A Historical Day Indeed

I had planned to start sharing my mission experiences this week but after last night's health care reform vote, I decided I needed to share a few thoughts on that first.

I've heard people referring to yesterday as a historical day. I completely agree. It was historical in the sense that my generation and generations to come inherited an overwhelming burden of debt and government control. It was a day that bipartisan politics went out the window. It was a day filled with deceit and bribery. It was certainly American politics at its finest. I don't suppose I should have expected anything less from a President who has failed our nation repeatedly since taking office.

Yes, I am a Conservative but that doesn't explain why I'm so disappointed by yesterday's passing of Obama's health care reform legislation. I completely agree that there is a need for health care reform in our nation. As a Social Worker, I see that need every single day. I do not believe, however, that Obama's plan was the BEST solution. It was rushed, it was expensive, and it was incomplete. I don't think passing something without any bipartisan support is consistent with the ideals put forth by our founding fathers.

So here I rant about how terrible this reform is. People tell me I'm a horrible person for wanting to continue to deny the poor health care coverage. That's not what I want. What I DO want is health care reform that that is affordable for everyone. This new legislation will create a government take-over of health care that will likely help the poor but will cause the middle and upper class to join them, as the rest of us will likely lose our own health care coverage when our companies decide it's too expensive to continue to provide coverage. They'd be better off paying the small penalty fees than providing coverage under the new plan. I also don't think taxing the middle class $400 billion over the next decade is effective either, especially when people are trying to make ends meet the way it is. I DO want health care reform that focuses on prevention - something that focuses on the causes of disease. Obesity is linked to heart disease, stroke, cancers. Smoking is linked to lung cancer and heart disease. Why don't we focus on what causes people to need to access the health care system in the first place? Finally, I DO want health care reform that helps ensure a good quality of life for individuals. By eliminating insurance options, by forcing people to choose new primary care providers, and by forcing government control of health care, quality of life will suffer.

Is there anything in the plan I agree with? Yes. I agree that people should not be penalized for a pre-existing condition. I do not believe that children should have a lifetime cap on the amount of insurance benefits they are eligible for. I do believe that everyone should have access to lifesaving cancer screenings. But at what price, at whose expense? At mine. My children's. My grandchildren's - that's who.

So today I am a little bitter at the implications of this historical vote. I'm sure some who will read this supported the reform. I'm sure others don't care and are sick of hearing everyone else rant about it. Today, I share some simple insight from someone who will feel the effects of this reform personally and professionally. Yesterday's vote undoubtedly changed the way medicine will be practiced from here on out, whether we like it or not.

I promise the rest of the week will be posts about mission work and won't be nearly as political as this one :)