On March 21, 2010 the House of Representatives passed the bill, already approved by the Senate late last year, that made health insurance a requirement for all people, giving 95 percent of the country coverage. The uproar of disagreeing Americans could almost literally be heard as the bill passed with a vote of 219-to-212.
There is an internet full of facts for me to post but what’s the real purpose of this article. To write about my favorite subject, my personal opinion. I am a political science minor (I know, impressive), so I am more than qualified to give a logical unbiased report. Not.
I am as pro-health care reform as I am anti-Michael Bay movies. Which is a lot. But why? I am pro-health care reform because I believe that as a financially-secure American (well my family), I need to help others. Some people cannot afford to have healthcare and are putting off doctors’ visits and medical tests because they can’t afford them. People are losing their homes and livelihoods because their family members are becoming ill. People are dying because they can’t afford preventative care. There is a price for saving millions of lives. It’s a small tax hike, most of which is on the rich and not on income.
I always say that I am a Democrat because I understand that higher taxes get things done. I am willing to pay higher taxes if it means better education and safer streets. This is the same thing.
It seems that the debate on health care has been focused on the money. An important part, yes, but not where the focus should be. People’s lives are being saved. You can’t put a price on life. But this is our chance.
While were on the subject let’s talk money. New health care will cost just under $1 trillion dollars (about $980 billion) over the course of the next 10 years, but that would save us money compared to the path we were headed down. Like I said earlier ,most of the money comes from a higher income bracket a.k.a. rich folk. Some other spots the government will be sucking us dry (sarcasm alert!) is through a tanning tax. Sorry, ladies and a couple of gentlemen, but a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning facilities would raise $2.7 billion dollars by 2019. Also, in the why-didn’t-we-do-this-sooner department, a tax on health care industries.
For us college students, here’s the best part. Your parents’ healthcare with cover you until the age of 26, effective immediately. This will make the job hunt that much sweeter.
The only dark cloud on this sunny day that is health care reform is the public opinion. 54 percent of Americans disapprove of health care reform. I think that a more accurate figure would be 54 percent of Americans don’t understand health care reform. I know I didn’t until recently. While positive public opinion is not necessary, obviously, it does make things far easier. President Obama definitely made some enemies in the fight for this bill. For example pro-life Democrats in the House promised their votes if the bill didn’t cover abortions.
Whether you approve or not doesn’t seem to matter anymore seeing as Obama will have signed the bill into law by the time this article is published. Guess what? Your insured! Yay! Now throw a party for yourself with the comfort of knowing that no matter how much you torture your body you’ll be insured!
I had a really well-thought out comment but it got deleted ughhh. So I will quickly sum it up:
1. 54% of Americans do not oppose reform, likely they oppose the current Health Insurance Bill. I’d say the vast majority of citizens believe in reform of some kind (no coverage due to pre-existing conditions, extended coverage… pick the health care ill of your choice.) It is due to media and political agendas that anyone who says a word against the bill is portrayed as cold and heartless.
2. Besides the content of the bill, the way it was passed is ridiculous. Amendment X of the Constitution of the United States: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” I checked to make sure– no where in the Constitution does it grant the federal government the right to MANDATE health care for all citizens. That’s right. If you do not want health care you WILL be penalized.
3. The government should lead by example, not dictation. Private organizations and charities are the outlook you are looking for to put into action exactly what you have said in this article; using your status as a well-off individual to help those who CANNOT help themselves. I place the emphasis on cannot because there are many who simply choose not to better themselves.
4. You’ve already alluded to the cost of the bill. 1 trillion dollars? When our country is already in a multi-trillion dollar debt? It seems to me that we don’t have the money to make these promises. We as Americans seem to forget that this borrowed money does come from somewhere. Most notably China, with about a 23.5% ownership, followed closely by Japan at roughly 20%. This is not our money, it is theirs. Scary.
