Health Care

Just back from vacation. Catching up on the news. I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised by our president. I wasn't one of the super-paranoid over having a black president, but I must admit to having been concerned over how the black population might react. It's all worked out quite well, and up until now, I have agreed with most everything he has done, until now.

We all need heathcare. I think we would all like to see a national heathcare system where everybody has coverage and it's part of the country's infrastructure. If you haven't been following what's going on, you need to. What is about pass (there are 3 different bills out there and they all include this provision), is ludicrous.

It will be required that every person purchase their own heath insurance, either on their own, or through their employer. You will be fined 2.5% of your income if you don't have it!. Of course the most heavily impacted are those that can least afford it.

Imagine making $10k-$30k a year.. really living on the edge and barely making it. Then being told you have to purchase health insurance at $200-$400 per family member, per month...meaning you have to give up your car, or your child's education, or something else just as critical. The alternative is to take the (much smaller due to lower income) fine, maybe only have to do without electricty(!), and still not have health insurance(!!!). Insane.

In what way does this make things better? An argument is being made that this will force the younger, healthier population to carry insurance, helping to balance out the high cost of all the older, more sickly people in the system now. Yeah, sure it will. If purchasing health insurance is mandatory, do you really think the insurance companies are going to *lower* rates? Fat chance.

This is coming, and it's coming fast. Somewhere along the line, the phrase "universal healthcare" got changed to "healthcare reform". Not all change is good. Wait and see.