Disclaimer: This is gonna be controversial. If you don't want to hear it, check back tomorrow and I'll have a warm and fuzzy... and/or funny blog. But, since one reason I started this blog is for somewhere to talk about politics other than on Facebook , I'm gonna throw my opinion out there.
First off, let me just say that I have no health insurance offered through my employer and to add me to my husband's is prohibitively expensive, so I have been forced to purchase individual health coverage. I pay $350/month and that's for basic, in-case-something-catastrophic-happens-to-me, coverage. I do not have maternity coverage, because if I did, it would cost double that. Not to get too personal, but obviously, this situation is putting a hold on some things. I also have what my insurance company deems a "preexisting condition," so, that doesn't help my premium one bit. I wasn't sure they were going to even cover me there for a while. No, I'm not dying or anything, so don't worry.
So here's what I think. I am quite happy that this bill is getting closer to passing. Is it perfect? I'm sure it's not. Does it have a lot of added shit in it? I'm sure it does. But, it's the government... that's going to happen no matter what. I think we can all agree that insurance companies not taking someone because they have a condition, therefor forcing that person to pay out-of-pocket for care, and possibly losing everything they have because of medical bills due to something they can't control is an injustice - or alternatively, losing their life because the can't pay.We can also agree that insurance companies dropping someone because they get sick, there for the above also happens, is again, an injustice. But, we have to remember that the evil insurance company is trying to run a business and to assume that risk is bad business. Unfortunately, the impact those decisions have on people's lives can be enourmous... and detrimental.
It's this simple - if the government forces insurance companies to cover those who are sick or have preexisting conditions, without requiring everyone to carry insurance, the health insurance (and probably the entire system) would collapse because people would only buy insurance if they are sick. The only way to solve this is to require everyone to have insurance, therefor spreading out the risk to insurance companies, so that they are able to cover those who need it. Perhaps this is common sense, but I feel like it needs to be pointed out again.
Yes, if you're healthy, maybe it sucks for you a little. Maybe you don't want the government to spend your tax dollars on this. Maybe you don't have insurance and are willing to take the gamble that nothing will happen to you, or if it does, you'll be able to pay for it. I understand, but, what happens if it doesn't work out that way?
I feel like this is for the greater good - to save lives of our fellow Americans, our friends, family, and maybe even ourselves one day. I'm willing to sacrifice a little for that. Do I think the government is stepping on my rights? Um, no, I really don't. Everyone has the right to affordable medical care - and our current system is not working. It's just like any other law we must follow to live in this society... and this one will save lives.
It's quite possible that I'm being a bit too optimistic about this. The government is inherently evil, after all (hehehe). However, I'd rather see something done than nothing and I'm going to hope and pray that this something makes things better.
