…,Bauers, though his status as a professional athlete makes his situation seem exceptional, is incredibly normal within the nation’s broken healthcare system.

“Sometimes it takes a high-profile sports figure or celebrity to help Americans understand how absurd and unfair our healthcare system is,” [insurance industry veteran Wendell] Potter explained to Common Dreams. “If Jake Bauers did everything he could to stay in baseball primarily because he and his wife were terrified of losing health insurance that was tied to his job, imagine how many other Americans stay in jobs they would leave if it weren’t for their employer-sponsored coverage.”