To reform or not reform – that is the question

With the passing in the House last night I felt the need to discuss the topic that has been on Americans’ minds at one point or another over the last year. And if you are like most Americans (myself included) your confused on what it’s all about. Sure we’ve heard what the most highly debated area of the reform is - abortion always sparks aggressive political and religious debates. But want about the rest? Why is one party so aggressively for it while the other will do anything to squash it? And yes, the most important questions to most of us “What does it mean for me?”

I have to give a big kudos to media outlets that have picked up on this and started pushing out various information on the pros and cons of healthcare reform. However I’ve noticed pretty quickly that like all things media it definitely isn’t a bipartisan view. So after all of the research I’ve done today here are my thoughts on the pros and cons I see:

Pros
1. No more pre-existing conditions or discrimination! I come from a family filled with all sorts of issues from knee problems to diabetes to high blood pressure. In April of last year I damaged my knee while on vacation. The orthopedist diagnosed me with a severe sprain and partial tears in my lateral and medial ligaments. But what if he missed something? Under the new government plan, the insurance couldn’t call it a pre-existing condition if I every hurt it again! Also, no more discrimination over if a procedure is covered or if it is too experimental.

2. Healthcare will be available to the 33 million Americans without coverage!  Hurrah! As a poor college student who was conveniently removed from my parent’s health insurance, I remember praying that I wouldn’t get sick. After all I couldn’t afford any medical bills. At that rate even student health would be too expensive for me. I couldn’t afford to buy a prescription. Circumstances didn’t change much in the first few years out of college either. On the flip side, it may be more affordable and realistic for poorer, health Americans to simply page the $695 fine for not having insurance rather than $2,500 for government insurance.  That said the tax credit for having the insurance better make it worth it.

Cons
1. I have health insure through work and a pretty damn good plan. However there is the distinct possibility that companies will shift away from private healthcare plans to the government healthcare plan in the near future. That means the killer coverage I’m receiving now for fairly cheap could very easily go away leaving me with the standard government care. My next two points are the areas I find issue with on the government plan.

2. What about the freedom to choose my doctor? I’ll say it. I’ve had a crappy doctor before. You know the one, that primary care physician you’ve been seeing regularly for years and yet every visit is like the first time. Yes, sir. We’ve already had this conversation before. Maybe you should actually look at my chart or maybe you need to learn to take better notes. I trust you with my health and you aren’t taking the time to be informed about me, so I’ll just find a doc who will. But under the Medical Home plan that won’t be an option. You can’t just quit your doc and find a new one. He doesn’t think you need that test or to see that specialist. Too bad! We are a country founded on freedom and our right to choose. How can it possibly benefit us to remove that right?

3. Why the hell have I bothered with a healthy life style? I’m going to pay the same premium as the 26-year-old bar fly who drinks 5 nights a week, smokes a pack a day, leaves her panties in at least 2 new guys apartment a week, snorts coke on a daily basis, and lives off of cold pizza and fruit pies. Sure, she’d be able to rehab for free and so could I, but why should I have to pay for the same plan as her? Maybe I don’t need rehab, but I’m still paying for that service. I don’t smoke. I’m less likely to have health issues. I live healthy so why should I have to pay $2,500 or more in premium costs when I only cost $800 a year to insure?

I don’t mind that those with a significant income will pay a 1% tax increase to pay for the plan. I believe that the wealth should take care of their less fortunate majority. However, I’m a believer in having government working in the background rather than on the forefront controlling healthcare.

So where am I? I’m still riding the fence. I still need answers to bigger questions. Will universal healthcare jeopardize the quality of healthcare we receive? Will we lose our ability to receive speedy healthcare? Will we become like Canada and the countless other nations that have a waiting list to receive care? Will government run healthcare be worth it in the long run?

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