Imagine you are one of the millions in this country who can’t get health insurance because you have a pre-existing condition. Now roll the clock forward to January 1, 2014 and walk with me down the virtual hallways of a brand-new marketplace, a marketplace where you can buy some peace of mind and help for your family, no questions asked.
That guy over there who was just diagnosed with diabetes at age 20? He’s 26 now, and about to be dropped from his parents’ insurance, but he’s not worried. He can go online, head over to Insurance Exchange Central, and shop for his own individual policy. He’s still in school and not making much money at all, but not to worry, because his costs will be covered by some significant government subsidies so that he can still afford his syringes, insulin, test strips and other needs.
This young man fights with his desire to be free of his diabetes and the daily knowledge that his lifestyle has to be adjusted to live with it. Because his doctor is part of the community health center down the street, he’s able to check in often and work on some wellness initiatives to help control his diabetes and accommodate his lifestyle. The particular young man I’m thinking of loves to ride his bicycle, and tries to ride 20-30 miles per day. The exercise helps keep his glucose levels down to manageable levels, and the meter he uses sends daily glucose reports to his doctor via his wireless phone. His records are electronic, so when he travels to bike races in other states his medical history follows him in case he needs treatment.
This is one example of what will happen when health reform passes. No more exclusion for pre-existing conditions. Electronic health records. Focus on wellness instead of sickness. Streamlining Medicare. Government subsidies to assist with affordability.
Bottom line: We embrace everyone’s health as a national value, whether they’re healthy, diagnosed with an illness, are young, old, rich, poor, or middle class, employed or unemployed, artist or entrepreneur. Everyone.
This, and only this, justifies passing the Senate bill. When the other benefits are factored in, it is clear it’s well worth passing and should be passed. Right now.
Thank you, Karoli! Today, that eleven-year old boy poured his heart out in Congress about his 27-year-old Mom's death.. and the GOP smears him? What cold — if even present?– hearts they have.
OMG, I missed that. Wow. Cold-hearted GOP; stiff-necked Dems. Politics is the art of the possible, not the pure or the perfect.
What does your crystal ball say in 2018, when millions of Americans must choose between downgrading the coverage they have or paying a large excise tax on their health insurance premiums? If premiums continue to go up by double-digit percentages every year (as they probably will, since there will be no competing government-run insurance plan), huge numbers of Americans will be paying “Cadillac” prices for what really aren't “Cadillac” insurance policies.
To clarify, I agree with you that some people will be better off if the Senate bill passes. But do you acknowledge that some people will end up with worse insurance coverage?
Do you acknowledge that the Senate bill punts on solving some of the big problems with the status quo, and that we should have been able to accomplish much more with historically large Democratic majorities?
Perhaps you *are* happy with your health insurance. You think your insurance company is the good one, the one that has low premiums and a high quality of care. The fact is that I'm mostly one of those lucky people. But without healthcare reform, guess what: it won't last. You've probably seen your costs go up. Your deductables go up. And without healthcare reform, you are only one serious illness away from joining the ranks of the uninsured. You're only one job loss away from losing your healthcare.
Without healthcare reform, chances are your healthcare is already going to be worst 10 years from now than it is today. How could it be otherwise, when growth in healthcare expenses outpace growth in wages?
Perhaps you aren't concerned today. You should be.
HMM .. what doctor has this amount of time available? This is a utopian world that won't exist in 2014 and certainly this bill doesn't provide incentives to doctors to work harder ..
There are some good things in this bill, but it will not increase the doctor's time … remember they will all have more patients & they are pretty busy now!
Not to add a pesimistic view, but what if the guy really doesn't want to ride his bike that far. My guess is the only time he rides it is to get his quart of Ice Cream so he can play his video games in style. Rocky Road and two hours of gaming before his two hour nap. This happens while the rest of us work overtime to help offset the cost of people who love to milk the system- WAKE UP!!