I am going to climb up on my soapbox, and I am not going to get off until I say what I need to say!

I am so sick and tired of hearing that the proposed healthcare reform is going to put this country in a hole, bankrupt us, put more people in harms way.  WE ARE ALREADY THERE.  If people (you know  who you are) want to label me as a socialist, so be it.  We need universal health coverage.  We need a government option.  If it means I pay more in taxes so be it.  Here is my reasoning why.

Currently our family pays about 10% of our gross annual income for our health insurance.  That is ridiculous in of itself.  It sucks rotten eggs to be a self insured individual.  This cost does not include co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, or what we have to pay out of pocket when we reach our maximum allowed limits.  It only covers myself and Lauren with comprehensive coverage, Nathan is on a catastrophic plan, which means that it MIGHT not bankrupt us if something serious were to happen to him.

The number one reason for bankruptcy in this country is medical bills, and over 50% of those filing bankruptcy for medical bills HAVE insurance.  Employers (us included as a small business) can not afford to offer employees insurance coverage.  Those that do are no longer able to provide their employees with raises, or they are cutting back on the insurance coverage, or some are even passing some or all of the cost onto the employees and foregoing raises leaving the employee making even less than they were before.

So think of this.  If there was a government run, led, formed, whatever insurance that covered every man woman and child with insurance by adding a 2% income tax.  From 2006 Adjusted Gross Income that would be $162,440,800,000 to pay for healthcare for everyone.  There should still be private insurance.  But if everyone is covered by a government run plan, they would be forced to charge less for coverage.  Premium amounts would come down.  Medical costs would come down.  Countries who cover their people have healthier people.  Imagine that.  For individuals making over the median income ($48,201 in 2006), they are given an additional choice, pay an additional levy to continue to have their coverage through the government or get private insurance coverage.  If private insurance premiums came down to actually be affordable many people would probably choose to go this route, increasing the amount per person the tax would provide.  For me, paying 2% more in taxes to ensure that everyone has the health coverage they need to be happy, healthy and productive, vs paying 10% of my income to barely insure my family is covered, hands down, give me the tax.  Why wouldn’t I?  What kind of human would I be if I said otherwise?

No the system probably wouldn’t be perfect, but the system isn’t perfect now.  There has to be something better.  To everyone who says, "I don’t want to pay for someone else’s healthcare."  You already are.  Healthcare costs keep going up at a staggering amount.  Any clue why?  It isn’t inflation alone. Part of it is because people who can’t afford healthcare go to emergency rooms to be seen for physicals, colds, and other non emergency things.  They can’t be refused service, but most of them also can’t afford to pay, so the hospitals write it off.  How do they offset that?  By charging the rest of their patients and insurance providers higher costs.  How do the insurance providers offset the higher cost?  By passing it on the employers who buy coverage for their employees.  How do the employers pass it on?  By not giving raises.  See a trend.  No matter how you slice it, we are already paying.  It is hitting you in your pocketbook regardless if you are self-insured or insured through your employer.

If insurance is taking out of the role of the employer they would have those funds to pay their employees more, give additional benefits (sick days, vacation days, other programs), that they don’t have the funds to do currently.  I fail to see any negative sides here.  The fear mongering ads we hear and see about other countries with universal healthcare with people dying waiting for treatment in the system, do you really think this doesn’t already happen here in our current system?  A person is diagnosed with this, that or the other.  The insurance denies coverage, they fight, delaying treatment while waiting for the insurance company and die before the insurance company gives in.  It happens all the time.  It is ridiculous.  Why wouldn’t you want to help your fellow citizens, your fellow human beings lead a healthier life.  Our infant mortality rate in this country is ridiculous!  They say that lack of prenatal care and obesity are contributing factors.  Why wouldn’t a soon to be mother have prenatal care?  COST.  It is expensive to have a baby, even before you have the baby.  And heaven forbid something doesn’t go right before or after birth.  Tests, ultrasounds, appointments, the costs are truly staggering.  And obesity.  Do you think if everyone saw a family doctor on a regular basis obesity rates would continue to climb?  I think not.

Lets stop making health care reform political and start making it personal.  I personally don’t care if it comes from a Democrat, Republican, or Alien.  It must happen, and it must happen now.  It breaks my heart to think of all the children out there that are not being seen by a doctor and will die because their families couldn’t afford to take them to that doctor.  Of the children who have lost a parent because they couldn’t afford treatment or prescriptions for common ailments.  Of people going hungry to buy their insurance or prescriptions.  What kind of choice is that?  What are we teaching our children, every man for him or herself?  What about do unto others?  We as a nation, as a group of people, can help, we can help everyone.  Change is good, change is needed, change needs to happen.