Educate Yourself on Health Care Bill
November 19, 2009 • By Anna Young, The Breeze
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There seems to be much confusion surrounding the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) that the House just passed. Even though versions of this bill have circled through Congress for months now, many people still do not understand its provisions. By breaking down the bill’s most important points, I aim to encourage support for this bill as it makes its way to the Senate.
Why do I care so much about this bill? I recognize that Americans have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to impact how the federal government shapes a revolutionary concept of health care that has seemed enigmatic until now. However, health care reform does not have to be a big, bureaucratic, inaccessible mess. By understanding how the bill will impact each of us, we can translate that understanding into action for or against it. I think it is imperative this bill passes the Senate because American health care is too expensive and unreliable, and we need to reverse this by making a health care system more efficient, affordable and dependable. I believe the current form of this bill accomplishes these goals.
Of course, it’s great to make these sweeping idealistic aspirations for one of the most deep-seated systems in this country. However, the bill currently swimming around the Senate acts as a reality check that redefining health care reform is within our grasp, and we need to understand the bill if we are to accept it.
According to the New York Times, this bill would expand coverage to up to 36 million Americans by increasing the scope of Medicare, insurance programs for the poor and giving subsidies to moderate-income families to buy either a private or public plan. The bill would also restrict private insurance companies from unfair practices, such as denying coverage based on certain conditions, and would cause private companies to compete with the government-run plan, which would potentially drive insurance plan prices down. Over the next 10 years, the bill will hopefully cut federal deficits by $104 billion, even though its projected cost is $1.04 trillion. By implementing fees and taxes on businesses and families, the federal deficit will be cut. Americans will more than likely be required to buy some sort of insurance, with owners of small businesses with payrolls larger than $500,000 having to buy insurance for their employees. Children could also stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they turn 27 years old — a plus for college students wondering how to afford insurance post-graduation.
Of course, this is only a skeleton summary of the mammoth bill. I will admit it’s a less-than-perfect plan and, despite my weeks of following this bill, I still do not know everything about it. However, I know that what this bill calls for is a step in the right direction in health care reform that this country desperately needs.
I encourage you to use various resources at your disposal to learn more about this bill so you can influence your senators’ votes for the bill. Various news media outlets have in-depth coverage, analyses and interactive features on the bill’s progress. You can also track this bill on CongressDaily and let your senators know whether you support it.
If you are from a state other than Virginia, visit your senators’ Web sites and tell them what you think about this bill. Democratic Virginia Sens. Warner and Webb have not made it clear whether they are in strong favor of this bill, so it’s imperative that Virginia residents provide their input. You can tell Sens. Warner and Webb what you think by contacting them at either http://webb.senate.gov or http://warner.senate.gov.
Because the terms of this 1,990-page bill seem so unapproachable to the average American, it is difficult for Congressional constituents to comprehend the impact this bill will have on the future of American health care. I advise everyone, regardless of party affiliation, to take the time to become informed citizens and render your opinions to your representatives so we can finally achieve meaningful health care reform.
Anna Young is a sociology and media arts & design major.
Contact Anna Young at youngam@jmu.edu
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7 Responses to “Educate Yourself on Health Care Bill”
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Though I appreciate your efforts to describe (if only in vague terms) what this health care reform bill will do. The point is..
1. Congress and Senate members are EMPLOYEES, duly compensated by hard working, tax paying Americans.
2. Thus being, the government HAS NO RIGHT TO FORCE AMERICANS INTO BUYING HEALTH INSURANCE. That decision should be left to the individual.
3. THREATENING AMERICAN CITIZENS WITH JAIL TIME OR FINES does not sit well with the American people, given the fact that every member of our government ARE SIMPLY ELECTED OFFICIALS. Which, (and believe this to be true), the majority of people in this country against this reform made certain to take the names of every politician who voted for it.
Come election time, there will be a great movement to ‘clean house.’
4.The Senate bill says it will not support illegal immigrants. However what it doesn’t mention is how will illegal immigrants will attain medical attention.
