Dubbed “The Affordable Health Care for America Act,” people have debated, argued, and scrutinized this pending piece of health care legislation as if their lives depended on it. Oh, wait – their lives probably will depend on it.
In the midst of the heated dispute, very few seem to have stopped to examine the bill’s adequacy. Does it propose to make all the changes we need to have a more effective health care system? It doesn’t even come close, but it’s the best attempt we’ve seen from our government in decades, and if the U.S. Senate doesn’t pass it, I will be tempted to move to Canada.
The truth is that our current medical system is falling apart at the seams. Even those opposed to the current reform bill can’t deny that fact. Reform is necessary, and our country won’t be able to keep up much longer without it. We’re spending too much money on systems that aren’t working, and too many Americans just aren’t getting the health care they need.
President Obama has recognized how weak the system has become, and he’s finally brought reform to the table. His plan was considered revolutionary. In fact, it was apparently so overwhelmingly unorthodox and liberal that Republicans began to see red and cry out that socialism has returned.
What people don’t realize is that today the majority of developed countries in the world operate under a system similar to the “revolutionary” and “unorthodox” one Obama has proposed. The United States probably has the most archaic health care system in the entire Western world.
According to BusinessWeek.com, a study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund reported the U.S. ranking last in nearly every category (quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives) despite spending twice as much per capita.
Responding to the study, Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis said, “The U.S. stands out as the only nation in these studies that does not ensure access to health care through universal coverage.”
In reality, the improvements that the reform bill proposes would affect minimal improvement, compared to the state of health care systems in Canada, France, Germany, and Switzerland. The bill isn’t pushing universal health care. It’s not pushing the single-payer program that has been so successful in Canada. And it’s certainly not pushing socialism.
Instead, the bill proposes to put limits on our access to abortion services, which should be enough to quiet even the whiniest conservative.
Despite some of the proposed bill’s shortcomings, it’s a step in the right direction. The reform offers a public health care option that would provide affordable premium health care and force private health care costs down. Economically, it would be a major improvement from our current system. The reform will also require everyone to have a health-care plan and will provide subsidies to those unable to afford one. This would be a big step for our country. According to the CDC, nearly 44 million people were uninsured last year.
As the bill moves on to the Senate, I’ve got my fingers crossed. Its ratification would be an important step towards pulling the United States out of the current crumbling, outdated system that we’ve used for decades. If it’s shot down, we’ll be back at square one, frantically trying to rebuild the ship before it hits bottom.