Obama's Health Care Reform is the Change the U.S. Needs

"It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It provide insurance to those who don't. And it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government"

Although the Health Care Reform has many debatable topics and has extensive branches of categories regarding the problems the current status quo presents and the solutions the government has proposed by constructing a health care reform of Democratic and Republican ideas combined. In order to fix something we all are involved in we must all be involved in the efforts and endure the hard work and negative or positive consequences together as a whole, as a team, as a family.

What is the problem we are facing? According to the Wall Street Journal and many other sources "accelerating health care premiums and sharp revenue short falls due to the recession are forcing some small companies to choose between dropping health insurance or laying off workers--or staying in business at all". Big companies are shifting health care responsibilities to workers, requiring more workers to pay out of pocket, or are also laying workers off. Health care increases are forcing many to go uninsured and risking bankruptcy if a serious illness were to occur. Others are facing or undergoing bankruptcies due to the increasingly high premiums they are paying their insurance provider.

As President Obama acknowledges in his remarks to a joint session of congress on health care,

"Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can't get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and can't afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or too expensive to cover."

His health care reform addresses these many issues Americans are facing everyday insured or not insured. For those able to get or are currently with health insurance policies already through companies or through a private policy, insurance companies will not be able to deny access to coverage because of pre-existing conditions/illnesses. Individuals will live free of fear of being dropped from coverage if a sickness occurs and along with other benefits, citizens can be rest assured that large company employers will be required to provide insurance coverage for all employees. Those without health insurance will be able to be under a public health insurance option. This reform lowers the coverage cost for insurance making it more accessible for those whom otherwise wouldn't be able or willing to purchase a health care policy plan.

The problem of "30 million+ American citizens who cannot get coverage" and the "14000 Americans losing their coverage" daily will be significantly lower after the nation undergoes the health care reform. Another positive point about this reform is that the current insurance coverage may be kept if any company or individual chooses to keep it. No where in the reform does it state that chosen coverage needs to be changed; this is assuring to many citizens surely. With the decrease in the cost of health care insurance and the soon to be implemented free cost for preventative care comes decreases in many categories such as the number of deceases and cancers occurring or being caught quite late due to hesitations from patients regarding preventative care and routine checkups because of the extra costs added on to medical bills. It also will decrease the number of Americans struggling with monetary issues and those on the brink of bankruptcy because of illness, dropped, or denied coverage. It will decrease premiums and lower the statistics of uninsured individuals or families and lower the number of companies dropping insurance coverage or collapsing all together. these are many benefits of this Health Care Reform and these are just a few of the major benefits Americans (excluding illegal immigrants) will enjoy as it lifts the health care expense burden off of millions' shoulders and minds. Doctors will be able to focus on treating and preventing illnesses without the fear of malpractice suits and citizens of the U.S. are able to spend their money elsewhere instead of dedicating a large percentage of their paycheck to expensive and inflated health care insurance premiums. This reform is exactly what Americans are in desperate need for.

Links for further reading:

• The president's plan in a nutshell
• REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENTTO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESSON HEALTH CARE
• The Wall Street Journal