Opponents of health care reform periodically argue that legislation is unnecessary because anybody can get medical assistance through the emergency room — or that those who get in trouble have only themselves for blame by not buying insurance. My Sunday column tells the story of John Brodniak, a young man who had insurance with his job, but lost both when he developed a benign tumor in his brain. Read his story and see if you still think the need for universal coverage isn’t urgent. His story seems to me the best rebuttal of the skeptics.

Of course, my column doesn’t get into the issue of costs. They are a real issue, for universal health care is expensive. But as I’ve noted the annual cost of health reform and the annual cost of our Afghan deployment is about the same — except the former is paid for, while the latter isn’t. (And the Senate bill, in particular, does begin to address cost control.) It’s ultimately a question of priorities, and every other industrialized country has found the resources to pay for universal health coverage, so it’s difficult to imagine that the United States is too poor to do so.

Read the column and post your thoughts.

UPDATE: Several readers have asked how they can help or if there is a fund to help John. There isn’t any such fund, but with John and Esther’s permission I’m posting their mailing address: John and Esther Brodniak, 770 W Main St., Sheridan, OR 97378.

UPDATE 2: A couple of surgeons in Oregon have offered to help John without charge. It looks as if things will work out.

UPDATE 3: Several readers are asking about a Michelle Malkin account claiming that John was already receiving treatment at OHSU. That’s incorrect. John had one appointment at OHSU. He says he was told to give up, that they could not help him, and he was despairing when he told me about it. A doctor at OHSU gave me the same account: John had seen one doctor once. And after seven months he still wasn’t getting treatment or help managing pain. In any case, he says that after the column appeared, he suddenly got a series of phone calls from OHSU saying that they wanted to see him and could address his needs after all. It now appears that he will get treated, and other doctors are also offering him assistance.