Why We Need Health Care Reform
August 16, 2009 by Aaron Roberts
Filed under FEATURED JOURNAL
By President Barack Obama
OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them.
These are people like Lori Hitchcock, whom I met in New Hampshire last week. Lori is currently self-employed and trying to start a business, but because she has hepatitis C, she cannot find an insurance company that will cover her. Another woman testified that an insurance company would not cover illnesses related to her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was 5 years old. A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died. (Read Full Article)
I’m in the military and I’m a Democrat…and proud of it!! I voted for President Obama and, while I don’t always agree with him, I support him. Particularly, I support Health Care Reform…on so many levels. Unfortunately, while congress argues (they all benefit from “gov’t sponsored” health care by the way) Americans are dying! When will members of Congress start working for the American People rather than for their own self-interests. Both sides of the isle are guilty!! We elected them. They work for us!
Health Insurance, just like Auto Insurance, should be MANDATORY and not optional! Those who can afford it, but refuse to get it, should be fined…heavily! Those who cannot afford it, should have an option to accept gov’t subsidised health insurance. I don’t know why the Right is fighting that option. All of us in the military, and most gov’t workers have gov’t health care, and it’s some of the best in the country. And it’s all FREE!
Insurance companies should be banned from denying care to those with pre-existing conditions. I have a friend in California who has diabetes. She’s 56 years old, works in a small law firm, and has to pay over $900.00 a month for Health Insurance because of her condition. That is just WRONG!! Meanwhile, the fat cats in Congress continue to debate the issue, while the American People suffer. I think it’s time for the President to clean house in Congress. Let’s get Health Care Reform passed, and let’s do it now!
I completely agree. I thought the president did an excellent job saying the same thing, that congress (he included) needs to get out of the beltway echo chamber and listen to the people. Only then will they see that the majority, not the Tea Party or the lobbyists, want health care reform and even a public option.
I also like when he said politicians need to care more about the people’s job security rather than their own. If they did then they wouldn’t allow what happened to your friend to stand and would push for reform immediately.
Thanks for serving. I wait for the day that Democrats in the military don’t have to remind us that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Republicans have sold the country on this notion that being conservative and supporting the troops are one and the same.