But we already know the answer to that. They will run to emergency rooms when they are ill..and the American taxpayer will be burdened in having to foot the cost!
The Obama and Pelosi REAL HEALTH CARE BILL!
http://incogman.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/health-care-bill2.jpg
Anna,
I’ve never heard our healthcare system referred to as “unreliable.” Why do you say that?
That’s just disturbing and wrong. Grow up will ya?
I’m sorry, but it appears the author of this article is simply falling victim to the seduction of “making history,” which has allowed her to overlook the problems with H.R. 3962.
If you were to look at all the problems with our nation’s healthcare system, and were trying to figure out ways of exacerbating them, you would come out with something looking pretty similar to the 1,990 page bill that just passed the House.
It is all about incentives, and this bill incentivizes people to overuse medical services by allowing them to outsource the costs on to other people.
There are so many good, commonsense things that we could do to improve (not “fix,” that is a fool’s errand) our nation’s healthcare system. Many of these ideas come from the Republican side. It is true that everybody will not be covered overnight under their amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 3962, but unlike the Democrat’s bill, it will actually reduce costs and premiums and provide incentives for them to continue to drop, eventually enveloping more and more people into the system without increasing the government’s role in individual healthcare and insurance industry decisions.
I would encourage this author to fight the temptation to enact “once-in-a-generation” legislation, and rather concern herself with enacting legislation that will make things better, not worse.
I agree that people need to educate themselves on the health care bill, but I come to the opposite conclusions. Take this article from the Wall Street Journal for another perspective.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703399204574505423751140690.html
There seems to be much confusion on the healthcare bill due to the media outlets and the government. Clearly, an average American will not be able to fully comprehend a 1,900-page bill even if written in layman’s terms. Therefore, most people have to rely on secondary sources such as the media. The media provides a skewed perception of the bill, such as this article, based on their hidden political agendas. Healthcare affects all Americans, and therefore AT LEAST U.S. Senators should read and comprehend the entire bill before passing it. The bill is filled with hidden pork, hence, why the conservative media is now calling the bill “The Louisiana Purchase.” Do we really want to indirectly buy-out U.S. senators on such an important bill? As for your article, you were very contradictory. You address the confusion many have in regards to the bill including the average American, are you not an average American? Or have you read the 1,900- page bill? If you have not, how can you encourage the rest of the JMU body to vote for the bill? What makes you an expert? I think most economists would disagree that the bill will cut the deficit by 104 billion.
I have experienced the healthcare system more than most during my battle with Lymphoma. The healthcare system is overrun and most of the faculty is underpaid and overworked. I, for one, face and will always face high health insurance rates. Also, I know after my academic career ends I will struggle to get health insurance. While this is worrisome I cannot support or advocate the current healthcare bill. Healthcare needs to be reformed but the bill should reform the structure and the pharmaceutical companies. We should spend the 1.04 trillion dollars are building free healthcare clinics. Doctors should be encouraged to volunteer as well as medical students in free healthcare clinics. Hospitals are already overrun and most could not handle the event of an epidemic. Most importantly, if the government wants to compete with a company, compete with the pharmaceutical industry: offer a chemotherapy treatment that costs less than 3,000 dollars. Make drugs and sell them for what they are worth. One might think the people with the serve health problems would want socialized, I mean nationalized, healthcare but I know the government taking away free enterprise will not do anything. And in all practicality the list for treatment, such as chemotherapy, will be long and lengthy. It is quite possible that at one point in time I will not be able to afford the healthcare system of today or be refused coverage. However, I would rather have no coverage than to have to deal with the frustration of less than mediocre healthcare and the disappointment in the U.S. government it would bring—which has happened in other countries, such as England and Canada. For now, I suggest America should rely on the generosity of the American people that has helped save lives through organizations like American Cancer Society, The Red Cross, The ALS Association, The Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Diabetes Association, The American Heart Association, The Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, The Federation for the Blind, The American Kidney Fund, American Lung Foundation, The Four Diamonds Fund, The Jimmy Fund, The American Parkinson Disease Association, and many more.