CHRIS HEDGES ON THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS

Truthdig offers "Curb Your Enthusiasm for Obama" by Chris Hedges. I'm a fan of Chris Hedges so when he writes a column about the health care crisis I pay attention. But, first, let me tell you about Chris Hedges.

He is the son of a Presbyterian Minister. He was a war correspondent for the New York Times. As a result of those experiences, he wrote War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning. He followed up with Losing Moses on the Freeway, a refreshing and challenging call to renew our commitment to the Ten Commandments. Last year he turned his focus to the dangers of extremist religion in America in American Fascists. This year he has given us 2 more important books. In I Don't Believe in Atheists, he has exposed the disturbing methods of the new breed of anti-religion atheists. His latest, Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians, deals with the huge failures of the military occupation of Iraq.

So, then, what does he say about the Health Care crisis? He offers convincing and disturbing evidence that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have any intention of taking on the huge insurance industry. So, the crisis is likely to get worse no matter who wins the White House or Congress. Here's an excerpt: "We face a health crisis. The Democratic and Republican parties, awash in campaign contributions from the beasts they should be slaying on our behalf, have no interest in addressing it. A report in the journal Health Affairs estimates that, if the system is left unchanged, one of every five dollars spent by Americans in 2017 will go to health coverage. Half of all bankruptcies in America are because families are unable to pay their medical bills. There are some 46 million Americans without coverage and tens of millions more with inadequate policies that severely limit what kinds of procedures and treatments they can receive."