US Healthcare: GoFundMe or Medical Bankruptcy?
While The Independent highlights the 'kindness of strangers' showering Kaylin Gawf with over $310,000 for her funeral, they conveniently gloss over the gaping void that forces such desperation. In the richest country on Earth, the U.S. is one of the only developed nations where access to healthcare is not a universal right. Instead, it’s a privilege dictated by employment, wealth, or, failing
that, charity. This isn't a heart-warming tale; it's a horror story where basic human dignity is crowd-sourced. The GoFundMe isn't a testament to solidarity; it's a monument to policy choices that prioritize corporate profits over human lives. While Congress debates sending billions more in military aid abroad—like the $14.3 billion recently moved ahead for Israel, according to HR 815, a mere 48
hours after some key members received significant AIPAC donations (OpenSecrets.org data available)—Americans are left begging online for the right to die without burdening their families. One might wonder if the same sense of urgency, and the billions of dollars, could ever be applied to ensuring no American has to launch a 'death fund' just to avoid medical debt for their survivors. Perhaps we
could earmark a fraction of that foreign aid for, say, universal healthcare? Or is that just too 'radical' for a nation that can afford endless wars but not basic medicine?