Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A president who will take care of health care
Of course by now you have probably already heard the news: Barack Obama won the election, becoming the nation's first African American president!
Of course, I'm excited for reasons other than his race or the election's historic significance (though those are great reasons to be excited). I'm excited also because diabetics and others with pre-existing conditions can now hope for equal access to quality health care.
Three cheers for Obama!
Of course, I'm excited for reasons other than his race or the election's historic significance (though those are great reasons to be excited). I'm excited also because diabetics and others with pre-existing conditions can now hope for equal access to quality health care.
Three cheers for Obama!
Labels: politics
Monday, November 3, 2008
McCain's health care reform is not reform at all
The other day, this article ran in the Washington Post:
How They Would Change Health Care: McCain
This is an excellent, informative, and well-researched article that demonstrates the shortcomings of McCain's health care reform — the biggest problem being that it's not really reform at all.
The article talks about how McCain has acknowledged that his plan does absolutely nothing for people like us — diabetics and others with pre-existing conditions. His answer? State health care programs should provide care for them.
The article then goes on to show why this is not a good idea. First of all, these state health care programs — set up specifically to insure those the free-market insurance companies won't take — are losing money hand over fist. Turns out it's really expensive to insure just the people who require a lot of prescriptions and doctor's visits. But rather than requiring insurance companies to absorb them into the general population, which they make enough money off of to cover the costs of the "uninsurable" several times over, McCain wants the state governments to continue taking care of it.
Aren't Republicans supposed to be fiscally conservative??!
The article also points out that these programs are not working. They cost so much to maintain that some states are unable to take on any more members:
California's high-risk pool is so strapped that it put a limit on enrollment this year and lowered the maximum it would spend on anyone's treatment. Tennessee's pool has had to eliminate low-income subsidies for new members. Florida's pool has not let in anyone since 1991.
If these programs are already not making it, how are they supposed to be responsible for all of the nation's uninsurable?
Finally, the article points out how dissatisfied people are with these programs. They are expensive and they don't necessarily provide the same quality of health care as people with group plans or individual plans. Isn't the idea of health care reform to fix flaws like this in the system?
In contrast, Obama's health care reform is real reform. He would ensure that everyone had access to decent health care by making it harder (and more distasteful) for employers to skimp on health care, as well as by creating a fall-back plan for those who couldn't get health insurance from their employers.
Obama said in one of the debates that he believed access to health care was a right, not just a responsibility. I think we need someone in office with that attitude, which is why I am voting for change this election — and I hope you will too!
How They Would Change Health Care: McCain
This is an excellent, informative, and well-researched article that demonstrates the shortcomings of McCain's health care reform — the biggest problem being that it's not really reform at all.
The article talks about how McCain has acknowledged that his plan does absolutely nothing for people like us — diabetics and others with pre-existing conditions. His answer? State health care programs should provide care for them.
The article then goes on to show why this is not a good idea. First of all, these state health care programs — set up specifically to insure those the free-market insurance companies won't take — are losing money hand over fist. Turns out it's really expensive to insure just the people who require a lot of prescriptions and doctor's visits. But rather than requiring insurance companies to absorb them into the general population, which they make enough money off of to cover the costs of the "uninsurable" several times over, McCain wants the state governments to continue taking care of it.
Aren't Republicans supposed to be fiscally conservative??!
The article also points out that these programs are not working. They cost so much to maintain that some states are unable to take on any more members:
California's high-risk pool is so strapped that it put a limit on enrollment this year and lowered the maximum it would spend on anyone's treatment. Tennessee's pool has had to eliminate low-income subsidies for new members. Florida's pool has not let in anyone since 1991.
If these programs are already not making it, how are they supposed to be responsible for all of the nation's uninsurable?
Finally, the article points out how dissatisfied people are with these programs. They are expensive and they don't necessarily provide the same quality of health care as people with group plans or individual plans. Isn't the idea of health care reform to fix flaws like this in the system?
In contrast, Obama's health care reform is real reform. He would ensure that everyone had access to decent health care by making it harder (and more distasteful) for employers to skimp on health care, as well as by creating a fall-back plan for those who couldn't get health insurance from their employers.
Obama said in one of the debates that he believed access to health care was a right, not just a responsibility. I think we need someone in office with that attitude, which is why I am voting for change this election — and I hope you will too!
