The Health Care Bill, Research Paper Example

Many Americans run into challenges while trying to provide their families with medical care. Some find insurance premiums too expensive, while others have pre-existing conditions which make them ineligible for most insurance plans. Still others run into problems with bureaucratic errors or sluggishness, which prevent them from obtaining care they urgently need.

In March, Congress passed legislation designed to fix some of these problems and to reform the American healthcare system. Proponents of the bill argued that it would improve the lot of millions of Americans, allowing those who could not find affordable healthcare to purchase it. Among the provisions of the bill was one that banned insurance companies from denying coverage to patients because of their pre-existing conditions. Congress touted the bill as the answer to America’s medical problems – or at least a good place to start.

But is it really? There is some evidence to show that it is not. For instance, according to The Washington Post, (Aizenman), 33 states are now taking measures to block some of the bill’s provisions. Some states, such as Florida, are filing lawsuits against the federal government because of the bill. Most of these states, says The Post are taking aim at the part of the bill that requires Americans to either buy insurance or pay a penalty. It is not hard to sympathize with this objection. A bill designed to lower financial burdens for those in need of care should not impose new financial hardships on them.

Meanwhile, The Miami Herald reports that the healthcare bill will cause a “significant administrative burden” for all businesses. Each, says The Herald (Perlberg), will be required to “navigate the new regulations associated with healthcare reform.” Indeed, even some of the plan’s staunchest advocates have promised to act against parts of the legislation. The Congressional Budget Office is now reporting that the bill may cost more than Congress originally planned. But Fox News reports that President Barak Obama has threatened to “veto any additional spending in the new health care law he heralded if it is not offset elsewhere.” (Garret)

Yet, while just before the bill’s passing, polls showed that the great majority of Americans opposed the healthcare bill, there are signs that some have begun to accept it. The AP’s Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar (2010) , in his article, “Americans may give it health care law a chance [sic],” observes that “Anxious backers of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law are starting to see a flicker of hope” as, even though Americans are still strongly divided on the healthcare issue, they are no longer, “clamoring for its repeal.” Yet, when the greatest praise for a piece of legislation is that people aren’t still clamoring for its repeal, it is hard to imagine that such a bill has much appeal. Still, according to Alonso-Zaldivar, a new poll shows that voters are willing to listen to candidates who propose fixing what is wrong with the bill.

While Alonso-Zaldivar admits that the majority of Americans still do not like the law, he quotes Harvard Public Health School Professor Robert Blendon as saying that  voters “and to be leaning toward candidates who would give it a chance and make some changes, rather than those who would repeal it and start over again.” Furthermore, some actors in the health industry are using the healthcare bill as a pad from which to launch. Indeed, according to Alonso Zaldivar, Health and Human Service Department regulation writers are, “Filling in blanks that lawmakers left on critical consumer issues. “ (Alonso-Zaldivar)

Maybe, then, the healthcare bill does offer an adequate – if not a good – place to start in reforming the American healthcare system. Some, at least, seem to be trying to make the most out of it. (Alonso-Zaldivar)

Works Cited

Aizenman, N.C. “Health-care overhaul is up against long campaign across U.S.” 12 May 2010. The Washington Post (Online Edition). 29 May 2010 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/11/AR2010051104719.html>.

Alonso-Zaldivar, Ricardo. “Google News.” 31 May 2010. AP. 31 May 2010 <http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHk_TKsoMzixbmbwaiHOctHP0k4AD9G2B8380>.

Garret, Major. “Administration Threatens to Veto Any Deficit Spending Tied to New Health Law.” 12 May 2010. Fox News (Online Edition). 31 May 2010 <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/12/health-overhaul-law-potentially-costs-billion/>.

Perlberg, Mark. “Healthcare reform creates new administrative burdens.” 31 May 2010. The Miami Herald Online. 31 May 2010 <http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/31/1653730/healthcare-reform-creates-new.html>.