There has been a lot of talk about the health care reform following President Obama’s signing of the tumultuous bill. Most of the talk is misguided information that people have picked up from only listening to friends, family and some biased cable media.
The other day, I got off work and went to a bar with some friends when I heard a friend say that by signing the health care bill, Obama was effectively attempting to convert America into a socialist nation. In my personal life, the two things I tend to avoid talking about in public are religion and politics; the two subjects that regularly continue to anger people.
However, when I hear someone say something so blatantly wrong, that’s when I feel the need to chime in. Not only is that statement ridiculous, it has no basis in fact.
This version of the health care bill that passed encompassed some of the points that were included in the 1993 bill the Republicans sent through during Bill Clinton’s tenure as president. In addition, Obama’s landmark bill is going to be bringing in 32 million more customers to the medical and insurance companies that were previously without insurance, choosing to forgo medical treatment.
Another of the counterpoints I had thrown at me was that this health care bill is going to be exactly like social security was in our parents’ generation: a great concept in theory, but incapable of sustaining itself.
This health care bill is going to be getting it’s funding in part from an increased tax on indoor tanning salons, bringing it to 10 percent nationwide. While the new tax, in effect beginning July, may turn away some casual customers, the 10 percent tax is going to be bringing in a lot of revenue from the regulars of those salons. It’s estimated that the increased tax should bring in nearly $2.7 billion over 10 years.
The tanning salon tax angered both tanning industry leaders as well as salon goers, and it seems it may be an unfair tax to impose only on the tanning industry following the withdrawal of the tax that was going to be imposed on the cosmetic surgery and botox industries in late December. However, one look at the negative health effects associated with indoor tanning and it makes more sense to tax an industry that is known to cause malignant melanoma than an industry that brings mostly altered appearance with fewer long term health risks.
The health care reform is far from perfect, however as I see it, there are far more good points than there are bad at this stage in its development. For one, students are no longer cut off their parents’ insurance the day they turn 23; the deadline has been raised to 26. Insurance companies can no longer refuse service to people that have preexisting medical conditions and cannot cancel service to people in addition to eliminating the lifetime cap on coverage.
The concern that the bill won’t be self-sustaining may hold some ground, however, until everything is played out, final decisions should be withheld until things become clearer.
The bill is set to spend over $800 billion over the next 10 years. By the year 2019, according to the bill’s estimate, 94 percent of Americans will be covered with health insurance and the impact on the federal deficit will be reduced by $132 billion over 10 years.
I’m not saying that the health care is a perfect solution, but it is an excellent plan when compared to what was existing and, in my opinion, provided a good compromise between Democratic and Republican parties, as much as there ever will be in a political debate at least.
The Lewis Flyer
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