A very powerful opinion piece was published in the March 8 edition of USA Today by Mr. Taylor J. Newman, a former Army field artillery officer who is now a second-year medical student at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

In his op-ed, he discusses the Army creed of never leaving a fallen comrade behind.  It is a shared understanding that Army personnel have each other’s backs.

Mr. Newman then goes on to discuss the Affordable Care Act in the following words: “The Affordable Care Act has made progress in many areas, chiefly in decreasing the number of uninsured from about 43 million to 28 million. However, many Americans still lack basic insurance. These uninsured and underinsured are being left behind.

“By refusing to embrace some form of universal health care, we have effectively said we do not have each other’s backs. That is not in line with the values of the military, and it should not be in line with the values we share as Americans.

“We should start by agreeing that no matter how the system is organized, everyone should be able to easily afford quality health care. The way to win this battle is to first unify around one basic principle: that we will leave no fallen American behind.”

Given the rancor and politics that surround health care and the ACA, the perspective presented by Mr. Taylor is a welcome change. The spectrum of solutions now being discussed in Congress run from absolute repeal to alternatives that will increase cost and increase the number of uninsured.

Rather than focusing on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for those Americans without proper health care, the main concern of the Republican Party seems to be protecting the profits of the insurance industry and sticking to an ideology that any form of universal health care is not American.

This perspective flies in the face of our military and civilian traditions.

 

KENNETH PETERSON

Buchanan