Being a progressive means believing that we need universal health care

Paul Krugman of the NY Times pens this morning an editorial "Health Care Horror Stories", something of a theme on this blog and something we've blogged about before numerous times. His column starts out:

"Not long ago, a young Ohio woman named Trina Bachtel, who was having health problems while pregnant, tried to get help at a local clinic.

Unfortunately, she had previously sought care at the same clinic while uninsured and had a large unpaid balance. The clinic wouldn’t see her again unless she paid $100 per visit — which she didn’t have.

Eventually, she sought care at a hospital 30 miles away. By then, however, it was too late. Both she and the baby died.

You may think that this was an extreme case, but stories like this are common in America." The whole column can be accessed here.

And Krugman points out that while many of us are excited about the upcoming elections and the nominees, let's not lose track of what's important here -- that these tragedies can and should be prevented and it doesn't matter whose idea it is. Being a progressive also means being compassionate; and that means believing that we need universal health care.