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GOP Health Care Plan Is A Travesty For Americans

To the Reader’s Forum:

Being poor in America is hazardous to your health, the republican healthcare bill writes that outcome into law. A recent Harvard University study shows, that the average life expectancy of the lowest-income classes in America is now equal to that in Sudan or Pakistan. Rather than address that inequality Mr. Reed and his fellow republicans are saying essentially that if you don’t have enough money to treat your cancer, it is your fault.

The Harvard study shows that men living in an affluent area live, on average, 15 years longer than men living in less affluent areas. This travesty of a healthcare bill, loaded with tax cuts for the rich, will transfer billions of dollars from less affluent areas like the Southern Tier to the wealthy. Given that reality how can Mr. Reed say he represents the people of this district?

Most babies born in this country are healthy but 1 in 110 are born with a heart defect. In most cases, when a baby is born with congenital heart disease, there is no known reason for it. If that baby is unfortunate enough to have parents among the 50 million low-income people on Medicaid its future is in doubt. The republican answer is that this baby will just have to take ‘personal responsibility for its condition.

Another study by Harvard University indicates that the inability to pay health expenses is the biggest cause of bankruptcy in America, representing 62% of all personal bankruptcies. One of the interesting caveats of this study shows that 78% of filers had some form of health insurance. This travesty of a healthcare bill will do nothing to address this injustice, in fact, it will likely make it much worse. This bill is not mean it is immoral.

Tom Meara

Jamestown

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