Labels: politics
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Another presidential debate on health care reform
Tonight was the third and final presidential debate between Senators Obama and McCain before the election on November 4. As in the second presidential debate, health care reform was a hot-button topic.
Here is a quick rundown of the presidential candidates' plans for health care reform.
Obama's plan:
* Puts an emphasis on enabling research to find cures for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and stresses the importance of preventative care to lesson the cost of these preventable diseases (i.e. type 2 diabetes) over the long term.
* Attempts to both control health care costs and extend coverage to the uninsured. If you already have health care, you don't have to change anything, but if you don't have it or can't get on with an employer-sponsored plan, you can buy into the same group plan offered to Federal employees.
* Requires large businesses to either offer their employees health insurance, or pay a "fine" to help fund coverage (i.e. the Federal group plan) for their share of the uninsured. (Small businesses are exempt from this requirement.)
* Makes sure people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, will be able to get health insurance. I am a bit fuzzy on this one, but I believe that he is talking about requiring that the Federal group plan cover people with pre-existing conditions, not that all insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions. Either way, it means I can always get health insurance, so I'm happy.
McCain's plan:
* Encourages people to buy their own health insurance by offering them a tax credit of $5,000 for a family or $2,500 for an individual.
* Enables people to buy health insurance across state lines — or, more accurately, encourages insurance companies to set up shop in the states that offer the least restrictions (not necessarily good for us, the people buying the insurance, though it sounds great for the insurance companies).
* Counts employer-sponsored health insurance plans as income, adding as much as $12,000 to your yearly income, and thereby raising your taxes.
One of the criticisms of McCain's plan for health care reform is that it will actually encourage employers to stop offering health insurance as a benefit. Another criticism is that only the young and healthy can actually find health insurance for only $2,500 a year — the rest of us will pay considerably more, if we can find it at all.
Obama's health care plan offers true reform for people like me, who have pre-existing conditions that make finding health insurance difficult, if not impossible. McCain's plan, on the other hand, doesn't reform the industry itself — it just shifts the responsibility of procuring health insurance onto the individual and away from employers.
My argument is that the free-market system is already clearly not working for the health care industry, as insurance companies are putting profit over people's health to such an extreme that both the cost of health care and the numbers of uninsured are steadily rising. So why would we think that giving them even fewer restrictions (i.e. McCain's plan) sounds like a good idea?
Since I am a type 1 diabetic, and health care is a major factor in my life, is it any wonder that I will be voting for the candidate who will do the most to help me and those like me?
Here is a quick rundown of the presidential candidates' plans for health care reform.
Obama's plan:
* Puts an emphasis on enabling research to find cures for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and stresses the importance of preventative care to lesson the cost of these preventable diseases (i.e. type 2 diabetes) over the long term.
* Attempts to both control health care costs and extend coverage to the uninsured. If you already have health care, you don't have to change anything, but if you don't have it or can't get on with an employer-sponsored plan, you can buy into the same group plan offered to Federal employees.
* Requires large businesses to either offer their employees health insurance, or pay a "fine" to help fund coverage (i.e. the Federal group plan) for their share of the uninsured. (Small businesses are exempt from this requirement.)
* Makes sure people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, will be able to get health insurance. I am a bit fuzzy on this one, but I believe that he is talking about requiring that the Federal group plan cover people with pre-existing conditions, not that all insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions. Either way, it means I can always get health insurance, so I'm happy.
McCain's plan:
* Encourages people to buy their own health insurance by offering them a tax credit of $5,000 for a family or $2,500 for an individual.
* Enables people to buy health insurance across state lines — or, more accurately, encourages insurance companies to set up shop in the states that offer the least restrictions (not necessarily good for us, the people buying the insurance, though it sounds great for the insurance companies).
* Counts employer-sponsored health insurance plans as income, adding as much as $12,000 to your yearly income, and thereby raising your taxes.
One of the criticisms of McCain's plan for health care reform is that it will actually encourage employers to stop offering health insurance as a benefit. Another criticism is that only the young and healthy can actually find health insurance for only $2,500 a year — the rest of us will pay considerably more, if we can find it at all.
Obama's health care plan offers true reform for people like me, who have pre-existing conditions that make finding health insurance difficult, if not impossible. McCain's plan, on the other hand, doesn't reform the industry itself — it just shifts the responsibility of procuring health insurance onto the individual and away from employers.
