Your Black World
September 20, 2012
In a statement released by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s chief of staff, Rick Bryant, Rep. Jackson and his wife have made the decision to sell their townhouse in Washington D.C. to defray medical expenses Jackson has acquired for his depression and bipolar disorders. “Like millions of Americans, Congressman Jackson and Mrs. Jackson are grappling with soaring health care costs and are selling their residence to help defray costs of their obligations,” the statement read. “The congressman would like to personally thank everyone who has offered prayers on behalf of his family.” Jackson aides could not say how much, if any, of the expenses are covered under his health insurance plan.
Comment:
By Don McCanne, MD
Those who say repeatedly that everyone should have the same health care coverage as members of Congress should check with Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. He is losing his Washington, D.C. townhouse because of medical bills.
Other than the statement released by his chief of staff, we don’t know any of the details, and we shouldn’t since common decency dictates that we respect his privacy.
We could speculate on the great many potential factors that might be involved as to why a member of Congress faces a financial hardship due to medical bills, but we won’t, even though many come to mind. We’ll merely state that we need a health care financing system that removes financial barriers to care – for everyone. A properly designed single payer national health program would do that.