Dear Future President:

I am a junior at West Albany High School and I have some concerns regarding the present healthcare system in the United States. Our current healthcare system is flawed and hurts those who are less fortunate and need our help.

People who can’t afford health care shouldn't be punished because they don’t have money to spend on services that they should already have access to for free or at a lower cost. For example, in an article written by Heather Long, last year a man named Martin Shrkeli bought the rights to the AIDS treatment pill “Daraprim” in August 2015, and a month later he raised the price from $13.50 to $750 a pill overnight. The fact that someone could possibly bankrupt or kill someone at the drop of a hat is outrageous. What if someone who couldn't afford insurance and just paid out of pocket needed that pill? Now they're screwed and so are the insurance companies because they have to pay a ludicrous amount for one pill which means they might have to jack up insurance prices just to keep up. Someone has to look at for these Americans who can barely afford the life saving drug that they need to have.

Compared to other first world countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom, the US is doing a mediocre job at caring for its citizens when it comes to health. For example, one of my aunts is going through her third battle with breast cancer. When she was diagnosed the third time she went to her oncologist and told her that wanted her breasts removed because she doesn't want to go through it again. Her insurance company refused to pay for her breast removal and now she can't work and her husband left her because it was putting so much stress on him. If we Americans had free healthcare she could do what she wanted with her body and not have to have the approval of some insurance company that refuses to do what should be done. No one should have to go through the pain and suffering that my aunt has had to go through.

On the contrary, free health services aren’t fair to the people who spend years and thousands of dollars going to school, just to get their pay cut because someone can’t afford their services. Also, in an article written by CNN writer Tami Luhby she states, “Some 2 million people who work in insurance and medical billing could be displaced under a single payer system." This would be a very real problem if America was to switch to free universal healthcare because then millions of people would lose their jobs and it would be harder for doctors to pay off years of college debt. But still, nothing should be put above the health and well-being of a living, breathing person.

Free health care is a necessity and a right to the American people of this day and age. We cannot continue to lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to basic rights. It is your job as president to ensure that every American has everything they need to thrive and live their lives the way they want.

Sincerely,

Ashley A.