The Evil Eyebrow

What I Think

Written by

Bill Ruhsam

in

I haven’t opined much on the Health Care bill being trundled around the country. That’s because I knew that whatever shape it had a year ago would be different once it got to the point of final passage. Here’s what I think:

No one has a damned clue whether or not this will:

a) Improve healthcare

b) Reduce costs

c) Be an overall benefit to the Country

Now, let me rephrase that. No one has a damned clue whether or not this will:

a) Disimprove healthcare

b) Raise costs

c) Be an overall detriment to the Country

This is just too big an issue for anyone to analyze and have me believe that they know “what’s going to happen!” Only history and time will tell.

With that in mind, I say pass it. Why? Because we are the only “first-world” country that does not provide comprehensive health care (or health benefits) to our citizens. We consciously allow people to go without normal care because they cannot afford it or have pre-existing conditions; care that would reduce the amount and cost of future health care thus reducing the overall burden. Without getting into the details of the rest of the package, that one thing is enough to sell it for me. Keep in mind that I’m coming from the position of that Middle Class Taxpayer who’s going to be overly taxed by this legislation as well as a very healthy person who rarely sees the doctor for anything other than routine checkups.

So, bring it on, Congresscritters! Sure, it’s not the best bill that could be, but the most important thing is to pass something that looks vaguely health-care shaped and continue to work on it through the years. I take my model here as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We’re still working on that one and that is not a criticism.

Comments

2 responses to “What I Think”

  1. Kim Avatar
    Kim

    Couldn’t agree more.

  2. Jeff Avatar
    Jeff

    First, let me say that I’m not impressed by this bill at all. We could have, and should have, gotten a much better bill. Having such close margins allows the fringes of the group to control things as their votes are necessary. Bart Stupak can take a flying leap off a cliff.

    That being said… a few real advantages:
    1. No recission 6 months after the bill is passed.
    – expect a lot of people to be kicked off plans in the next 6 months
    – great if you don’t get sick until after that
    2. potentially 30 million people more covered
    – that’s a huge improvement and will be better for everyone
    3. No denial for pre-existing conditions
    – yay! I can use my health care for covering some issues that I didn’t want to have investigated because it might put me in the reject pool
    4. Filling the medicare prescription drug benefit donut hole
    – I’ve never quite understood how that got written into the original bill the compromises we make to reach an imaginary budget number are ridiculous.

    Without a public option to control costs and give the insurance companies some real competition I am concerned that prices are going to sky rocket in the next few years. My insurance went up 28% last year and is now my largest monthly payment by far. If it does that again this year I will seriously have to consider closing my business and getting a job or moving to a high deductible plan.

    I fully support Alan Grayson’s push to allow Medicare buy-in. I would do it in a heart beat as I know my money would go farther and help more people.

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