Study Says...Uninsured cancer patients die sooner...Duh?

You often hear funny jokes from the likes of Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, and Stephen Colbert, about apparently wasteful spending on rather ridiculous scientific studies. I can't necessarily argue one way or another, if they were truly wasteful, or even if they are actually ridiculous. Often times, these research studies, which aim to study a rather obvious problem, are actually important, even if they do become the fodder for late night television shenanigans. Often these type of studies will point out a rather obvious findings, but not necessarily at the forefront of societies minds. Sometimes these studies may actually make someone think. When I first read "Uninsured Cancer Patients Twice as Likely to Die," and article about a study supported by the American Cancer Society, my first gut response, was a tirade of sardonic laughter. I was thinking, of course people who don't have proper healthcare are generally not going to survive as long as those people that do.

But I began to think. Lousy healthcare is a problem in this country. Now I'm not using this forum to tout my beliefs on universal healthcare. (But if you are curious, I am both for and against universal healthcare. Real decisive, I know. I believe that everyone should have some form healthcare, but the proposed systems to bring this about are still seriously flawed.)

The American Cancer Society has helped bring light to a serous problem in cancer healthcare. A problem that I feel we can all help with. By donating money to some important cancer foundations, hospitals, and what not, maybe we can lessen this statistic, and give more people a chance to surive this awful disease.