I vividly remember being on the side of the road in our 1982 baby blue Chevy Astrovan, tears streaking my face, begging my mom to take my 18-year-old scrawny self back home. She was supposed to be driving me to the Coast Guard recruiter’s office to sign the dreaded paperwork enlisting my services, when my mini meltdown had prompted her to pull over. I was screaming at her to take me home, and the weight of what I thought was a mistake was heavy on my chest. It was hard to breath, and I couldn’t tell if it was from my emotions, or if it was the thick and sticky Jacksonville, Florida air. I remember the sun reflecting off my tears but not caring, as all I could think about was how with one signature, my life would be over. 14 years later, …show more content…
I think back to that day and although I didn’t know then, deciding to sign that paperwork actually set me on a path to lead an organized and structured life. Consequently, the United States Coast Guard had a profound positive effect on my personal development, and continued development, by providing me with medical care, stable pay and housing, and resources for travel. Free healthcare was one of the benefits that enlisting with the Coast Guard provided me.
As healthcare in America gets more expensive and is actually starting to cover less, I recognize what a blessing it was to have access to free healthcare for so many years. I watched as my friends went into debt for procedures that I got for free. For example, I had two very agonizing root canals done when I was 21. What would cost my friends thousands of dollars, and most likely would have forced them to take out more credit cards, cost me nothing but time. A friend of mine was forced to save up the procedure money, all the while the dull, throbbing tooth never leaving his mind. Mealtime had lost its thrill and luster, since all he could think about was the about temperature of the food, and where in his aching mouth he would chew. The excruciatingly raw and exposed nerve was something I knew I could not, and thankfully did not have wait to take care of. Not having to worry about the effects that this type of debt would have on my life, had allowed me to concentrate on more pertinent issues, and thus eased the leap from young adolescence to …show more content…
adulthood. Another magical benefit the Coast Guard provided was the housing allowance, which essentially allowed me to be debt free all of my 20’s.
As the younger generation I grew up with began to mature, their priorities were forced to change drastically. Mortgages and rent had now plagued the once uncomplicated lives of my friends. Without having to worry about the heavy burden of making rent, I was able to better prepare for my future. I was taught how to save for major purchases, while my friends jumped at opportunities to take out loans. By the age of 26, I had enough money to purchase my dream truck, which I still own to this day. I will never forget the brilliant sparkle of the black paint, the masculine perfume of the new leather, and the pride I felt when the salesman handed me the shiny black keys. My vivacity for life at this point was unrivalled, as was this type of benefit from a
job. Very similar to the previous two Coast Guard benefits, my access to resources for travel is yet another positive influence on my development. Early on, I was stationed in lush tropical climates with zero to no winter such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico, with sapphire blue waters and breathtaking sunsets. Later, I was stationed in heavy winter climates such as Portland, Astoria, and Seattle, with dingy grey skies. The Coast Guard allowing me the freedom to travel under such structure, has ignited a passion for travel that continues to shape who I am today. If proper guidance and structure had not been taught to me by the military, I would not have developed the necessary life skills I carry with me today. I carry the emotions of that sunny Florida day, as a reminder to fight the fear of the unknown. Medical care, stable pay and housing, and resources for travel were products of the unknown path I feared, and all had a drastic influence on my personal development. The military is an exceptional way to make the transition from young adolescence to adulthood, and I’m tremendously thankful I had the opportunity to do it. If only my 18 year old self had know that there actually nothing to worry about!
Without question the cost of medical care in this country has skyrocketed over the last few decades. Walk into an emergency room with an earache or the need for a few stitches and you’re apt to walk out with a bill that is nothing short of shocking.
Positive twists during troubling times is illuminated best through my experience with joining the United States Coast Guard. As hyperbolic as it sounds, it seemed that the universe itself does everything in its power to keep me from serving. From the start, I had difficulty getting into the service through means beyond my control. When I stepped into that recruiting office after graduating from high school trying to find a purpose and shook my recruiter’s hand, I knew something was bound to go wrong; my
Being a Canadian citizen, it is hard for me to think of life without any health insurance. I have had public health insurance all my life growing up and have been free to go to any hospital at any time and get some form of health care. Residing in the United States off and for the last 7 years I have experienced health care from both sides. I feel that private health care has huge advantages over public health care. In the following essay I will explain in three points why I feel strongly about private health care as opposed to public. What is better is always subjective, and I will not try to argue the point of health for all, but instead for the individual who is seeking the best health care possible, and is willing to put the resources into obtaining that. I will be addressing efficiency and quality, not inclusion of everyone (free health care), I will be addressing the root of this and not just that one argument, which would detract from my focus. I will not be getting into the political debate of socialism vs. capitalism, as that is a separate argument in itself, and this country is currently running under capitalism. Again coming from living in both a socialist and then a capitalist society, I feel I can do so in an unbiased manner.
Despite the established health care facilities in the United States, most citizens do not have access to proper medical care. We must appreciate from the very onset that a healthy and strong nation must have a proper health care system. Such a health system should be available and affordable to all. The cost of health services is high. In fact, the ...
