|
|
|
Independence, MO —
A husband and wife signed up for Chinese language lessons. “Are you planning to go to China?” the instructor asked. “Oh, no, says the man, “We just adopted a baby from China, and when he starts talking, we want to be able to understand what he’s saying.”
That’s about the same level of understanding many people have about the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law on March 23, 2010, by President Obama. The Act calls for extensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over the next four years and beyond. But it has been fiercely opposed by Republicans who even forced a ruling on its constitutionality; the results of which should be known any day now.
Better known as “Obamacare,” it is very similar to what presidential candidate Mitt Romney introduced in Massachusetts when he was governor.
Space does not permit exploration of the many benefits of the law, but in Missouri some 495,000 currently uninsured people will gain coverage and some 79,900 small businesses could receive a tax credit to help offset health insurance premiums.
Opponents of the law are most upset by its requirement that most individuals must have insurance by 2014 or pay a yearly financial penalty. That really sticks in the craw of those who feel it is a violation of every American’s right to make his own decision about such matters. Thus, they avoid debating the law’s positive or negative impact on medical outcomes and prefer, instead, to focus on medically unrelated issues. This is truly unfortunate as Americans truly need and deserve better health care.
We pay double, both per capita and as a percentage of Gross National Product, what other industrialized countries pay for medical care, yet we rank about 37th in the world when it comes to medical outcomes. Some of our acute care is outstanding if one can afford it. But, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (Jan. 6, 2010), we are 43rd in the world for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality and 36th for life expectancy. Most other medical outcome comparisons are equally dismal.
Putting debate aside we must look reality in the eye and come up with an improved medical system; one that is more affordable and focused on healthcare outcomes rather than profits for insurance companies and select portions of the healthcare industry.
That is exactly what the Affordable Care Act is attempting to do.
A husband and wife signed up for Chinese language lessons. “Are you planning to go to China?” the instructor asked. “Oh, no, says the man, “We just adopted a baby from China, and when he starts talking, we want to be able to understand what he’s saying.”
That’s about the same level of understanding many people have about the Affordable Care Act that was signed into law on March 23, 2010, by President Obama. The Act calls for extensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over the next four years and beyond. But it has been fiercely opposed by Republicans who even forced a ruling on its constitutionality; the results of which should be known any day now.
Better known as “Obamacare,” it is very similar to what presidential candidate Mitt Romney introduced in Massachusetts when he was governor.
Space does not permit exploration of the many benefits of the law, but in Missouri some 495,000 currently uninsured people will gain coverage and some 79,900 small businesses could receive a tax credit to help offset health insurance premiums.
Opponents of the law are most upset by its requirement that most individuals must have insurance by 2014 or pay a yearly financial penalty. That really sticks in the craw of those who feel it is a violation of every American’s right to make his own decision about such matters. Thus, they avoid debating the law’s positive or negative impact on medical outcomes and prefer, instead, to focus on medically unrelated issues. This is truly unfortunate as Americans truly need and deserve better health care.
We pay double, both per capita and as a percentage of Gross National Product, what other industrialized countries pay for medical care, yet we rank about 37th in the world when it comes to medical outcomes. Some of our acute care is outstanding if one can afford it. But, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (Jan. 6, 2010), we are 43rd in the world for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality and 36th for life expectancy. Most other medical outcome comparisons are equally dismal.
Putting debate aside we must look reality in the eye and come up with an improved medical system; one that is more affordable and focused on healthcare outcomes rather than profits for insurance companies and select portions of the healthcare industry.
That is exactly what the Affordable Care Act is attempting to do.
