Obama Care Is It Right for America

Obama Care, Is It Right For America?

The year 2010 has finally ended the hotly contested healthcare reform debate when the United States Congress, Senate, and President signed into law HR3200. But what does this law mean for America since lawmakers seem to know better than the citizens. We will finally get to see what is in this massive health care law that is commonly referred to, by those opposed, as "Obama Care". Nancy Pelosi, (D) from California stated that the bill needed to be passed to see what is in it. What a telling statement from someone who is to be representing her constituents. How can anyone pass a law when they don't know what's in it? This is just one of the many reasons why this law is not good for the country. Looking at the universal healthcare systems for other countries it can be shown that its not the best system around, that costs are another aspect that will be detrimental to the United States and finally it's a law that is unconstitutional.

Let's explore some other countries that have government run health care; places like France, Great Britain, Canada and other European Countries. France created its first national health care system in 1945 and has struggled with controlling costs from the beginning. The French workers, on average, pay 19% of their earnings in taxes just for health care and still, more than 90% of those workers purchase separate health care plans because the government health care is so poorly run. In an article written by David Gauthier-Villars titled "France fights universal care's high cost" he states,

"French taxpayers fund a state health insurer, Assurance Maladie, proportionally to their income, and patients get treatment even if they can't pay for it. France spends 11% of

national output on health services, compared with 17% in the U.S., and routinely outranks the U.S. in infant mortality and some other health measures."

"The problem is that Assurance Maladie has been in the red since 1989. This year the annual shortfall is expected to reach €9.4 billion ($13.5 billion), and €15 billion in 2010, or roughly 10% of its budget." (Gauthier-Villars, "France fights")

So, it appears that France is not the standard setter for universal healthcare. By the way, France's universal healthcare system was the model used by the US.

Look across the channel to Great Britain where wait times are horribly long.

"Long wait times have become second nature, despite dangerous consequences. In the period between 2001 and 2006, the United Kingdom saw the median wait time increase from 44 to 51 days for hospital admission after the decision to admit had been made. In 2004, according to a BBC report, waiting times in Scotland and England were 8 months for cataract surgery, 11 months for hip surgery, 12 months for knee replacement, 5 months for repairing a slipped disk, and 5 months for hernia operations. In 2007, in 42% of the localities surveyed, hospitals had to turn women in childbirth away because their maternity wards were full." (Stenson, "Inadequately")

"20% of patients with treatable colon cancer at the time of discovery are considered incurable by the time treatment is finally available." (Beck, 248). Waiting for something as simple as giving birth to a child in a safe environment or curable treatments for cancer just doesn't add up to be good for any country.

Canada is a well known for its government run healthcare. A woman from Canada comments, ""I survived a brain tumor, but if I'd relied on my government for health care, I'd be dead. I am a Canadian citizen. As my brain tumor got worse, my government healthcare system told me I had to wait six month to see a specialist," the woman says." (Varney, "Does Canada")

It is claimed that the government was the cause of people's deaths in the 1990's; the federal government had declined the spending on non-urgent procedure and some urgent one. When this

happened it had been noted there were several deaths that could have been eliminated. But, of course, the government was in control of their health care.

When trying to get routine procedure or test the waiting list is extensively long. In Canada, Fox News John Stossel reported that if you were a dog you could get a CT scan the next day. However, for people the waiting list is at least a month. The stories are endless of how poor the government health care is in Canada. We must remember that in Canada if you want private health care you are welcome to subscribe to your own private plan, but first you must still pay the government mandated healthcare tax, then if you choose private health care you are welcome to choose it at extreme rates.

In a book written by John Goodman called "Patient Power", he proposed sweeping, fundamental reforms to maximize patient power and control over their own health care. (Ferrara, "The Health Care") It seems that President Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and confused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid enactment of a law that is just the opposite. It would most likely be called Government Power. We need to understand that this is complete government takeover.

Obama Care gains health coverage but looses health care. The Obama care HR3200 will give us health coverage, it will come at a cost, and every citizen will be paying a fee for this coverage.

"The most severe problem in the bill is that while it tries, but fails to extend health insurance coverage to everyone, in the process it trashes the ability of the health care system to provide the highest quality, most advanced health care to the sickest and most in need of such care. This includes those suffering with cancer or heart disease, senior

citizens, highly vulnerable premature babies, the disabled and others." (Ferrara, "The Health Care")

With the new health care takeover the bill will create close to 100 new government bureaucracies, boards, commissions and programs that will tell doctors and medical facilities what they can do for you. This bill will also tell the medical providers exactly what they can and cannot do for you.

"You and your doctors should be making all of these decisions together, based on the medical studies and knowledge of your doctors. A faraway federal bureaucracy in Washington that doesn't even know you doesn't, won't and can't have the information necessary to make these judgments, nor the same interest in your well being as you and your doctor. Medical care must be provided on a case-by-case basis depending on your specific condition and the care you need,