The health care debate currently raging in our legislature and in the news media hits close to home for every American. We are all human and therefore share basic health needs. I decided to interview my father to find out more about this debate as he has a rather unique perspective on the issue. My father is sixty-two years old; an American citizen for twenty years and a legal resident for over thirty years. He is originally from Colombia and still has many family members there and visits two or more times a year. He works for the State of North Carolina as an adult Spanish teacher in the community college system. Through his current job and life experience, he is able to speak about the healthcare situation in two very different countries. My father lived on both sides of the coverage debate. In Colombia, most rural poor people have no idea of ​​health insurance as anything other than a little extra money or assets to give to the doctor in case of injury. One story he told was about a trip where he took my mother to meet his family and she was shocked to see a chicken in the doctor's office. He later explained to her that the woman with the chicken was going to pay the doctor for her treatment. He believes this less formal system of payments and billing is far superior to America's current system of co-pays and deductibles, as well as HMO and Gold Optical Care options (and other insurance nonsense ), although it is quite primitive by American standards (witness my mother's surprise). He is currently covered by the State Employees Health Plan and pays extra for a higher level of coverage as well as coverage for his dependents (including me). He thought it was very important to compare how doctors are chosen in the United States and Los Angeles ... middle of paper ...... not being insured. My parents always worked to get us covered and made sure my future insurance was taken care of, at least to the point where I stopped being financially dependent on them. So the more complicated side of the American healthcare system is not really visible to me. I have never forgone a visit to the doctor for a serious problem because I couldn't pay, and I haven't gone more than a year or two without an exam and regular visits to the dentist. I believe an important aspect of the problem is the isolation of each level of health care. Those who benefit are unaware of the problems faced by those who cannot afford it, and those who cannot afford it are often poorly informed about what they could or should receive. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and therefore preventive medicine must be classless, as it is the most effective aspect of medicine..