Obama on Healthcare

[Barack Obama-sac]

Healthcare in the United States has always been a hot button issue for Americans. There is much argument as to who should be responsible for the citizens’ well being: the government, or the individual. As time has progressed, two main systems have developed and gathered supporters. One group consists of universal coverage, and the other private coverage. Many industrialized nations today have completely switched over to the Universal system; the United States is the only industrialized, wealthy country to still have both systems utilized.

Universal healthcare (or a single-payer system) is a term that refers to the availability of medical service to each individual, made possible by a centralizing of power in the government. Each citizen, regardless of age, gender, contribution to economy, and occupation, is given free health care. By raising taxes, the government sets a flat salary for doctors, nurses etc…so that no matter where you go, all care providers will be paid uniformly. To be eligible for Medicaid in the US, you must fall under a certain annual income. If you are deemed eligible, you may receive healthcare absolutely free. Through universal, government programs, there has been a slight increase in the overall status of people insured in the recent times. This has been mainly due to the amount of children who are being covered by new programs according to a U.S. News and World Report article, “The number of people with health insurance increased from 249.8 million in 2006 to 253.4 million in 2007” (Reinberg). The main structure of universalized healthcare is that taxpayers’ money is taken and then redistributed by the government to provide its’ citizens with treatment. This system is set up in hopes that the poor will have the same care available to those who are not as unfortunate.

The other type of care is privatized healthcare. This is a system in which free, privately owned companies provide service to individuals for a certain cost. In this instance, the individual has the liberty to decide who treats them, to what extent they are treated and when they are attended to, provided they pay a premium to their insurer. Though this method is slightly more expensive, there is more freedom of choice for the individual. It also benefits a competitive market that helps keep the economy thriving.

There has been much argument over whether or not the United States should entirely switch to a universal system, as is the growing trend. Proponents of switching say that a centralized healthcare system would make it easier for doctors to work with a national database of resources. Also, some worry that privatization of healthcare has led to many uninsured people and is causing the status quo of health in the US to drastically drop. Opponents, on the other hand, claim that giving the government control over the population’s health is just another step towards socialism. Another belief is that, in the end, the taxpayers would end up suffering higher taxes, because the entire ideology of universalized care is using tax dollars to provide for the whole. Because it is beset with such drastic consequences, healthcare and its system in the US is a growing concern, as well as an up front issue in the coming election.

Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He grew up in Hawaii, Indonesia and later New York, where he graduated from Columbia University. After a respite from corporate life to work as a community organizer in Chicago, Obama went on to earn his law degree from Harvard and successfully run for the United States Senate. On the issue of health care, Obama has historically voted in favor of a universal system. According to the Afl-Cio “Health Care For All report,” he voted against a 14 billion dollar, five-year funding cut for Medicaid , which would have resulted in more uninsured and uncompensated care, causing a shift of the financial burden to employer-sponsored health plans. ( “Obama Voted Against Cutting Medicaid Funding”) The Health Care For All study also reports Mr. Obama voted for a bill that reauthorized SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) for five years and provided the program an additional 35.2 billion dollars. Furthermore, the report shows Obama additionally supported a budget resolution that would have authorized 50 billion dollars to expand the program. (“Obama Supported Reauthorizing SCHIP and Providing Insurance for Millions of Uninsured Children”) There are few instances in which Obama has voted against expanding universal health care to the needy One such circumstance was when a bill for the SCHIP was presented to extend coverage to unborn babies and their mothers. This would have reduced costs associated with premature births and low weight babies( Ertelt).

Despite claims that he has found a middle ground between universal and private health care plans, Obama’s strategy is very akin to universal healthcare. (Barack Obama “Health Care For All,” ““Plan For A Healthy America”.”) He aims to provide greater health insurance coverage levels using a system of managed competition to regulate private health care companies and their ability to deny coverage. As an alternative option to private providers, he wants to offer a government sponsored plan that will cover any American or permanent resident who wishes to be covered. There will be no mandates for individuals to purchase private health insurance; there will be subsidies for those who do not qualify for Medicaid but still need assistance. There will also be a National Health Insurance Exchange for private market insurance that will be ruled by a regulatory body.

Works Cited
” Barack Obama and Biden’s Plan”
< http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/>
Ertelt, Steven “Barack Obama Voted Against Extending Health Care to Pregnant Women, Unborn” 9/30/2008 Life News, 27, October 2008
< http://www.lifenews.com/nat4387.html>
“Health Care For All” 2008 Afl-Cio, 28 October 2008
< http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/obama_healthcare.cfm>
Reinberg, Steven “Number of Uninsured Americans Drops” 2008 U.S. News and World Report, 29 October 2008

Written by Alysa Nash

[Angel Barrera]

I think health care is one of the major issues that has to be solved soon as possible. Health care now this days is very expensive . Not every body can afford to pay a health care insurance. Is redicolous that health care insurances are so expensive and supostilly they are made to help us with medical expensses. I belive that Obama's plan sounds ok. Obama's mention all these tax cuts and i think it mightt help to fix this situation. The privatized healthcare plan sounds much ok this privatized system is a privately owned companies provide service to individuals for a certain cost. So maybe if the pasient is from a low class the owned companies will give them service for a lower amount of money.

