The national health care debate has sparked quite a bit of controversy as well as strong emotions in U.S. citizens. The unemployed, underemployed, and working poor all need accessible and affordable health care. Even those who are already insured have quite a few problems with the current insurance model and are completely for health care reform.
Health Care Reform
Though Americans are closer than ever before to having a more cost-effective and higher quality health care system, there are still obstacles that need to be overcome.
The first obstacle is those few people who are opposing health care reform. The true reason that they do not want this reform to happen is money. It is about the fact that they have investments somewhere in the health care industry and they are afraid of losing money. In their view, if health care becomes cheaper, then their investments will lose value.
However, one can't help but wonder if this is a truly a reason to keep sacrificing thousands of lives every year. In the United States 101,000 people die each year as a result of the current health care system. These deaths are considered preventable as the people who die have treatable conditions. In a study conducted by Commonwealth Fund involving 19 industrial nations, researchers found that of the health care systems in developed nations, the United States ranked at number 19.
Universal Health Care
Universal health care would not only solve a majority of the issues that citizens are having with the current health care system, but it would also solve several of the economic issues that Americans are facing today.
More than 60% of bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical bills. Even patients who are insured can become overwhelmed with medical bills due to the fact that most insurance coverage is highly limited.
Another issue that people are facing is the fact that there is no real regulatory authority over the insurance industry. Health insurance providers also face a very limited amount of competition, which is part of the reason that the insurance rates continue to increase as drastically as they do.
Why is the Health Care Bill Important?
Simply put, the health care bill would be put in place to accomplish two tasks:
- Create new laws that would regulate insurance companies.
- Provide affordable health insurance to all American citizens, regardless of their health conditions.
A public option would help drive down costs by competing with insurance companies. There would also be new laws put in place to protect people from being taken advantage of by the insurance companies.
Health care reform is important because it will save lives, improve the economy, and improve the quality of life for all American citizens.
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