To the people out there who continue to argue with their heart and soul that the United States has the best health care on Earth, maybe you should read this story.
Oh, and, you’re wrong.
Most of us know the American health care system is pretty bad for a large segment of the population, but it’s stories like this that really drive the point home.
James Farmer was an employee at Starbucks who tragically passed away on August 11 due to kidney failure. Farmer was only 22 years old, and his story has gone viral because it highlights the failure of the American health care system to protect its citizens in many cases. James Farmer was unable to take off work to have his dialysis treatments because he couldn’t afford to miss out on any paychecks because, like many Americans, he lived paycheck-to-paycheck.
Posted by James Farmer on Thursday, August 23, 2018
A writer named Allison Robicelli was friends with Farmer, and she shared his sad story on Twitter to shed light on a situation that untold numberas of hourly and low-wage workers across the country have to deal with. Robicelli included the #ChickenSandwich hashtag in her tweet to reference the hoopla surrounding the Popeye’s chicken sandwich and how people should refocus their thoughts and priorities on things that literally amount to life and death.
Right now I’m at a friend’s funeral. He was 22 and died of kidney disease. He was skipping dialysis because he was an hourly food service worker and couldn’t afford to lose any pay. I’m sitting here in the lobby, thinking about the people getting rich off the #ChickenSandwich.
— Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) August 24, 2019
Robicelli wrote, “The people who serve you coffee and sandwiches, the people who barely get by because a living wage ‘isn’t in the best interest of shareholders,’ the people who so many believe don’t deserve to be paid fairly: they are people.”
The enormity of these things really doesn’t hit you until you see a brilliant, funny, caring and very much loved 22 year old man lying in a his casket.
— Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) August 24, 2019
This was James. The people who serve you coffee and sandwiches, the people who barely get by because a living wage “isn’t in the best interest of shareholders”, the people who so many believe don’t deserve to be paid fairly: they are people. They are loved. They deserve better. pic.twitter.com/nxrzd4J7mg
— Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) August 24, 2019
One thing I need to clarify — as there seems to be some confusion in my mentions — is that James DID have healthcare. Starbucks is one of the few fast casual concepts who tries to care for their workers. The problem is the security of hourly food service work.
— Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) August 25, 2019
James was worried about money. He was worried that if he took time off he’d be replaced, because that’s a legitimate fear all hourly workers live with. He thought if he took a day off for dialysis, he’d continue to have less hours on every weekly schedule.
— Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) August 25, 2019
For the record, Starbucks says that it offers its baristas healthcare coverage if they work an average of at least 20 hours per week. All Starbucks employees also get one hour of paid time off for sick days for every 30 hours worked.
A sad story and one that will hopefully inspire those in high places in business and government to make a change.
A GoFundMe page to pay for Farmer’s funeral expenses already exceeded its goal, but you can still donate to honor James Farmer’s memory.
The post A Starbucks Worker Passed Away Because He Couldn’t Afford Kidney Dialysis appeared first on UberFacts.