Health Care reform has been a politically charged issue for this country over the past year. America’s Affordable Health Choices At proposes to address this issue and insure universal coverage. This bill has been the subject of heated debate from both the political right and the political left.

This bill is extremely complex. The reason for this is that there are many parties involved in the health care coverage of an individual. Each party has a part to play in health care. The doctor is looking at the medical implications, the insurance companies and employers are looking at the financial implications, and the government is considering the implications of the issue on its duty to “promote the general welfare” for the citizens of this nation which is a provision of the preamble of the constitution.

The bill’s attempt to insure equity is yet another reason for its complexity. There are millions of citizens in this country, and each comes from a different walk of life. Some of the very rich among us have sufficient means to purchase insurance and thus don’t need to worry about the cost of health care. Others are able to pay for their insurance, but it takes most, and in some cases, all of their financial resources to accomplish this. Still other citizens have no means to cover the costs of insurance. In seeking for an equitable solution to this crisis, inevitably, not everyone will be satisfied with the bill. In reading the bill, I have mixed feelings about some of the provisions. For example, the bill imposes a tax on “accident and health insurance policies” which will be used to finance a “Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research.” This entity established within the agency for Health Care Research and Quality has the mandate of researching the effectiveness of health care services. This concerns me because citizens are being asked to pay a tax on insurance and accident policies in order to finance this entity. I believe the effectiveness of health care services ought to be determined by the person who is taking advantage of them. However, I agree with the provision of the bill that eliminates preexisting condition as a reason for non-coverage. If a person is sick, he or she should not be denied coverage simply for the reason that the condition existed long before they applied for the service.

Notwithstanding my ambivalence on this bill, I believe it is generally a step in the right direction to solving the health care crisis plaguing our nation. At this juncture, I refer to the reader to a previous observation I made in a previous blog in July of this year. This crisis was not created quickly, and so, it will not be solved quickly. It may be that the bill will need to undergo many amendments. There may even be other bills considered before congress. Despite of this note of caution, I applaud President Obama for stepping up to the plate and trying to do something about solving this crisis.
Finally, I make this invitation to the reader to do your part in finding a solution. Make your voice be heard on this issue. Go to Politivote.com. Read the bill. Take advantage of the mechanisms on the web site to vote or comment on the bill. If you don’t like the bill, or even if you do like the bill, this is a way for you to “vote and be heard!”