Dan Pauluk, the Nevada health inspector who tragically died last year, was poisoned by constant exposure to toxic mold while working in his office. However, he was forced to work at that job, in that office, in order keep the health insurance he needed to fight for his life. He had to expose himself to a sickness in order to fight a sickness. This chicken-in-the-egg conundrum eventually resulted in his death.

I have to wonder what difference a public option for healthcare would have made for Dan Pauluk. With healthcare provided by the government, Dan could have left the very place that was killing him and still receive the treatment he needed.

I will try to hold myself back from taking a side in this heated debate, but it is worth examining what effect Obama’s healthcare reform proposal would make in the way we live and deal with mold – admitting that this is a very small segment of the scope of healthcare.

Mold is a threat that builds up in the body over time. While it can be as ruining as a fire, its effects are not immediately felt. Symptoms may first appear as allergies, with multiple possible causes. Most people can and do get through the day with coughs, sore throats, and runny noses. Minor symptoms won’t make anyone run to their doctor, especially if they have to pay for it out of their own pocket.

But what happens when these symptoms build? Continued mold exposure may cause spores to enter and grow within the body, weakening it for further infection from deadlier varieties of mold. The process snowballs into toxic mold poisoning – permanent health damage, even death can and has resulted.

Saving a building from mold damage is best done through prevention, and the same is true with saving a body. A visit to a doctor can identify the sickness early on before the damage becomes irreparable. But while symptoms are mild, there is no incentive for victims to get medical help without a public health care option. A qualified doctor can help a patient realize both what is affecting their bodies and that mold exists in their home or place of work early on.

Also, those who can’t afford private health insurance are more likely to have mold. It makes sense, if you can’t afford health care how can you afford home maintenance and mold remediation?

Something to think about. While it’s hard to find an agreeable solution, we can all agree that a solution is needed.

Tagged as: health care option, health inspector, health insurance, mold, mold exposure, mold remediation, toxic mold