Conscience

Ever since I started med school, I've had the prickly feeling of my conscience raising its head every few weeks or so. Specifically, what's bothering me is that I think our family housekeeper, Sara, should have health insurance, and more to the point, my family should provide it. She's been our housekeeper, who used to visit every day to tidy up and also babysit me (ever since I was two months old or so, I think), and now visits every other day during the week. She's a wonderful, kind human being, and hasn't been to the doctor in years. I see women her age in the hospital who come in, for instance, with shortness of breath, and discover that they have advanced lung cancer. Or have had uncontrolled diabetes for years and are starting to lose nerve and eye function. I don't have any reason to suspect that she has some lurking medical condition, I just want her to get plugged into the health system. I've approached my parents about it in an oblique way, and they've both sort of shrugged their shoulders, and I haven't pressed it. I think I'll press the issue a little more now. I'll volunteer my Jeopardy! money, as far as that will go, toward getting her some insurance. We've fallen down on the job.