by Autumn Dawson
What agenda has every U.S. president since Franklin D. Roosevelt had in common?
Better healthcare for Americans. This agenda has come in many forms, and I think it is safe to say that most Americans agree that some form of healthcare reform needs to occur. But the questions I ask you is: At what cost?
The healthcare bill passed by the Senate on December 24 is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost $849 billion. That is $849 billion that the U.S. does not have, and $840 billion that China (who owns a large percentage of mortgage notes on this country) has said they will not fund and does not support spending on healthcare. Anybody else see a problem with that?
I will be the first to say that we need reform. But I would caution against jumping on the bandwagon and pointing fingers at the insurance companies who charge premiums….so they can pay the exorbitant claims turned in. (e.g. A man I know with cancer that hit his $2,000,000 lifetime maximum in one year of claims from Scott & White, etc.) I don’t enjoy paying my health insurance premium anymore than the next gal, but the bottom line is that private insurance companies—unlike our government—cannot run trillions of dollars in debt. And at some point, neither can our government.
Regardless, does something need to be done regarding the current healthcare system? Yes.
Will national healthcare solve this disaster? How is government-run Medicare doing right about now…bankrupt?
Who will—hopefully—solve this problem? Someone much smarter than me.
With that in mind, I would like to draw attention to a few key points in the bills currently under debate in Congress. Our President has repeatedly said that he wants to provide better healthcare without raising our taxes. Well, the proposed bills would expand eligibility for lower-income individuals applying for Medicaid, and would offer subsidies to help middle-income individual purchasing insurance. (Who is going to pay for this? Anyone?)
The bills would also prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions. Provided that you have had Continuous Coverage, I applaud this. However, if they prohibit insurance companies for denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions for ALL individuals—regardless of if they have every had insurance before—why would anyone pay an insurance premium until they get diagnosed with someone? They won’t! And if that happens, how will insurance companies stay in business? Again, they won’t! So, what will happen is that the insurance companies will fold because they cannot afford to pay claims, and then our ONLY option will be socialist—I mean government—healthcare. But everybody is cool with that…right?
Regardless of which side you stand with, this will affect each and every individual of our generation and those to come. I urge you to be aware of the facts and form your own opinion. Then do what so few do, and fight for it.