My argument is that the free-market system is already clearly not working for the health care industry, as insurance companies are putting profit over people's health to such an extreme that both the cost of health care and the numbers of uninsured are steadily rising. So why would we think that giving them even fewer restrictions (i.e. McCain's plan) sounds like a good idea?
Since I am a type 1 diabetic, and health care is a major factor in my life, is it any wonder that I will be voting for the candidate who will do the most to help me and those like me?
Labels: politics
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Health care reform: Obama vs. McCain
The question of health care reform came up during the presidential debate tonight. Since it is something that affects diabetics, I wanted to mention it on my blog.
When asked about his health care plan, Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, described a plan where people can keep their own employer-sponsored health insurance — but those who aren't currently covered can get the same insurance provided for Federal employees.
Referring to the government-sponsored health insurance, Obama stated, "No one will be excluded for pre-existing conditions, which is a huge problem."
He ain't kidding. If I didn't have health insurance through my husband's employer-sponsored group plan, as a diabetic and a self-employed person I wouldn't be able to get health insurance.
Here, let me say that again, in case you missed it: As a type 1 diabetic, I cannot go out and buy an individual health insurance plan. The only time I can get health insurance is when the insurance company is literally roped into providing it, i.e., via an employer-sponsored group plan. That's because health insurance companies care more about making a profit than taking care of our health.
Because of my own situation, health care reform is one of the political issues I feel the most strongly about. It's not right that diabetics and others with pre-existing conditions can be discriminated against by a bunch of greedy multi-billion dollar companies. Aside from my liberal leanings, this is the biggest reason why I am voting for Obama.
And McCain's plans for health insurance reform? Well, let's just say it's not much of a reform. Sure, he'll give us each $5,000 a year in tax credits and encourage us to go out and buy our own health insurance, but he's not doing anything to ensure that people like me — people with diabetes and other pre-existing conditions — can actually buy health insurance.
In fact, McCain's plan would enable us to cross state lines to buy health insurance. As Obama pointed out, if that happens health insurance companies will all flock to the states with the fewest regulations... making it even harder for people with pre-existing conditions to find coverage.
So not only would I be no better off under McCain's plan, I could actually potentially be worse off.
This is why I am voting for Obama, and why I think you should too. Think about it: I was diagnosed as diabetic at age 22, with no history of it in my family before.
It could happen to you, too. And if it does, wouldn't you rather your health be seen as something that should be taken care of, rather than a liability?
When asked about his health care plan, Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, described a plan where people can keep their own employer-sponsored health insurance — but those who aren't currently covered can get the same insurance provided for Federal employees.
Referring to the government-sponsored health insurance, Obama stated, "No one will be excluded for pre-existing conditions, which is a huge problem."
He ain't kidding. If I didn't have health insurance through my husband's employer-sponsored group plan, as a diabetic and a self-employed person I wouldn't be able to get health insurance.
Here, let me say that again, in case you missed it: As a type 1 diabetic, I cannot go out and buy an individual health insurance plan. The only time I can get health insurance is when the insurance company is literally roped into providing it, i.e., via an employer-sponsored group plan. That's because health insurance companies care more about making a profit than taking care of our health.
Because of my own situation, health care reform is one of the political issues I feel the most strongly about. It's not right that diabetics and others with pre-existing conditions can be discriminated against by a bunch of greedy multi-billion dollar companies. Aside from my liberal leanings, this is the biggest reason why I am voting for Obama.
And McCain's plans for health insurance reform? Well, let's just say it's not much of a reform. Sure, he'll give us each $5,000 a year in tax credits and encourage us to go out and buy our own health insurance, but he's not doing anything to ensure that people like me — people with diabetes and other pre-existing conditions — can actually buy health insurance.
In fact, McCain's plan would enable us to cross state lines to buy health insurance. As Obama pointed out, if that happens health insurance companies will all flock to the states with the fewest regulations... making it even harder for people with pre-existing conditions to find coverage.
So not only would I be no better off under McCain's plan, I could actually potentially be worse off.
This is why I am voting for Obama, and why I think you should too. Think about it: I was diagnosed as diabetic at age 22, with no history of it in my family before.
It could happen to you, too. And if it does, wouldn't you rather your health be seen as something that should be taken care of, rather than a liability?
Labels: politics
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