Column: We'll all hurt without health care reform

DANVILLE

We must have health care reform now. Failure to do so will only result in the continuation of a failed system that will only increase in cost and the unnecessary loss of life. The high cost of care is hurting
us all, whether you have insurance or not.

I work for Piedmont Access to Health Services Inc. (PATHS). PATHS operates three federally qualified community health centers in Southside Virginia: in Chatham, Martinsville and Danville. As a small
business we are choking on the high cost of providing health insurance coverage to our employees.

Last year our health insurance costs rose 25 percent and this year 16 percent. We had to drop the amount the organization pays for each employee from 80 percent to 70 percent. Due to this increase,
some our employees can no longer afford health insurance for themselves and their children.

While we attempted to bid out our health insurance, with only two networks to choose from — Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Gateway Health Alliance — there was no real competition for lower
rates. These are more than just statistics; they are denying Americans the care, quality and choices they deserve.

It has been reported that we pay more for health care and have poorer health results than any other county in the industrialized world. We must have a health care system that reduces costs for families
and businesses, protects people’s choice of doctors and hospitals, and assures affordable, quality health care for all citizens. These options are at the core of the proposed plan President Obama is
supporting.

It is encouraging that the AMA, the health insurance industry and the pharmaceutical companies have come to the table to be a part of the plan. However, the proof of their true commitment will be when a
plan passes Congress and how they respond then. As citizens, we must educate ourselves about any proposed plan by asking questions of our representative in Congress, reading articles from objective
news outlets and thinking for oneself.

There are countless reasons why we need to reform our health care system. Our current broken health care system has created numerous disadvantages for minorities and low-income Americans.

Low-income uninsured individuals are less healthy and die sooner than the insured. This is unacceptable in the world’s most wealthy nation. Health care is not cheap, but it will cost far more to do
nothing. According to a new study by Families USA, insured families pay $1,000 per year to cover the health care of the uninsured. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, if we
continue with our current health care system, health care costs will consume 34 per cent of our GDP by the year 2040.

The good news is that The President’s Council of Economic Advisers’ found that real reform will slow the rate of growth in health care costs by 1.5 percent, would help cut the federal deficit, boost the
economy, save jobs and put more money in Americans’ pockets. Therefore, health care reform will give us a strong economy and a better health system, and boost a family’s bottom line.

A public health insurance option is an essential component of health care reform, as it will create competition in a market that is now essentially a monopoly. It will help drive down premiums and make
care more affordable. It will keep insurance companies honest and cut fraud out of the system, saving millions of dollars. It will provide low-cost, quality health care.

As Congress and the president continue to debate health care reform, there will be many players and many opinions, but at the core of all of the rhetoric has to be the health of every American. We must
be willing to give our voices to this issue and not be complacent.

If we do not get health care reform, we must be willing to take to the streets and make our voices heard. We can no longer afford to stand by and watch those we love die because they cannot afford
quality health care. The time is now.

Kay Crane is the CEO of Piedmont Access to Health Services. Contact her at cranek@pathsinc.org.