The U.S. expends far more on healthcare than any other country in the world, yet we get fewer benefits, less than ideal health outcomes, and a lot of dissatisfaction manifested by unequal access, the significant numbers of uninsured and underinsured Americans, uneven quality, and unconstrained wastes. The financing of healthcare is also complicated, as there is no single payer system and payment schemes vary across payors and providers.
Healthcare is a complicated thing, but there are lots of things that need to be addressed. There is controversy about whether healthcare is a right, responsibility, or a privilege. This essay is going to explain examples of each. The word right can be defined simply as “something to which one has a just claim” (merriam-webster.com). According to the online legal dictionary, the word privilege is defined as “a special benefit, exemption from a duty, or immunity from penalty, given to a particular person, a group or a class of people”. Google dictionary describes responsibility as “The state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something”, or “The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something.”
In the United States of America, there are millions of individuals that live with chronic medical problems. In which these conditions require some sort of medical attention at least once a month for revaluation, and possible treatment. Thankfully, for the majority of those individuals with their health insurance covers those costs that essentially would cripple their bank accounts. On the contrary, there are millions of people living in the United States, who are uninsured. Even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act or as it is known by the public Obama Care, there are still individuals who cannot afford the basic needs of healthcare. Health care should not be looked at as a privilege but a right for everyone regardless of their
Healthcare reform comes down to the question: Is healthcare a right or a privilege? Many countries around the world have decided that healthcare is a right and that every citizen of their country should have healthcare coverage despite affordability or medical needs. The U.S. has not provided free healthcare to its citizens. Our system of healthcare has been one of a privilege. The U.S. ensures universal availability to basic, life-saving treatment in emergency rooms but the U.S does not ensure availability to more cost-effective, comprehensive, and preventive treatments. Emergency physicians and primary care physicians all agree that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which focuses on assuring access to emergency care, but doesn’t ensure that health care is a right for all citizens of the U.S. across all health care settings.
“Free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early when treatment will be light; currently, patients often avoid.” (Messerli)
I received a voice mail today from Sean McKnight stating he has a meeting setup with Ken Barber and some other individuals on the executive board of Illinois Joining Forces (IJF). I felt it was my duty to inform the group about some important facts that Mr. McKnight is very good at hiding. I met Mr. McKnight during my time at NIU. I just served my time as the NIU Veterans Club president and decided it was time to let someone else take the helm. Matthew Galloway the current Veterans Club president introduced the club to Sean McKnight at a veterans club meeting. Sean came in and presented himself as a seasoned veteran’s advocate who has many connections throughout the state of Illinois and Washington D.C. He promoted his organization that he was starting Warriors Guarding Warriors as a revolutionary concept that has not been thought of as for yet throughout the veteran community. Finally, he offered his services to any veterans having trouble with VA benefits or the medical process. At the time we did not know that he was not officially certified to help veterans, and nor did he actually know the proper process or paper work needed to help our fellow veterans. Sean offered to be the Veterans Clubs mentor. The club held a vote and
Access to health care refers to the ease with which an individual can obtain needed medical services. Many Americans face barriers that make it difficult to obtain basic health care services. These barriers to services include lack of availability, high cost, and lack of insurance coverage. "Limited access to health care impacts people's ability to reach their full potential, negatively affecting their quality of life." (Access to Health Services, 2014) Access to health services encompasses four components that include coverage, services, timeliness, and workforce
All my life ,I’ve always wanted to be someone in life who can actually make a difference to this world in a positive way. Ever since I was a little girl I pushed myself to always best I can be just . I lived in a town outside Los Angeles, California , it was called Van Nuys,California.The elementary school (Kittridge Elementary) I had went to was in a low income area, mainly spanish community had lived in the area I was living in at the time .I had a lot of friends (mainly mexicans) I focused a lot on being on time for school , staying on task in class, and finishing my homework. At such a young age I had felt such ambition and was doing very good for myself. At the age of 10 was when reality start to really hit me , even though I was very young I started to see things differently.
...ue to numerous medical errors. With the amount of medical errors that currently do occur which is a current health care issue it cost the health care billions of dollar each year to fix the mistakes that were made.
Health care has always been an interesting topic all over the world. Voltaire once said, “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” It may seem like health care that nothing gets accomplished in different health care systems, but ultimately many trying to cures diseases and improve health care systems.
After countless hours of uncomfortable naps and tasteless meals between flights, we finally arrived at the unfamiliar land of America. Leaving all our dear friends and families behind, I was told that we came here in hope of a better future, my future specifically. I was never really socially active and at the time, English was a whole new concept that I have yet to understand. The inability to communicate with other makes it even harder for me to express myself and it mold my personality to become more antisocial than I ever was. There’s always this uneasy feeling that linger when someone talk to me and I cannot give them a response and it’s even harder to say something because I was afraid of making a mistake and make a fool out of myself.