Health worries tie us down

Many of us in Eastern Washington are descendants of pioneers who came west for opportunities in a new state. That freedom of finding a different and better life is one part of the American experience, but these days, because of the health care crisis, workers don’t change jobs, much less relocate, because their families may lose health insurance. If I moved 80 miles north to the old homestead in Stevens County, I wouldn’t be eligible for the individual health plan I now buy.

Life’s not what it was when my great-grandparents traveled by wagon and train from Missouri. Medical treatment has vastly advanced and become costly. There’s no country doctor towing an MRI machine coming to visit in trade for some produce off the farm. My great-grandfather died midlife in 1912. Today’s medicine might have saved him – if he had insurance.

Americans are taught we have the freedom in this country to pull up stakes, go to where it suits us, and work at what we like. We need renewed freedom to match the times. The government should offer good, fair and affordable health insurance available anywhere. We need health care reform that promotes prevention and includes a public option.

Deborah McNulty

Spokane