The Health Care Disaster of 2010

Today will change the lives of Americans forever. The Health Care Reform bill will undoubtedly be passed by the House today, ultimately leading to a worsened, downward spiral  of the American economy and resulting in one of the worst economic depressions in United States history. I am astounded that our country's leaders will help transform this bill into law. Does anyone really understand what the passage of this bill means to the people of this country?

Health Care Reform is expected to cost at least $940 billion over the next 10 years. Has anyone realized this country is already in recession? Salaries are not increasing. People are losing jobs. Taxes will inevitably have to be increased to cover the healthcare costs. How are Americans going to pay extra taxes when their salaries are decreasing instead of increasing. The $940 billion cost is just an estimate.....a very, very low estimate. One of the key elements and "talking points" of the bill is to end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. As a cancer survivor, I strongly agree everyone should have the right to health care coverage despite their health history, but has anyone stopped to realize what this will do to insurance premiums of the average person?  Perhaps insurance coverage could be offered to everyone, but at a higher rate to those with certain conditions or current health states. Small businesses can barely afford medical coverage for their employees now. Do you know how much medical care will cost for an obese patient with uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc? Do you know that the person who maintains his or her ideal bodyweight, who is compliant with preventative health care measures and chooses not to smoke will see his/her current insurance premium double or triple over the next 10 years in effort to pay the health care costs of the noncompliant person with multiple comordities. The person who is making all efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle should have a lower insurance premium than the person who is doing nothing to improve his or her health. Has anyone seen the health insurance premiums in Massachusetts?

Another huge issue with the current health care bill is the expansion of Medicaid to more & more people. As I have stated in previous posts, Medicaid is one of the largest contributors to the current demise of the American health care system. Medicaid is so widely abused and overused. As a nurse practitioner, I have seen Medicaid patients register as many as 2-3 times per week for unnecessary medical care, often in effort to obtain a school excuse for an uneccessary missed day of school. If Medicaid patients were charged $20-$30 as co-pay for a medical office visit or ER visit, then the current abuse of Medicaid would be abolished.

The element of Health Care Reform that angers me the most is the coverage of elective abortions. I cannot have children. I would love to be able to adopt a child. What kind of country asks a woman, who cannot bear children,  to work everyday and pay taxes so another woman can have a free abortion?