Elizabeth Edwards Speaks: Health Care and the Economic Downturn

Elizabeth Edwards is back in the news, and once more she is lending her voice to the cause of health care reform. Mrs. Edwards is waging two battles currently: one against incurable cancer and another for universal health care and reform of our current system.

On Wednesday, she participated in a roundtable discussion in North Carolina. It is a state whose electoral votes are up for grabs in the current race for the White House due to both an influx of new residents hailing from the more liberal northeastern area of the country and a highly mobilized African-American population that leans toward the Obama camp.

As Wall Street continues its meltdown and the word "bailout" seems to be at the center of almost every conversation about the economy, Mrs. Edwards draws a link between the ongoing crisis in health care and the economic woes facing the country.

Mike Baker of The Associated Press reports:

Elizabeth Edwards said during a conference call Tuesday that medical bills often lead to foreclosure, a primary factor in the lagging housing market that's led to the demise of several Wall Street firms. Those without health insurance are often less productive, she said, because they miss work after failing to get treatment.

"Reform of our health care system is a very important part of the answers we're going to need to solve our economic woes," she said.

I'll be bringing you more info as soon as details of the roundtable are available.

SOURCE: "Elizabeth Edwards ties health care to economy" 10/01/08
photo courtesy of NCBrianused under its Creative Commons license