Names of the Dead

My brother-in-law Tom Bimmerle died over Christmas 2008 of lung cysts because he did not have health insurance. He only survived as long as he did because of the heroic Charity Hospital in New Orleans, where he lived. Tom was a very talented carpenter who worked tirelessly for Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans for years, building many houses at times single-handedly, but since Habitat for Humanity does not offer employment or health benefits except for one or two administrators in each city, and Tom's income outside of Habitat was minimal, he lived uninsured for years and died early as a result, at age 58. It is absolutely incomprehensible that one in six Americans may as well die on the street because they can't afford the exorbitant fess charged by the selective and exclusive insurance companies. This is the United States! How can we let our citizens down like this? We are supposed to be the best and most developed nation on earth, yet we deny 1/6 of our citizens the most basic right, access to healthcare! Tom was a genius with a hammer and helped so many people, yet we didn't help him when he most needed it. We should be ashamed of ourselves as a nation.