Please view Obama's speech before Congress (it's lengthy -- give yourself some time) and spend time discussing his views for reform and your own opinion on the matter. I expect you to know what Obama's views are as well as your own.
Remember that this is in place of a great deal of daily reading of the newspaper -- I expect you to take your time, be thoughtful and be rigorous. If the first person to respond does not go into the depth required, do not make the mistake of following in their footsteps. Please carve your own road here. Write your own response first and then make sure you comment on another's.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/10/us/politics/20090910-obama-health.html#
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After listening to Obama's views on health care, I feel much more informed, and I agree with most of his plan. I think it is definitely logical and right to make it so that health insurance companies cannot deny anyone insurance because of a previous condition. It just seems like a previous illness should not be something that holds anyone back from getting coverage, and for this reason I agree with him. I also think making it against the law for an insurance company to drop a person's insurance when they are sick is a good plan, because isn't the point of health insurance to cover you when something unexpected happens? I like the fact that Obama wants to create competition between insurance companies in a new insurance exchange so that less wealthy consumers can get better rates. I feel like this is a pretty logical solution, because it provides insurance companies with the opportunity to gain millions of new customers, and the less wealthy people of America to gain the health insurance they need. I think Obama's plan to make it necessary for people who can afford insurance to get insurance is also a good one. There is no reason Americans should pay for those who are irresponsible and do not ensure themselves when something happens to them. I do have a question though, and that is how does Obama's plan not apply to illegal immigrants? I understand that this is what he said, but he did not elaborate on that point and I'm a little confused about why that point was so brief and what exactly it means, especially because that senator yelled "you lie" right after it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a debate whether the government should make sure that everyone gets medical care or if the market place should be able to make the determinations whether or not people can buy insurance. The argument is if companies or individuals should have the right to do what they want that's in their personal interest. That can be the company denying people because they want to make more money, or whether or not individuals want to pay for health insurance. This being said, I agree with Obama. The government should require everyone to get health insurance, and require companies to accept everyone. I don't think that companies should be able to deny customers due to previous health issues. That's just morally wrong. Obama wants to make a public option for health insurance that is organized by the government, and the idea is if its more efficient, it will force other companies to be more efficient. Also, many young people don't have insurance because they don't think they'll ever need it. Even though it's more difficult to get sick when you're younger, it can still happen so it's good that it'll already be paid for.
ReplyDelete------------------------------------------------
I agree with what Connor said about how health insurance companies should not be able to deny customers. As for your question, Obama was saying that illegal immigrants would not be included. Even though they might not be included in the plan, they will still be getting health care one way or another because when they are sick they will be going to hospitals anyway.
-sam
I feel more aware about health care now. I now know why it's such an important issue. Health care is one sixth of our economy, and pepople are dying because their insurance companies cancel their policies because they were not told of previous illnesses. This is not okay. I agree with Obama. Everyone should have health care in America, and those who offer it should accept everybody, because no one deserves to die becuase of untold previous health problems. Making that a law for insurance companies not to deny anybody health care because of previous conditions is going to make the health care issue a lot more stable. This way, people won't lose money for getting sick. It's not right.
ReplyDelete-Hilary
There's no doubt that our country's healthcare system is in need of change, particularly when one thinks about the roughly 35 million Americans who are uninsured. However, the question is "Who is going to pay for the change?" Companies will probably be required to provide more insurance coverage for their workers. This added cost will be difficult for companies to absorb as more and more of them are either making smaller profits or are losing money during the current recession. The higher income families will probably also be taxed more to help pay for the healthcare changes, which will certainly cause much debate about whether this is appropriate and / or fair.
ReplyDeleteFinally, with our worsening economy, more people may now be more concerned about keeping their jobs (or finding one) rather than changing the healthcare system. This will only make it more difficult for any healthcare reform to be enacted into law.
Connor, I think the Obama plan, or any healthcare plan for that matter, should not provide coverage to illegal immigrants because they're not supposed to be living in the U.S. We need to take care of our citizens who are uninsured first. That, by itself, is a huge cost burden for which our government cannot afford at this time. I think you bring up a great point on HOW Obama plans to do this because that was unclear to me as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to Obamas views on healthcare I can say I totally agree. Although it seems morally correct to provide health care insurance for those who can't afford it and to make sure insurance companies don't deny people healthcare because of previous illnesses, we must look at reality. Obama's healthcare plan forces everyone to use the healthcare plan but shouldn't people choose whether or not to use it? I mean look at Great Britain and Canada who provide an example of such a problematic plan. But thats not the case. Like Katrina pointed out, the plan is too expensive. No one particularly knows the true cost of a government-run health care plan. Plus, it will only add to the deficit. Also, who is the plan REALLY benefitting? Does it truly include everyone? Although the plan provides healthcare for pretty much everyone, besides illegal immigrants, paying for the plan will include a tax increase on the wealthy Americans, or those who pay taxes.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree on Obamas main concepts behind the plan we have to look at the cost and really understand whether or not the plan would actually work. I mean, we don't want to waste our money on something that failed in other countries like Great Britain and Canada.
