Jeff Sandstoe / Roundup
Barack Obama’s health care bill passed its first hurdle, the House of Representatives. The heavily debated bill now rests in the hands of the Senate. This is the most significant progress in over a half century.
It’s about damn time.
Approaching 23, the age where I will no longer be covered under my parent’s health insurance plan, I’m facing the very real possibility of being uninsured.
The current estimate of uninsured Americans is at 43 million—and I might be one of them.
Time is ticking.
Like a significant portion of the students here at Pierce and around the country, I’m going to school full time and working part time. Most of the little money I make goes to paying my rent, my car insurance, my gas and my phone bill.
How can a person whose diet predominantly revolves around Ramen noodles and tap water be expected to pay the full cost of health insurance in addition to all the costs of basic living?
America is undisputedly the most advanced and powerful nation in the world, yet according to a consensus report from the Board on Health Care Services, it’s the only industrialized country that does not have a universal health care system in place.
Doesn’t that seem odd?
If you had to pinpoint the main cause of the families and individuals who file for bankruptcy each year, it’s not from bad investments, the stock market crash, or even from people being conned out of their money.
The main cause of people filing for bankruptcy in this nation is from the cost of medical care.
For example, the cost of setting and repairing a broken leg comes out to about $26,000, according to National Center for Health Statistics. Depending on what health care plan you can afford, if any, this little accident can wipe out any savings you had.
The fear of being caught uninsured or poorly insured is a main reason why people hold onto jobs they despise or that don’t pay well.
Most people receive their health care from their jobs because it offers a more affordable alternative to paying for it.
However, with the recent increase of unemployment, people are getting laid off from their employers, consequently losing their health care coverage . This leaves them scrambling around, searching for any job they can find just to avoid being completely uninsured.
Doesn’t that seem cruel?
According to the conservative right, this proposed universal health care bill would make the United States a socialist society. However, the current system of having a health care system that leaves its citizens scared and poor is worse.
There should be a public option available in this country. Those who disagree could continue to pay for their own health care as they see fit.
By passing this bill, the U.S. can actually take a positive step in making this a progressive nation.
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