Health Care

A health care bill is likely to pass the house this weekend and then in order to get the votes needed a second act is likely to pass with amendments the senate will approve using a procedure that eliminates the possibility of a filibuster. Republicans are trying to make the most political gain they can out of this and while they certainly have that right, the question you have to ask yourself is when does the countries best interest come into play?
Now certainly there is plenty of room for disagreement in policy matters and people should vote their honest beliefs. In the health care debate, there is a fundamental question that has to be answered. In this day and age when medical advances have prolonged most people’s life expectancy, health care is clearly not optional. So should so many Americans not have it?
The idea that a free market system will provide for all is clearly not working. Every major industrialized country considers the providing of health care a necessity, not a luxury. Health care is one of those things that becomes more important either due to time or circumstance. It is also clear that if you insure the entire population, including young healthy people and provide more preventive care, you reduce the cost for the individual although of course total cost would probably go up.
So, do we as a country want to make sure that everyone has access to reasonably priced health care? Is almost seems like a no brainer, but, after a campaign designed to scare the average American into thinking that “Big Brother” was going to take over the system and make them lose benefits and pay more, we see a lot of opposition to it. I think that almost everyone, when provided the facts would agree that we need to expand health coverage. We also need to reduce cost, both from unnecessary treatments and abuse, but provide the best care we can to as many as we can at a reasonable cost.
Other countries have been able to do this, why can’t we?