The Obama administration's push for passage of a new national health care plan before the upcoming congressional recess has hit a bit of a roadblock in recent weeks. What once seemed to be a no-brainer (After all, what could be wrong with quality, affordable health care for all?), now is no longer regarded as a shoe-in.
The vast, grass roots network of supporters and volunteers that materialized in such great numbers before the last presidential election has failed to turn out with the same support for Obama's national health proposal. Why is that?
What has fueled the fiery opposition of protesters during the recent town hall meetings held for the purpose of quelling public fear of the bill?
Well, one reason is concern over the cost of the health plan. As Sen. Orin Hatch, R-Utah put
it, "I don't follow why we've got to spend around $1.5 to $2 trillion on top of the $2.5 trillion we are already spending....and yet still have 33 million people without health insurance."
Of course, under Obama's plan there would be no one without health insurance. Under his proposal, if someone did not already have a private insurance policy, he or she would be required to buy into the government plan.
The second reason for public dissent over the bill is mistrust toward a government system that would have the power to be judge and jury over who qualifies for care. While I do not necessarily agree with former governor Sarah Palin's fear of "death panels", as a fellow mother of a son with Downs Syndrome, I sympathize with her concern for the quality of her son's future health care under this proposed plan. Even with a budget of over $1 trillion, there will always be constraints and priorities put on policy holders. That means that the disenfranchised, i.e., the mentally challenged, the medically fragile, and the elderly would be at the greatest risk for budget cuts.
A third reason for people's lack of support for the proposed national health plan is that no one understands it. Delivered to the Senators' desks as a one thousand page tome, even their aides admit to not having read the whole thing. Do we want our congressional representatives to rush through and vote on something this critically important without understanding it thoroughly or even having read it through?
I say, let cooler heads prevail. Let's all sit back, take a deep breath, and give this plan the time and study it requires. Our nation's health depends on it.
Working in the health care industry for several years now I have seen what a mess the current government health care program (Medicaid)is like and shutter to think that it is a possibility that there may be a chance that Barack Obama could succeed in creating another one. We already have a health care system for the poor who can not afford to buy health insurance. Why is he not working to improve Medicaid? I believe that his ultimate desire is control. There is a reason that no one understands it. I believe he intended to have blind followers.
ReplyDeleteIn the recent study that Mike and I finished, "What in the world is going on?" By Dr David Jeremiah there were some people in our class that had obtained information regarding a private militia that Obama currently has set in motion. A private army of people who are willing to do what ever he says and to follow his orders when ever the need arises.
Personally the more I hear about his intent the more he scares me. There were some people in our class that believe that he is the for- runner of the Anti-Christ. Just as John the Baptist went before Christ. He is going before the anti-Christ setting things up for the end.