America’s healthcare system has failed most Americans for years, and it’s only getting worse. Costs are escalating, as well as copays and deductibles. Republicans want to take away healthcare from everyone but the wealthy. Democrats are fighting for Medicare for all.

In Wise, Virginia, something very frightening is happening, and it’s not unique to this one city or state. Ballad Health, the county’s only hospital, is suing patients over unpaid medical bills.

The county court hears these types of cases two days each month. On a Thursday in August, 102 of the 160 cases were filed by Ballad. “The defendants were a schoolteacher, a correctional officer, a stay-at-home mother and even a Ballad employee;  all of whom had private insurance but were still responsible for a large share of their bill, the result of large deductibles and co-payments”, according to the New York Times.

Ballad operates 20 additional hospitals in Tennessee and Virginia. Last year alone Ballad filed 6,700 similar lawsuits.

Since Trump took office on January 20, 2017, he has failed to address one of the crises facing our nation. Other than attempting to take away healthcare from millions of Americans, giving tax breaks to the wealthy, shutting down the government to build his doomed to fail wall, and golfing at taxpayer expense, he has done absolutely nothing. Like his “do nothing” party, led by Moscow Mitch McConnell, he has failed all Americans. The truth is that nearly every critical issue facing America on January 20^th has worsened during Trump’s failed presidency. This is what happens when millions of Americans decide that a totally unqualified, failed businessman deserved to become the leader of the United States of America.

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

Image courtesy of DonkeyHotey

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