Concern About Health Care Reform Makes Top News

Despite Republican opposition, this was the day that The US Senate, along with the US House of Representatives opted to pass the much-needed health care reform legislation.

Health Reform.gov is the official lookout point for those concerned about health reform news.  According to them, this is what President Obama had to say about the Senate’s passing of the Health Care bill:  ”With passage of reform bills in both the House and the Senate, we are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health-insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people.”

(See HealthReform.gov)

Concerned Americans And Health Care Reform Topics

Countless concerned Americans across the nation, who followed health care reform topics this year can breath a sigh of relief.  The final resolution of this important issue is upon us and other areas of concern can resume dominating our lives.  This year, top news centered on headlines like:  10 Health Care Reform Myths (CBS News), Man’s Finger Bitten Off in Scuffle at Health Care Rally (KTLA), The Top 5 Lies About Obama’s Health Care Reform (Newsweek.com), and Health Care Reform: Taxes may Hit Middle-Class (ABC News).   Whether for or against the needed health care reform, many Americans followed the topics religiously.

On the other hand, there were previously, and probably still are, a number of individuals who don’t comprehend what the lack of adequate health care would ultimately lead to.  These apathetic Americans are not concerned about the limitations and suffering of others, as long as they have health care coverage for their selves and their own family.

The Reality Of Inadequate Health Care Coverage

There are actually people who don't know what the reality of inadequate health care coverage really means. Having a great health insurance plan at work may be the reason some people don’t worry about health care coverage, but what happens if you end up like one out of work supervisor who previously was employed by Ford Motor Company? In his recent article: Waiting for Reform: The Unemployed Get A Health Care COBRA Gift, writer Kevin O’Leary discusses the extended funds that were made available as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Concerning the extension of funds to unemployed individuals, O’Leary quoted the out-of-work supervisor as saying:  "When you have to draw straws between paying the utility bills, the mortgage and health care, it’s hard.”  (News.Yahoo.com)

Personal stories like this one helps to emphasize why the recent passing of health care reform legislation was so crucial.  This goes hand in hand with the opinions of people like Terry Lynch.  In a December 26, 2009 article in the Meridian Star, Lynch wrote about personal family experiences with the issue of inadequate health care.  According to Lynch:  “The result was loss of our home, everything my parents had worked and fought to secure for their family, and the destruction of my family.”  (MeridianStar.com)

Why Americans Need The New Health Care Reform

There are a multitude of reasons why Americans need the new health care reform legislation that was just passed.  It involves more than just the ability to see a doctor when you or your loved ones are sick or going to the hospital if you’re seriously ill.  Health care reform also involves:

• Regular Health Checkups for Children and Seniors
• Regular Dental Visits for Children and Seniors
• Prenatal Care
• Preventive Testing & Screening For Communicable Diseases (TB , Hepatitis, etc)
• Preventive Testing & Screening For Sexually Transmitted Diseases (AIDS, Herpes, etc.)
• Mental Health Screening

Those who manage to remain apathetic to health care reform news and related issues mistakenly believe they are not affected.  Think about what would happen if the six points mentioned above were left unchecked, and no decision was ever made about how to fund these critical health areas.  More than the individuals who are directly involved would be affected.  It could easily become not just an American problem, but a global one! This is why Democratic senator Herb Kohl from Wisconsin was able to vote in favor of the new health care reform bill.  He likened the passing of this historic legislation to the  Social Security legislation in 1935, and Medicare later on in 1965.  Just as the echoes of those in opposition became faint and drowned out, so too those who have opposed health care reform.  Kohl stated:  “By insuring 95 percent of Americans while reducing the deficit, this legislation achieves what many thought was impossible, and I am proud to have been able to cast my vote in favor of it.”

Every Person Deserves Decent Health Care

No matter who or where we are, every person deserves decent health care.  This is something that most honest-hearted Americans would readily admit.  Some who oppose President Obama’s Plan have not made it their business to visit Organizing for America, the official site that gives the hard cold facts about the plan.  I recommend going to the website and reading for yourself what the new health plan does and does not include.  This will help to dispel any rumors you may have heard, and give you a clear understanding of what the plan is, and why it is. (Organizing for America)

In a nutshell:

“It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.  It will provide insurance to those who don’t.  And it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses and our government.”  President Barack Obama

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