Wow! This mid-term election has been a big upset for the Democrats. But, has it truly been a victory for the Republicans? The big strategy of the GOP has been to "Repeal and Replace" Obamacare. Many of Republicans believe that this is the message that the nation has sent by putting the Republicans back in charge of the House of Representatives. Surprisingly, the exit polls have a different story. 49% of the nation voted to repeal and replace healthcare while 48% wanted to keep and expand it. This does not appear to be a obvious objection to the new healthcare reform bill that passed earlier this year. However, we know that it is not perfect, but it has given us a great jump start. I don't believe many people will object to the great provisions in the bill like 1) no pre-existing condition clauses , 2) tax credits for small businesses, 3) extending coverage for dependents until the age of 26, etc. The blog that I read suggested that Republicans are not interested in compromising to modify the existing bill because it will still give credit to the Democrats for reforming 1/6 of our entire economy.
The GOP need to re-evaluate their interpretaion of the message sent by the nation. The "economy" is where the stress lies. People need relief and they need it now. Unemployment is running out and even the well-educated have found themselves settling for jobs that they would not have even considered 10 years ago. But, the unemployment rate was announced to be at a record low of 9.6% from the past several years. Recovery is happening! It seems to be too slow if you are the one who's hurting. The nation is calling out, but to some, it appears to be in a foreign language.
I heard recently that Sanjay Gupta of CNN was heading to Tampa to do a story regarding seniors being told to forgo cancer care because of their age. I don't know the details and apparently the story has not yet run. In any case, I think that medical rationing is already a reality. One charge against the new health policy is that it will lead to medical rationing. The problem is that medical needs are essentially infinite and resources are not. There is rationing. There will be rationing, no matter what. The problem I see is the national government setting itself up as the target of all the people who know that the lives of loved ones could have been extended with additional expenditure of resources. There was a day when people would accept the physicians' statement, "We did all we could." Few will nod their heads in sad acceptance if told, "We could have done more but we could not afford to do more." Our government is a balance of many interests and perspectives. There is risk in making it (the government) appear to be the cause of the rationing of medical care. Phrases like, "death squads" to refer to people ("bureaucrats")who must try to balance needs with resources are inflammatory. I wish those who oppose the new policy would not claim that it introduces rationing into the system. Rationing is already part of the system, and will be part of any system in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mrs Smith because healthcare reform is now the law of the land. The legislation means the American health system is about to undergo an overhaul the size of which hasnt been seen since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965. I also think that the people are having mixed feelings about the new bill but either way I think it will turn out fine because healthcare is a big business and its going to continue on that way...
ReplyDeleteRationing is the way of our society. Many people try to avoid the concept when it does not benefit them. I am all for the health care reform as a result of keeping the system alive for us (the youth). If costs keep rising and job keep disappearing, the youth will die or our society will turn on itself.
ReplyDelete