5. The tanning tax is great (more for skin cancer prevention, in my opinion), but that 2.7 billion dollars is hardly a dent in the overall cost. What about the rest of the hundreds of billions of dollars? You’ve got it– American tax payers. But don’t think this will fall solely on the shoulders of the rich– besides, they can pay it so who cares? It’s the middle class that’s getting screwed here. These are the people too wealthy for government assistance yet still struggling to pay for basic necessities. They WILL pay more taxes. They WILL pay a government mandated fee whether or not they like it, and if not, they WILL be monetarily penalized. More and more, the middle class, something which makes our country so unique and signifies the American dream, will divide into only the very rich and the very poor. So basically, these people will not be able to afford their homes, but at least they will have coverage for the pneumonia they will contract from sleeping on a park bench. Okay I digress.
5. Regarding the health care itself– it has been shown time and time again by our predecessors in socialized health care, namely Canada and much of Europe, that the system is one of poor quality that generally fails to deliver. That’s why Canadians come to America for health care. That’s why the Premier of Newfoundland came to the U.S. for his heart surgery. Sure, those who are diagnosed with cancer will have coverage regardless of their financial system, however, after you are placed on an 8-month waiting list to receive the tests and scans most often necessary to arrive at such a diagnosis (which are often performed day-of in today’s system), I hope you are still alive to get your results. The US has one of the highest survival rates world wide for illnesses such as breast cancer, and that is due to the swift preventative measures that our currrent system allows. Now everyone will have an equal opportunity to die– at least we are playing fair.
6. In conclusion: we need health care reform, we do. But instead of blindly following the rest of the world into an even more broken system, we need to be the world leaders we used to be and come up with alternatives that truly WILL work for the benefit of Americans. We need take the time to help others– we don’t need to government to do it for us. And when we pass legislation, we need to keep the constitution in mind. It’s here for a reason, and personally, I like it.
7.I had more but I can’t recall my points. I’m sure you knew what I was going to say anyway. This article was awesome, seriously. Love you Jamie, rock on and keep the people informed. Hummus soon.
I think to say that 54% of the American people are anti-health care reform is a skewed statistic. I’d say the vast majority of Americans do indeed believe that some level of reform is necessary (extended coverage for minors, no coverage due to pre-existing conditions… pick the health care ill of your choice). Unfortunately due to the media and political agendas, those who oppose this rececently passed bill, which was not a Health Care reform bill, rather a Health Insurance reform bill, are portrayed in a cold and heartless light. The root of the issue here is the way in which this bill was passed. Amendment X of the Constitution of the United States: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” I checked again to make sure– and no where in the Constitution does it grant the federal government the right to MANDATE health care to all citizens. The government should lead by example, not dictation. Private organizations and charities are the outlet you are seeking to do exactly what you have said in your article; using your status as a well-off individual to help those who can not help themselves. I put the emphasis on those who CAN NOT help themselves, because there are many who simply choose not to better themselves.
As far as the bill itself. 1 trillion dollars? Our country is currently facing a mutli-trillion dollar debt. We as Americans seem to forget that this money IS actually coming from somewhere– most notably, China, who own 24.3% of our debt with Japan in a close 20.8%. Scary. The tanning tax is nice (more for the fact that it will help prevent skin cancer in teenage girls, in my opinion) but where does the other hundreds of billions of dollars come from? American tax payers. And this isn’t necessarily the rich we’re talking about. Sure they will pay, but they can afford it so who cares? It’s the middle class that’s going to be hardest hit. Most are already struggling in today’s economy to pay for basic needs, and now they will be forced to pay government mandated costs or face a monetary penalty. So they will not be able to afford their homes or other necessities, but at least they can care for the pneumonia they get from living in a box.
Okay I digress. One last note on the health care itself– it’s been seen in Canada and abroad that socialized health care is poor quality and a system that generally fails. That’s why Canadians come to America to get their health care. It’s nice that 95% of Americans will be insured, but for what? Long lines and red tape? If you get cancer, you will be covered, but you will likely to be placed on an 8-month waiting list to get the necessary tests and scans to come to such a diagnosis (a test that you could likely be scheduled day-of in our current system). Let’s hope you are still alive to get your results. America has one of the highest survival rates for illnesses such as breast cancer, and it is these swift preventative measures that give us that status. Now everyone in the country will have an equal chance of dying– at least we are playing fair.
Okay anyway I’m done. I’m sure nothing I said surprised you hahaha. Great article, seriously. Love you Jamie, rock on and keep the people informed. Hummus soon.