Thursday
July 29, 2010
An opinion on Obama’s Health-Care Puree
“Change you can believe in” was President Obama’s campaign slogan, and in early 2009 that slogan danced off American tongues like fountains of praise. We rejoiced at our new president’s every move with no consideration for the “change” that was sure to come. Today, after one year of partisan politics and meetings behind closed doors, Americans are feeling that the “change” and “hope” not what we hoped for at all; now, the fountains have slowly turned into dripping faucets.
Several bills have been passed through this one-party political system, but right now I want to focus on the current health-care legislation that is in committee; however, I want to make it clear that in no way am I tagging this bad politics all on Obama. I know that his intentions are good, and as of right now there have been a lot of promises made to many congressmen that the bill will change to better suit the American people after it has been voted into law.
To be honest, I am not upset at all that there is a current health-care legislation. The stories that many Americans have gone through due to this current system is heartbreaking, and change—positive change—is a necessity for this facet of American life.
Most Americans want health-care reform. The National Coalition on Healthcare estimates that insurance premiums are currently rising five times faster than inflation, making it increasingly harder to pay the minimum costs to be provided for medically. There is no hiding from that fact, but I do not believe that what the majority party in Congress and what President Obama are trying to push through is worth it.
What I am upset about is the compromises, the small wavering that has occurred in both houses of Congress just to get a bill passed that has the title of “health care” written on it.
I am not alone on this either. According to the most current Rasmussen poll, 55 percent of the Americans polled would prefer that Congress scrap the health care plan and start over.
For instance, in 2009 the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the U.S. population is about 304 million people. According to a recent Center for Disease Control poll, only 47 million people do not have health insurance in America.
If this health-care legislation gets passed as is, the government will have to provide for most of the American people, and if you do not have a plan, you will be fined until you get one.
According to the president’s budget package, for all 304 million Americans, health care will cost nearly $2 trillion. But if we only provide for those who can’t afford any insurance, it will cost the federal government approximately $800 billion.
How would we afford it for all 304 million Americans, when we are already seeing our generation further in debt than any other American generation?
But the 47 million who have no insurance are not the only problem. The rising premiums and unrealistic costs are problems too.
According to a recent CBS News poll, hospital costs are going up more than 11 percent, major insurance companies across the nation have raised their premiums by an average of 25 percent and the cost to provide new services and drugs is more than $1 million every time they are discovered.
America needs reform, but I ask that we do something about the standard, make-our-congressman-happy bill, that is about to be passed. We are not babies who need to be force-fed our life in the morning by an over zealous government. It is time we stick to the facts, and not let a law get passed that will be detrimental in the long run. Let’s start over, gain more hope and work together for “positive change.”
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