As the passage of some sort of health care reform gets closer to reality I can’t help but be fearful. I have no doubt that something is going to be passed by early next year. And while I have no doubt that some folks will benefit from the new measure I strongly feel that most of us are going to be screwed over big-time!
Both the House and the Senate version provide exclusions for those with religious objections and those who can prove financial hardship. In my opinion the latter group are those that they are working to cover the most. They are also the group that will continue to use the emergency rooms and primary doctors and likely end up paying little or nothing for the services provided.
There is also a big difference between those who cannot pay for services and those who choose not to. I’m guessing that there are many families that have no health care that have cell phones for every member of the family. They certainly have the option of having insurance but instead chose the phones. I understand that the health care would likely cost more than the phones but my point is they made a choice about what was more important to them. Is the government going to decide what you are allowed to have and still qualify for the ‘financial hardship’? Is it going to be based solely on income?
In the House version of the bill Illegal immigrants can purchase health care from exchanges but get no subsidies. In the Senate version they cannot buy even if they can pay full price. It boggles the mind that this was even a point of discussion! We are talking about ILLEGAL immigrants. Pack them up and ship them home. LEGAL immigrants are welcome and should be integrated into the system the same as citizens.
Governmental ineptitude will likely turn this into a major disaster that will continue well into the future despite all the problems it will have. Once another ‘entitlement’ is in place it is a political career busting move to take it away. Let me give you an example well the government handles a somewhat similar program: Auto Insurance. Forty-nine states require auto insurance in order to drive your vehicle on public roadways. New Hampshire is the exception. It is breaking the law not to have minimum coverage in the others. Yet here in Ohio the only ‘proof’ you need to have when getting your license or plates is to sign a form saying you have insurance. How is that proof? If that is the best they can do how will this pan out when applied to the entire population of the country?
I certainly don’t have the answers to all the questions regarding healthcare reform. But for as much as it is going to cost I think it is certainly worth taking more time to get it right rather then jam it throught the system for short-term political gain.