Barbara Shelly — Commentary: Health insurance and the savage doctrine of personal responsibility

It seems like poor form to spit on the graves of dead people, but such are the passions inspired by our health care debate.

Last week I wrote that, contrary to what Mitt Romney has said in his campaign, Americans do die for lack of health insurance. Every day, in fact.

Oh, the fury. Emails and telephone calls ranged from the generic “you are an idiot” to a reader’s account about a woman who died of leukemia after passing up COBRA insurance because she didn’t want to pay $400 a month.

“You may report that she died because of lack of insurance,” my correspondent wrote. “I believe she might have died anyway, but if it’s anyone’s fault it was her own for failing to exercise personal responsibility.”

The deceased was her sister.

A strain running deep in the American psyche will always want to shrug off the burden of a social compact in favor of the personal responsibility argument. I’m all for personal responsibility myself, but, honestly, we’re talking about people’s lives here.

McClatchy
Commentary: Health insurance and the savage doctrine of personal responsibility
Barbara Shelly | The Kansas City Star