On March 21, 2010 The House of Representatives voted 219 to 212 to approve the Health Care Reform Bill.
Every Republican along with 34 Democrats voted No. According to the Institute of Medicine of the U. S. National Academies, the United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have health coverage.
The Republicans have dire warnings along with their No vote that the country will suffer in the near and far future from the burden of providing coverage for all its citizens. At the same time that the Democrats are rejoicing over the passage of this long overdue bill, long-faced Republicans refuse to give up the fight and are carrying their pessimistic and frightening message to the people. Some of their concerns are listed here.
Doctors are ready to close their doors because of high malpractice insurance costs and low government reimbursement rates.
Health care reform will increase government spending by nearly $2 trillion once it is fully implemented.
The bill will create dozens of bureaucracies, which increases the federal government’s role in health care.
The system will impose a staggering tax burden on U. S. taxpayers for generations to come.
Although people have been promised lower costs for their health insurance, they will instead end up paying much higher premiums.
New fees and taxes will be pushed onto the consumer through premium increases which will occur as early as 2010.
The legislation will necessarily inflict higher prescription-drug coverage on seniors and the disabled.
Health care reform is intended to lower premium costs and reduce the deficit. Instead, it will have the opposite effect.
It is clear that the Republicans are infuriated that they were unable to defeat the bill. Partisan politics is completely evident when we see that no Republican dared to vote for passage of health care reform. They are carrying their fight to the people. At the same time, certain items in the bill will take effect in 2010. How will the Republicans answer families who will finally see the following benefits in their policies?
Adult children will be permitted to stay on their parents’ policies until they are 26 years old.
Children with medical conditions will not be denied coverage. Affordable coverage will be available to adults with pre-existing conditions.
New insurance policies will cover the full cost of preventive care, including annual physicals and immunizations for children.
The United States has never before seen the divisive ploys which have been executed in this fight for health care reform. The will of the people has always been the law of the land in this country. When its citizens are able to realize exactly what the bill states and what benefits are in store for them, they will prevail. It remains to be seen which politicians will keep their jobs in November and which will receive the vote “No.”
