says that’s the thing about health insurance; you’ll never know when you will need it. If you need it and don’t have it your in deep, deep trouble.
That’s what happened to the families that you will meet in this week’s broadcast. The filmmaker Roger Weisberg, whose work has long been dedicated to putting a human face on public policy, traveled the country to meet people who desperately needed health care that they couldn’t afford.
What they went through and what they had to say about it is potent reminders that the need for health care reform is a national emergency. Here’s a look at CRITICAL CONDITION. More.