Health Care Speech - part 3

Public health care option? Is what Obama is presenting here government health care? It doesn't sound like it, even though many in Congress feel we need government health care. I don't agree, but what the President is proposing here is a great idea, but is it possible? "Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage. We will do this by creating a new insurance exchange — a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we've given ourselves." "For those individuals and small businesses who still cannot afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we will provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need." These are great ideas. There needs to be a way for uninsured people to get coverage. he even proposes doing something in the short term while the other things get developed, an idea that was also proposed by John McCain during the campaigns last fall. Obama does say that we need to require people to get coverage if they can afford it. The real question, is it right to force people to purchase insurance? It is done with car insurance, why not health insurance? If someone refuses to purchase insurance, what do we do to them? Refuse them health care? I guess this needs to be worked out. I don't have an opinion at this time. Obama says that any plan will not include illegal immigrants or abortion. I think this a point alot of people feel strongly about. His proposal does not specifically exclude these things, BUT IT NEEDS TO. One critical point that I think almost everyone agrees on is that there needs to be a limit medical malpractice lawsuits. The only people against this is probably the attorneys that specialize in this area. Obama says: "Finally, many in this chamber — particularly on the Republican side of the aisle — have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care. I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I have talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs. So I am proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. I know that the Bush Administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these issues. It's a good idea, and I am directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today." Obama ends with some strong words: "I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road — to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that's not what the moment calls for. That's not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it's hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test. Because that is who we are. That is our calling. That is our character. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America." He is absolutely right! This is something that needs to be fixed, and dome as soon as possible.

Health Care Speech - part 2

It is time for our Political Leaders work together. I don't think we can get a good bill for everyone if we follow one party or the other. It is truly time for bipartisanship. One thing I think, is the bill needs to be required to have a super majority instead just a majority. This will insure that all sides have been heard from. Some people will say, we elected a Democrat, so that is what the country wants. I disagree. President Obama was elected with 52.9 % of the popular vote. That means 47.1 % did not want him as president. Obama said himself: "Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care." I don't agree with the President's plan completely. I think it has good and bad points. Obama said: "First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have." I think the key word here is "require". I think that if the bill makes it too easy or cost less money to the employer, many will drop their insurance plans. It may end up being better for their bottom line. How many Americans will end up with no choice because their employer no longer offers insurance. I think the proposed number is about 8% of wages. If you ask many small and medium sized businesses, you will find they pay out closer 10% or more right now. I think the proposed number be higher, and make it very difficult for existing businesses to drop benefits. I agree completely with the : "What this plan will do is to make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies — because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives." I think this is a very critical part OF ANY bill that passes. more later

Health Care Speech - part 1

I want to start looking at the speech the president gave to Congress on 09/09. These are just my opinions and I urge you to join the discussion.

Obama said: “But thanks to the bold and decisive action we have taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink.”

We may have been pulled from the brink, but our economy is still in some serious trouble. Unemployment is heading towards 10%. Millions of Americans who want to work, can’t find jobs. If we can’t get people back to work, all of the rest of the economy will continue to suffer. Speaking for myself, my income has dropped down to the level it was at 10 years ago. That is not improvement.

He also said: “Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can’t get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and can’t afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or expensive to cover.”

I have insurance and I am still close to bankruptcy. My wife had a minor back injury and missed 1 week of work. It will take us several weeks to recover from missing just 1 paycheck.

Obama does cover this point somewhat: “But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem of the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you’ll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won’t pay the full cost of care. It happens every day.”

Any health care bill must address this situation. People should NOT lose their insurance for uncontrolled reasons. WE MUST limit the power insurance companies have over our lives.

Here is a great point the president mentioned: “And it’s why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it — about $1000 per year that pays for somebody else’s emergency room and charitable care.”

The sad part of this, is the majority of these people go to the emergency room just to get maintenance medication refills because they can’t afford to go to the doctor.

More later.