Health Care Reform: What’s it all about?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The health care reform debate may seem to beg the question: “Who could possibly be against making sure all Americans have affordable health care?’
Of course, it’s not that simple. The debate includes accusations that Democrats want to introduce socialized medicine. Then there’s the issue of who will pay for a comprehensive health care plan. Taxpayers? Do we push the deficit even further? And that’s not all, perhaps the biggest points of contention are explained well in the New York Times “Times Topics”.
“...most employers would have to provide insurance or contribute to the cost of coverage for employees, with exceptions for some small businesses. Democrats also agree that Congress should create some type of government insurance plan or nonprofit cooperative, which would compete with private insurers. (President) Obama says the public plan would keep insurers honest, but Republicans say it could eventually drive private insurers from the market, leaving consumers with fewer choices.”
Believe it or not, lawmakers from both parties actually agree on some points!
1 -- Reining in private insurance companies by banning underwriting practices that have prevented millions of Americans from obtaining affordable insurance
2 -- Providing federal subsidies to help make insurance affordable for people with modest incomes. Expanding Medicaid eligibility for the poor.
3 -- Reducing the growth of payments to hospitals and many other health care providers.
I really like “Times Topics” for comprehensive information and background on just about any issue that’s making news. Here are some other links to information and articles about health care reform that you might find helpful.
HealthReform.gov - The Obama Administration’s one-stop shopping site about the issue.
CNN.com - The network’s take on the key issues in a Q&A format
CBS.com - “10 Health Care Reform Myths”
Rasmussen Reports - polls about what Americans think
If any of you have sites and links you’d like to share, send them my way!
