Adopt Army creed to guide health policy

In the Army, a particularly important part of our creed is this: I will never leave a fallen comrade. Every single member of the armed forces is indoctrinated with this commitment from day one. It is this shared understanding that we will always have each other’s backs, sacrificing our own lives if necessary, that is the backbone of our military’s strength.

Now that I am a medical student, the values that became part of me in the Army still guide my decisions and are the lens through which I view the world and its problems, including the state of our health care system.

The Affordable Care Act has made progress in many areas, chiefly in decreasing the number of uninsured from about 43 million to 28 million. However, many Americans still lack basic insurance. These uninsured and underinsured Americans are being left behind.

They are far less likely to receive recommended screenings that could catch conditions or diseases that could be easily managed or treated before they become impossible to effectively treat at all.

For these reasons and many more, mortality rates among this population are, not surprisingly, higher. Numerous studies estimate that more than 20,000 Americans die each year of problems associated with a lack of health insurance.

By refusing to embrace some form of universal health care, we have effectively said we do not have each other’s backs. That is not in line with the values of the military, and it should not be in line with the values we share as Americans. One of these shared values is simple: We recognize that every American has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as stated in our Declaration of Independence. Without our health, our lives, liberty and ability to pursue our own happiness are threatened.

Throughout our history, we have come together to fight for these rights whenever they are threatened, whether by the British Empire, terrorist organizations or even fellow Americans. Just as we have many times before, we need to step up for people without health insurance and have their backs. We need to ensure that they are not left behind.

Solving this problem seems overwhelming. The health care system represents trillions of dollars of our gross domestic product, millions of jobs, thousands of moving pieces and, of course, the health of our people.

There are also many solutions proposed from both sides of the aisle. Compounding this complexity, many of us live in our own silos, surrounding ourselves with those who have similar backgrounds and political views.

We should start by agreeing that no matter how the system is organized, everyone should be able to easily afford quality health care. The way to win this battle is to first unify around one basic principle: that we will leave no fallen American behind.