Even though some of the changes to the healthcare reform have already gone into effect, the fight whether this law is constitutional or not is on its way to the docket next March. Just last week the Supreme Court announced that it has agreed to take on the constitutional challenge of the unpopular “Obamacare”, to determine if the main issues, such as requiring the expansion of Medicaid coverage to almost 30 million Americans and requiring the rest to carry insurance by 2014, is constitutional and whether to uphold the law or stop it altogether. Regardless, this debate is far from over.
Our country is obviously very torn by this – as we should be. This is major stuff that will affect every single American for years to come. As two federal appeals have already upheld this law, one striking it down and another one citing it to be too early to decide until all the changes have taken place, which will not be until 2014, the Supreme Court has lots to consider from all sides of the spectrum.
For some, healthcare has been deemed as a human right which is a right inherent to all human beings, regardless of national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, language or any other status. If healthcare is a human right and should not be governed by higher authority, as this reform is doing, how are the trends of high expenditures in healthcare and chronic illnesses in the number of Americans that rise each year, going to be handled? It’s seems as though we are in need of some changes and new provisions to our healthcare system and this reform may be it. I was not completely sold on these new changes, as I didn’t think it would be fair to many, but now that I’ve been working in the healthcare industry, my eyes have been open to the severity of the cost that individuals without insurance impose on our economy due to the high chronic illnesses that our nation is faced with day in and day out. In addition, as minority rates grow, so will the low-income statuses that are not able to afford insurance coverage and this can only be trouble if something does not change now.
The fact is that our government will never to able to satisfy both the interest of Americans at stake and the laws of the land. However, in matters such as these, the interest of our Nation, the economy as a whole, and where we are headed should take precedence over all. We need to be able to think ahead for the future of Americans and attempt to re-establish the health care system from what we have left, which balances at some level, the interest of all.
