Senator McCain will receive state-of-the-art treatment
for his glioblastoma. I have absolutely zero problem with that and hope he has good results from it. That type of cancer is notoriously hard to treat, and most patients die within a couple of years. I wish him the best with his treatment.
Sadly, there are many people who have received the same diagnosis as John McCain who will not receive treatment similar to his treatment. It's hugely expensive to provide the kind of care he will get. The uninsured or poorly insured will get diagnosed, but will not receive the full-out, aggressive treatment the Senator will.
Instead, many people with that diagnosis get a round of chemo and then are told to put their affairs in order, because "There is nothing more we can do." Many of us have heard those words from medical professionals being said about a relative, parent, spouse or other loved one. Some have heard it in reference to themselves. We have little choice but to accept that judgement, and most people do not know what treatments are available, really.
There is a deep irony here. As Senator McCain copes with this grave diagnosis and the prospect of a long course of treatments and tests and more treatments, the Senate of which he is a member is trying to remove health coverage for millions of Americans. If they succeed, the words, "There is nothing more we can do" will be spoken more and more often and to more and more people.
This nation needs to step up and into a world where every American can and will receive full and proper coverage for their illnesses, just as John McCain will receive. It's a big challenge, but it is the only fair way to handle healthcare. Most major nations offer universal coverage for their citizens. That our own country does not is completely unacceptable.
I wish John McCain well. I wish the same for every American who receives a dire diagnosis. That is what we should be fighting for. I want a country where the words, "There is nothing more we can do" would be spoken only when every possible treatment has been tried and has failed. Those words should never be spoken because it costs too much to provide care to patients who cannot pay for that treatment. This is what we should have, not the nonsense being planned by the current Congress.
That's my opinion this Thursday morning. Thanks for reading it.
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