-skylar
"Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together."
ReplyDeleteWhy has every President since Theodore Roosevelt tried so passionately for health care reform and yet failed so miserably? The differences between both partisans have come in the way of millions of Americans receiving basic treatment. Obama is right. It's time to put our differences aside for the sake of health care. I will reiterate Obama's point: we are the world's wealthiest, most advanced democracy, there is no excuse.
Obama's plan is rather complicated, and its lengthy 1,017 page content can be summarized in the following:
-FREE health care for every citizen and non-citizen.
-Taxpayers are to subsidize the plan.
-A "committee" decides what services and benefits you are eligible for.
Sounds like democracy, right? Finally.
The fact that the United States is the "only advanced democracy on Earth--the only wealthy nation" which tolerates such a corrupt and detrimental system is outrageous. I completely agree with Obama. No American citizen should be deprived of health care. The time has come to mend the system. Obama's plan is based on moral standards. It is fundamentally wrong for someone to be denied insurance because of a preexisting condition or for an insurance company to drop coverage when a previously insured person gets sick. It protects those who cannot afford health insurance. Although his plan does pose issues for those who rely on institutions like Medicare and Medicaid, certain cuts are needed so this plan can exist.
ReplyDelete-Alice Newman
Katrina, I think you bring up a few really good points. I definitely see how it would be difficult for insurance companies to ensure more people with our current economy, and that is something Obama did not really touch on, so you kind of changed my view a little when I read that. Taxing the people who earn greater income is also always a topic of debate, so I think that is a good point too. The point I liked most that you made though, was the last one where you said people are going to be most concerned with finding a job before even considering health insurance. This is a really logical way to look at it, and is a point of view that I don't think Obama really spoke about or took into account during his speech.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that its true we need health care. Alice said it right, we are one of the most, if not the most powerful countries in the world, and yet we still have people living on the streets because of illness. I know that a lot of people living on the streets arn't there because of health care, but certainly if we could find a way to help people, especially those with mental illnesses, we could maybe eliminate some of the poverty on the streets. I think that is the real issue we need to address, the people in SEVERE need of health care. For people in their 20s who have a drug or smoking addiction, it is not fair to have other people pay for their healthcare. But, many people who do need health care are those who just simply can't afford. Somehow, we need to address this issue, and distinguish those who deserve healthcare benefits from those who don't. I agree with Obama, I didn't get this from the video but Gaby, you said that a committee of people will decide what I said above. If that's true, then let's get this healthcare plan passed now....
ReplyDeleteAlice brings up a good point, one which I hadn't thought about. More than anything this bill is about moral standards. In his speech, Obama refers to The fact that currently, someone with a preexisting condition can be denied coverage or someone who contracts a serious illness can be dropped from their coverage is absolutely unacceptable. It is immoral. Think about it. You want health insurance to help cope with health issues. If those same health issues prevent you from getting health insurance, it kind of defeats the purpose of health care in the first place, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI had no idea our current situation was this awful!!! Pass this bill ASAP!!!
As I Was listening to this speech, the first comment that came out and hit me was the comment that buying your own insurance costs three times as much as being insured through a job. That baffles me so much as how a health care for two of the same people could cost such different amounts. He soon follows with the actual cases of patients losing their insurance in the middle of important treatment for such bogus reasons. The rising insurance premium cost relative to wages is getting greater and greater. This warrants a necessary change without a doubt. Obama believes that this change can be reached with a universal healthcare plan. Obama continues to reiterate the point of no person being denied treatment as this is a strong point for the passing of the bill. This and the rest of his points as well as his public speaking ability have tied up this information nicely and now has me supporting this bill. However, during the "Adressing Controversies" section of Obama's speech, there seems to be plenty of uneasiness in the crowd as Senator Joe Wilson shouts, "You lie". This proves that there is serious worry that Obama will perhaps sway on some decisions and ideas.
ReplyDelete----------------------------------------------Katrina, I like your point about the worsening economy and the pressure to scrape money together to pay the heaping costs of healthcare plans. No citizen should be denied healthcare, and the sheer amount unable to pay for it is staggering. However, another point you bring up as well is how this bill annoy some high income familes. It is an excepted part of politics, that no matter what, any reform is going to piss somebody off.
