Cough, Cough, Sneeze, Sneeze, Congress Wants to Hear from Me?

With all the partisan rhetoric flying around Obama’s healthcare proposal, I have no idea how to separate fact from fiction. I know what changes I’d like to see personally but don’t know how that fits into our president’s framework or congress’s changes.

To my utter surprise, when I opened my email this morning there was a survey from a California congressman waiting for me. (Just this once I’ll ignore the fact that someone sold my contact info.) The survey asks (these are just the questions/statements. I’m not listing the multiple choice response options for all of them.):
1. A government option should be a part of any healthcare reform passed by congress.
2. Government should remain a neutral regulator of the healthcare industry and refrain from taking greater control over the payment of or provision of healthcare services.
3. In order to insure all Americans, I would support a plan which increases taxes for: middle class and working class families / upper income families / my own family / none of the above.
4. I support Obama’s plan. (Yes / no / Don’t know enough about it)
5. Do you support the proposal that the same health plans provided to members of congress and federal employees be made available to all private employers and workers?

I wonder if my responses will have any impact whatsoever. Still, reaching out to the community requesting its opinion is a step in the right direction.

I think most of us would agree that we’d like to see high-quality healthcare at an affordable cost for all that also guarantees care for those who can’t afford it. What’s my personal beef with the current system? The list is endless and there are lots of grey areas in the points below. Here are my top three:
1. Annual increases in insurance premiums that outweigh or negate pay increases.
2. No affordable healthcare options for those who are unemployed. (I never understood how COBRA was a viable option for those who don’t have jobs. If you don’t have an income, how can you afford healthcare that's more expensive than regular healthcare?)
3. Quality healthcare and options for elderly and children who may not have insurance.

I understand that insuring the uninsured means someone else has to pay for it. Still, shouldn’t the government figure out a way to help its people? Or have we entered an era of survival of the fittest (aka survival of those with money)?

Whatever the grand plan the government comes up with, I fear the following:
1. Government Only Plan – Too communistic for my taste. I want choices.
2. Government Options – Do the poor get different treatment options (or no treatment) than the rich?
3. Tax Increases – Will tax increases outweigh more affordable healthcare options?
4. Lack of Reasonable Industry Regulation – If private options will continue, will reasonable rate increases or government imposed caps on costs be created or enforced? Or will the skyrocketing costs from private insurers force a government style HMO to be the only affordable option?
5. The Goldilocks Syndrome – Too much government intervention or not enough
6. No plan – Heaven help us all.

Whatever is decided, I don’t want it to be pushed through congress just to fulfill a campaign promise and save face. It has to be a viable, long-term solution that will benefit everyone.

Then again, this is Washington we’re talking about. Time to get my head (and hopes) out of the clouds.