'Opt-out' option urges new diagnosis of health care reform
Will Conroy, '12 | Staff Reporter
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Opinion
|
The bill includes a public health insurance option with an "opt out" provision that allows individual states to decline to participate. A bill that Reid says is "most fair."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama feels the public option "has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable."
According to the New York Times, President Obama said that the House bill is a "historic step forward" and that it has met two important criteria of his. "It is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit in the long term," Obama said.
Some republicans, like Rep. John A. Boehner, argue that the bill is "costly and unsustainable," citing the projection that Medicare's hospital trust fund will run out of money in eight years.
The majority of Americans agree there are issues with the current health care system. They believe that reform is needed and long overdue given the 36 million uninsured Americans, overcrowded emergency rooms and the millions more affected by shoddy care from health care providers.
Many value the free market and frown upon government intervention, but that hasn't stopped the government from getting involved in the free market in the past. If there is one thing the government should be stepping in to do, it is insuring the public's health and well-being. While health care and treatment is important, preventive measures taken to improve health are even more important.
Practicing and encouraging preventive medicine are the most effective means of creating a healthier society. This would be the primary objective if the overall desire was to improve the health of Americans. Not to mention the cost effectiveness of preventive medicine. After all, if people live healthy lifestyles it is less likely they will need treatment.
These efforts could include restoring the quality of food, which has been on a decline, by encouraging the use of nutritionally sound meals in schools and other public places. Healthy food ought to be available and affordable. The production of non-processed organic food ought to be encouraged. This also includes educating and allowing Americans time to pursue healthy lifestyles, which aren't over burdened with work. These lifestyles are less stressful economically. We ought to be working to protect Americans from toxic chemicals that are in water and food, among other things we consume. For example, why not regulate the tobacco industry, with all the poisons and toxins they put in their products?