Free books are a Durango couple’s answer to the divisive national discussion about health care.
Russ and Janet Monell donated $1,000 to purchase copies of The Healing of America by T.R. Reid for anyone interested in learning about health care inside and outside the U.S.
“I think that we in the United States need to educate ourselves about what has worked best in other countries,” said Janet Monell, a former medical technologist who comes from a family full of doctors.
In the book, published in 2009, the author describes his journey through eight countries to seek care for his chronic shoulder injuries. Monell said Reid writes in a conversational and non-judgmental way that Monell thought might pique the interest of others.
She said health care is a moral issue that needs to be addressed, and while the Affordable Care Act was not perfect, to her it was a step in the right direction.
“Every person deserves to be able to go to the doctor without fear of bankruptcy,” she said.
When her husband’s parents were in their 80s, Medicaid paid for the full-time care that they needed.
“We wouldn’t have been able to pay for the kind of care that they received,” Monell said.
She found the cuts to Medicaid that would have happened under the recent Republican-devised bill “diabolical and horrific” because millions of people would have lost their insurance.
The Monells write their congressmen often to advocate for health care reform. They believe Reid’s book will educate people.
“I think all of us are searching for things we can do to help,” she said.
Maria’s Bookshop expected to receive 42 copies of The Healing of America by Friday afternoon. Copies are available to anyone until they are gone. However, the Monells ask that people who pick up a book pass their copy on to someone else after reading it.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