I agree with Christine. If there really is a committee which would be able to distinguish those who deserve healthcare benefits from those who don't, in a completely honest and fair manner then the plan seems almost infallible. But what exactly would qualify someone for healthcare benefits? Although this particular idea could be very successful, it could also cause many moral discrepancies. And yes Gaby, i completely agree. The purpose of health care is to aid the sick and injured, and if the sick and injured are being denied health insurance, the purpose of health care is defeated.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was thinking about this issue, I asked myself, who would be paying for these people's health insurance? If they can't afford it themselves, then surely they must find another way to make up the money they borrowed. Yet, under Obama's plan, maybe this is wrong, but what I understand is that they will be given health insurance for "free". How is this fair? How is it fair that a person working a 16 hour week is paying entirely for a person only working a 9 hour week. Somewhere, we have to draw the line. I am not in any way saying I am against Obama's plan, because I think that it is exactly what our country needs. But we start by taking the money from people who have not earned it, or we should find other ways to spend less money and devote the extra money to healthcare.
ReplyDeleteWe have spent too long arguing about health care. When it comes down to it, EVERYONE should be able to be covered by health insurance. It is just inhumane to have one's health insurance dropped because of a sickness, and is heart breaking to hear of people who are suffering daily, or even died because their health insurance fell through when it was needed most. Our health care needs to be fixed right away. People are unable to control whether or not they become seriously ill, and for their health care to drop them because of a "pre-exsisting condition" or even an unknown condition is just awful. THe first amendment states that everyone has a right to liberty, and to life, so why does health care have the right to decide whether or not that first amendment will be put into play. After MANY generations of trying to resolve this issue, it is about time that both parties put their ideas together and try to fix the issue of health care.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I see where Katrina and Christine are coming from, and I understand that many people will be worried about who is going to pay for this new reform, I still stick by my original point and think health care should be allowed for all. I know that if I were too poor to own health insurance, but I developed a fatal disease of some sort, I would want to have health insurance, and I'm pretty sure almost everyone in the class would too (can't imagine why they wouldn't). I think it is really easy to complain about paying for other peoples health insurance, but when put into the situation themselves, it would be a different story. Everyone deserves health insurance. Being forbidden from owning health insurance because of one's sudden illness or the inability to pay is unconstitutional, because it could be fatal, and doesn't everyone have a right to live??
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gaby: pass this bill ASAP!!!
To think that over 35 million citizens are uninsured is scary, especially considering how much taxpayers pay to the government. I like how Obama stresses the need for in order our economy to change, we all need to come together and cast aside our differences. Health care should be avaialable to everyone, regardless of past illness or current illnesses. That is the purpose of health care. We have our unalienable rights to have life, liberty and happiness. We should have the ability to live, and the government has to support that.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Katrina about the U.S. first concerning over U.S. citizens. We are making this mistake of essentially forgetting the U.S. when making major decisions like this. Since illegal immigrants are not citizens, they should not be apart of the plan.
ReplyDeleteChristine brings up a very good point. I totally agree. Although, like Anna said, everyone deserves healthcare is it really fair for certain people to have healthcare for "free"? I still agree that everyone deserves it, I just wonder how they plan to pay for such a plan.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at what "Inna" says, I realize that its true that not everyone is going to be pleased by the bill. It is in the long run going to piss somebody off. People just have to, in a way, stop being selfish. Cause as of now, healthcare isn't gauranteed for everyone..
I do disagree morally with the fact that insurance companies are cancelling their coverage of someone when they discover an illness. Although I disagree with it morally, if you think about it logically it makes complete sense. If someone has a complete history of illness why would an insurance company give cheap health care? If a new driver consistently gets into accidents, their insurance goes up. It is the same issue that the health care companies are dealing with. Yes, morally it is completely wrong but logically it makes sense. The insurance companies lose money if they insure people who continually are sick. For those that thing health care should be universal: realize that YOUR health care quality will go down in bunches. If health care is universal the quality of doctors will go down because of the fact that public doctors are worse than private doctors (in most cases). Hard working doctors should not suffer after working hard and establishing themselves as elite doctors.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteI understand that as a good person you have your feeling's toward the health care system. I can tell you are liberal, just guessing. Honestly, I understand what you are saying, but we are not in a perfect society. There is never going to be complete peace and complete health in the world. That is what it comes down to. We aren't a socialist country and this health care plan is honestly socialist in some forms. Obama's health care plan is IDENTICAL to that of Bill Clinton's. Bill Clinton's health care plan was looked at as ridiculous as we've read (Conlin). Getting back to my response to Anna: when you cited the constitution, the constitution was written more than 250 years ago. Can you really quote the constitution and compare their times to our times? I dont think so
One more thing: Anna your idea is really optimistic and very "in a perfect world" in my opinion. Why should a hard working, self made person pay MORE TAXES? If you have universal health care insurance by no means is it going to be good health care insurance. It's going to be the lowest possible insurance.
ReplyDelete