For those who are disabled or know someone who has a disability, health care should be free because some people can’t afford it. People who are born the way they are can’t control how much they need to pay to survive. Plus, think about how many lives would be saved.
Say, for example, you go to your doctor for an ordinary checkup and they charge you 50 dollars just to get inside the office! Don’t forget… you still haven’t paid for your medicine yet. And that could cost thousands of dollars. So, what happens is you end up leaving because you can’t afford it. You still have to send your children to school and you’re still expected to go to work. This results in spreading germs to your co-workers and your children spreading germs to other kids. This could have all been prevented if health care wasn’t so expensive.
Now getting sick is one thing, but what if you were born sick or disabled? That is even worse because you pay for so much more. For example, you may have to pay for machines such as a breathing machine, cough machine, gtube or oxygen tanks. The sky’s the limit. You see several different types of doctors a month, have therapy every day, and need lots of medication. For those who are immobile and need a power wheelchair to get around, can you imagine if it wasn’t covered by insurance? How can someone afford it? This would mean that one couldn’t leave their room or be independent because they have to rely on someone to push them in a manual wheelchair or stroller. Technology has become so advanced that those with disabilities can do so much more nowadays, as long as they can afford it.
Imagine how many lives we could save if people would just lower the price of things, such as visits to the doctor and different medications. For example, what if somebody didn’t know that they had a very serious disease and they just thought they had a fever. Not only could they get very, very sick but they might spread it and get other people sick, which endangers more lives. If people weren’t afraid to go to the doctors because of the money, they wouldn’t get sick.
As someone who has a disability, I have been very involved in my own care, which has made me realize that health care nowadays is just not as good as it used to be. Prices are so much higher and there are so many more requirements and things aren’t being covered. Parents are already struggling to cope with their children’s disabilities or diagnosis and shouldn’t have to worry about whether they are able to afford everything their child needs to survive. I hope someday soon, health care is more affordable so we can all focus on our abilities and not our disabilities!
About Sakina Shamsi: Sakina lives in New Jersey with her parents and brother. Although she has spinal muscular atrophy type II, Sakina lives a full and independent lifestyle. She is active in the disability community and enjoys horseback riding, baking and crafting. Click here to learn more about Sakina.