politics Archive

A woman in Wisconsin pays over $700 dollars a month in insurance premiums, only to be told by her insurance company that the treatment for her breast cancer will not be covered. A couple in California have a son who is diagnosed with Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Before a match is even found the couple reaches their lifetime premium benefit limit. Given their limited finances, they appeal to the public…only to lose their son before funds can be raised. President Obama was recently quoted as saying, “If you think that this can’t happen to you, then think again!” when discussing the aforementioned events.

Forty-six million Americans are presently without insurance. For those with coverage, premiums have more than doubled in the past five years. And 90% of all insurance carriers have stringent caps on lifetime benefits. For most people, if you become critically ill and need your insurance the most, you will be faced with the realization that your care comes with a limit and a price tag.

If you happen to suffer from a chronic condition, such as a mental illness, you will soon also find that most psychotropic medicines are not available in generic form. And although you have insurance, you may be faced with astronomical prices that force many middle class families to decide to pay bills or buy their loved ones medication.

President Obama’s health care reform promises to ban arbitrary caps on lifetime benefits as well as eliminate the denial for coverage based on pre-existing conditions, it also promises to provide coverage for preventative care. And how will all of this happen? It hasn’t been made entirely clear by the President, although a lot of time and effort has been spent on debate of the issue.

Many fear that a radical change will only come with the dreaded raising of taxes. President Obama has repeatedly tried to assure the public that this will not be the case, except for those families in the $250,000+ tax bracket. President Obama claims that the changes will be paid for mainly, by subsides from federal health care programs that will be dismantled and revamped, as well as by discontinuing the kickbacks given to many insurance companies. But, I ask you…where did the money originally come from to pay for the federal health programs? Most likely from taxes.

We spend more on health care than any other nation, but where is it getting us? President Obama has been emphatic in stating that if we as a nation do not do something to control the raising costs of health care, we can not possibly hope to control the deficit. AARP supports the Reform initiative, while insurance companies and special interests groups fight tooth and nail to discredit and thwart the President at every turn. Insurance companies, whose profit margins are in the billions…yes, billions! They claim that premium prices must continue to increase or they will be forced out of business.

“Congress has great health care, so do I, says the President, but what about middle class America?”