[Krystal Margaret Reyes]

In this chaotic world, there are many things that happen to people and they are unable to provide for themselves. Many Americans cannot afford the proper healthcare for themselves and their families which causes several problems. Since they do not have any insurance, they find themselves going into debt to pay off medical bills. I feel that every American should have some sort of insurance for their own benefit. We need to create a healthcare system that will make it easier for people to afford it and give them the help that they deserve. No matter what race and socio- economic status they may be, I think we all should have the same opportunities when it comes to our health. Obama’s plan to make the system better may sound great and look good on paper, but we need to keep in mind if this plan is something that can actually be carried out.

[Jackie]

Healthcare is one of the many top issues this country has a big problem with and from what i read i think Obama has good intentions of trying to get this country back from where its been heading and with healthcare im not so sure that he will be able to execute his plan of universal healthcare. We all know that everyone paying the same thing is not realistic. There are so many programs that people get and some dont pay as much as others. Healthcare is expensive and its sad that some people have to suffer and be in pain just because healthcare is so expensive, people shouldnt have to live in fear for when they get sick because all they worry about is how they are going to pay, and if you dont pay you live with your sickness. I hope Obama can figure out a good solution to our country's healthcare problem.

[Monique]

This was a really good essay. I especially enjoyed the information on both programs of health care. I didn’t know that most industrialized nations used a universal system. Although it sounds promising and fair I strongly agree with Alysa when she said, “But you know, as well as I do, that everyone does not work equally in this country. There are many people who take advantage of government programs (ie: welfare) and do not contribute to the market. They consume; they do not produce.” We are not all equal in this world and don’t all contribute the same amount, so for a man or woman who contributes and works harder to be treated as an equal to someone who doesn’t is unfair, which defeats the entire purpose of being fair in the first place. I also agree that if a universal system was used then the competitiveness of the medical field would decline. This could be a major problem for Americans because then they wouldn’t be treated to the full potential of the doctor. This can result in more medical and financial problems.

[Danielle]

Health insurance is a very important issue and everyone should be given the right and opportunity to enjoy from the health care benefits. Obama is willing to provide citizens and residents with a greater chance to enjoy health care benefits and will not cut back on them like McCain is willing to do

[Cassandra]

Universal health care is a great idea, if the people in america could afford for taxes to be raised. Right now the economy is so bad im not sure rasing taxes would be good for the people at all. Well if people cant afford health care they defiently wont be able to pay more taxes. But then again for the people who can afford higher taxes universal health care is a great thing. Then there is also the other issue of the docters getting the same pay rate as the other doctors. While all the other americans are being able to have raises and move up in their jobs the doctors who are helping save lives dont get that benifit. It just seems to me that alot of doctors will retire or quit.

[Alex Jones-Duffey]

When it comes to healthcare, this is one issue that I am not fully decided about. My sister was diagnosed with cancer over a year and had to undergo chemo for six months as well as many other unpleasant hospital experiences. THe medical bills totaled in the hundereds of thousands. For treatment of a sixteen year old girl this is a huge number. Free healthcare seems optimum. But under a universal system, would she have gotten the rapid response and quality of treatment? I am well aware of people taking advantage of the government that only 'consume' without producing anything of benefit to society. But on the other hand, there are many people out there that work themselves to the bone and still due to rising inflation and cost of living cannot afford healthcare for themselves or their family. I think neither one system is a perfect system but hopefully we can find a mutually beneficial balance of the two.

[Robert Melita]

Our economy and what’s going to happen to it. I have witnessed many of my friends, and family members watch their hard earned dollars vanish. You deposit your pay check into what we are told, by our government as safe, “federally insured” sounds great. Now, tell that to all of those people that lost thousands of dollars, when several banks closed and could not get their money, or could only get a portion of their money, because they were only insured up to so much. Again its election time, and again, our candidates have both told the American people, that they will restore America. Bring back the American way, restore our economy, all this and much more. Did they both find a magic bottle with a genie inside to grant them three wishes, and of all, of the issues, which three will they ask the genie to fix?

[Phil]

I feel that health care is one of the most important things for people. Its a shame to have a two type system when people of the lower and some in the middle classes cant afford their own. I like the idea of a universal system but i dont think it works very well. alot of people would be willing to take advantage of that or find loop holes where they can get it and still make a certain amount of money. I still think though that it will be great for people to get it but more taxes. Taxes are high enough as is and people wont be able to afford such things in the future with the economy in the state that it is in.

[Eric Sawyer]

I think it’s a great idea to help restore health care, I think that is one of the major issues that we need to attend to as soon as possible. But the question I ask is where is the money going to come from. As it is America is in a monumental debt. And about the doctors, I think that is a very great idea but what happens if that plan doesn’t work out. The tax payers will be the only hope for healthcare. And as it is the tax payers are trying to save money in this economic struggle not spend more money. And the fact that Obama mentions all these tax cuts it would be tragic if this didn’t work out and it came back on the American people. I think health care is a very important issue to the American people, but I also believe that we need a strong sure plan on how to fix this problem and fix it soon.