I keep hearing Obama talking about universal health care, as if his plan was a universal health care plan. It is absolutely not. There is no provision in his plan to ensure that everyone has health care coverage.
There are two ways to bring about universal health care. One would be to eliminate private health insurance altogether and convert everything to a government-run system where everyone pays their share through taxes. Obviously this is the most radical approach and would be difficult to pass and to implement.
The second way is to keep private insurance but mandate that everyone must purchase health insurance, and to provide low-cost or free options for those who need it. This is much easier to do as it keeps the current system in place, but because it ensures that everyone is paying into the system, should do a lot to lower health care costs, besides the obvious benefit that everyone always has health coverage if they need it.
As many of you know, Hillary Clinton chose the second form of universal health care as her plan. In my opinion, this is the best way for us to get universal health care right now, while hopefully getting us on a path to eventually eliminate the money-grubbing insurance companies altogether.
Obama, on the other hand, did not have the guts to go after a true universal health care plan like either of the two options above. Instead, he took a third path which is not universal health care, but instead makes vagues promises about lowering health care costs so everyone can potenitally afford coverage. This will not do anything to ensure that everyone carries health insurance coverage, as there are some people who will refuse to buy into the system no matter how reasonable the cost. And when these people get sick, the rest of us will end up paying for them.
Instead of having the courage to go after a universal health care plan, Obama chose to take the safe route and not piss off the conservatives too much to ensure a better chance of his being elected. Very dissapointing from someone who is supposed to be representing change for the sake of the people.
There are two ways to bring about universal health care. One would be to eliminate private health insurance altogether and convert everything to a government-run system where everyone pays their share through taxes. Obviously this is the most radical approach and would be difficult to pass and to implement.
The second way is to keep private insurance but mandate that everyone must purchase health insurance, and to provide low-cost or free options for those who need it. This is much easier to do as it keeps the current system in place, but because it ensures that everyone is paying into the system, should do a lot to lower health care costs, besides the obvious benefit that everyone always has health coverage if they need it.
As many of you know, Hillary Clinton chose the second form of universal health care as her plan. In my opinion, this is the best way for us to get universal health care right now, while hopefully getting us on a path to eventually eliminate the money-grubbing insurance companies altogether.
Obama, on the other hand, did not have the guts to go after a true universal health care plan like either of the two options above. Instead, he took a third path which is not universal health care, but instead makes vagues promises about lowering health care costs so everyone can potenitally afford coverage. This will not do anything to ensure that everyone carries health insurance coverage, as there are some people who will refuse to buy into the system no matter how reasonable the cost. And when these people get sick, the rest of us will end up paying for them.
Instead of having the courage to go after a universal health care plan, Obama chose to take the safe route and not piss off the conservatives too much to ensure a better chance of his being elected. Very dissapointing from someone who is supposed to be representing change for the sake of the people.
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