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Herald Editorial Board

Bob Bolerjack,
Opinion Editor
bolerjack@heraldnet.com

Carol MacPherson,
Editorial Writer
cmacpherson@
heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
Herald Publisher
funk@heraldnet.com

Kim Heltne,
Assistant to the Publisher
heltne@heraldnet.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Saturday
Two dead, two injured in Lynnwood car wreck
Accident near Poulsbo kills Marysville man, inj...
Icy conditions lead to numerous wrecks on count...
Friday


Salish Sea: Huge body of water now has common n...
Cost of dispute falls on Monroe
Lawsuit blames county and weed inspector in man...
Thursday


Nursed to health by volunteers in Lynnwood, sea...
Everett boy left with brain damage; father face...
Monroe must fill $290,000 gap in budget
Wednesday


81 veterans' names, 81 meaningful lives honored...
USO singer's voice still charms them in Edmonds
Monroe honking case makes it to state Supreme C...
Tuesday


Fire destroys Emory's restaurant
Peggy Pritchard Olson always put Edmonds first
Camano Island burglaries spike: Is Colton back?
Monday


Tree clearing, mud slide angers Everett neighbor
Later start for school day unlikely in Marysville
Hopes for Snohomish excursion train may hinge o...
Sunday


Glacier Peak freshman overcomes jitters to win ...
Gay marriage issue can wait, say Referendum 71 ...
Cities across south Snohomish County see tax re...
 

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Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).
 
Published: Wednesday, March 26, 2008

A health-care system that's sick, getting sicker

America's health-care crisis continues to deteriorate into something worse, something chronic that threatens to be untreatable. Unless we act now. If only all the campaign chatter and promises might actually turn into action that begins to touch this growing national embarrassment.

Tuesday's headlines tell us that "Many in Snohomish County get too little medical care." A Snohomish Health District report reveals that nearly 15 percent of adults here lack health insurance and lack of money often means they put off getting medical care.

The report found that too many moms aren't getting enough prenatal care during their pregnancies, which can lead to premature births and babies with low birth weights. And too many seniors aren't getting regular health screenings, such as mammograms, even though they are covered through Medicare.

The Snohomish County residents who are not covered are among the estimated 44 million Americans who are uninsured. Eight out of 10 of these are workers or their dependents. Another 38 million have inadequate health insurance.

The Snohomish County report found that adults were less likely to receive recommended preventive care, such as a mammogram in the past two years, a Pap test in the past three years and a flu shot in the past year.

We know that detecting diseases and disorders early is key to curing or containing them, thus the extreme value of the screening tests. It is more costly, financially and physically, to treat a disease after it has become full-fledged.

We also know that the cost of health care keeps going up, for everyone. Small businesses struggle to provide coverage for their workers.

In a PBS program, Sherry Glied, an associate professor of public health at Columbia University, summed up the vicious circle facing the uninsured: "They're at risk of not getting regular care when they need it. They're at risk of not catching real problems before they get serious enough to not be treatable. They're at risk of not getting the best treatment when they actually do get sick. And they're at tremendous financial risk. They could lose everything that they've saved in their lives because of some even fairly minor health problem."

Making sure every all mothers-to-be get the prenatal care they need would be the logical place a smart, compassionate nation would start.

1. Lake Stevens neighbors protest loss of left turn off Highway 9
2. Police look into fire at Emory's restaurant in Everett
3. Man who died from fall identified
4. Mural memorializing fallen soldier lost in effort to fix Silvana building
5. Marysville-Pilchuck comes up short in battle of unbeatens
6. 'Twilight' tourism
7. Accident near Poulsbo kills Marysville man, injures five
8. In Forks, it's always Twilight
9. Expect wintry roads at passes, dusting of snow on Snohomish County hills
10. Icy conditions lead to numerous wrecks on county roads
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Memorial for Peggy Pritchard Olson set
Bazaar Fever
Hawks proud of historic season
Olson always put Edmonds first
Honoring student veterans
‘Wheedle' author comes to Lynnwood bookshop
Mavs build early lead en route to easy win
Prep football games of the week (state playoffs)
Tears of laughter, tears of grief
The Enterprise Online Newspaper


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