Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Health Care for Texans, why not?

I totally agree with Brittanie's idea that health care should be available for all Texans. Right now, Texas law mandated ALL Texas drivers carry at the minimum, liability insurance, so why not treat health care the same way. It's not like we are not already paying for those who don't currently have health insurance, we are paying, almost all in taxes. Tax-payers are paying for everyone who receives care in an emergency room (which is primarily how uninsured Texans receive care). Not having insurance and providing preventative care, only makes the bill larger for tax-payers on the back end. One in four Texans do not have health care, that's a lot of people, Texas has to do something.
Believe me, I'm not in favor of paying more taxes, but, where there is a will, there's a way. I remember voters being enraged when Texas passed the law requiring drivers to have liability insurance, but this law has actually been good, it's helped protect all drivers. Brittanie suggest mandating health insurance might lower the burden on tax payers, I agree. I think doing what we can on the front end to prevent illnesses, and protect and cover Texans will eventually bring down cost for the state & tax payers.
Are there any flaws with this? Yes, there are potential flaws in all things, but this would do more good than harm.
After all, we are in the United States of America...Texas for goodness sake, not a third-world country. If we can spend $1.05 trillion on the war in Iraq (to date), we can definitely find a way to pay for our citizens who are suffering and dying because they are not insured....that is just wrong.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Pass Health Care and Die!

The Health Care Bill passed on March 22, 2010 to the dismay tons of disgruntled Republicans. Before President Obama could even sign the bill into law a , angry Republicans were on TV kicking and screaming, throwing temper tantrums like spoiled children whose daddy just told them they could not have a toy airplane from the toy store. This public display of disgust for the passage of the bill gassed up anti-health care supporters who then took it upon themselves to vandalize and threaten Democratic supporter of the bill. Representative Al Green, from Houston, received threatening phone calls at his district office after he supported Health Care. Some Legislators had death threats, bricks thrown in office windows, were spat on, and there was even an incident where a Democratic congressman's propane gas line was cut at what was thought to be his home. A few days after the raucous events, Republicans finally came out to denounce the violence, but it was a little too late.
Now, really, is it that serious? Republicans have been fighting public health care for over 60 years, when was the time going to be right?! There are always pros and con's to every bill, but for the most part, the pros really outweigh the con's:
1)The bill will cover 95% of legal US citizens
2)More competitive insurance industries
(can no longer hike up prices 35%-40%)
3)Insurance companies have to accept everyone(even with pre-existing conditions)
4)Cheaper prescriptions for senior citizens
5)It's reform (something is better than nothing)
There are con's to every argument, but when you look at it, this health care bill is a start. Health care has been on the table for years and NOTHING was done. While this issue has been over debated to death, millions of Americans have died. Enough is enough....this bill will save lives.
Republicans need to be weary, sometimes opposition can go so far before it turns and bites you. Being so vocal on a bill that will do so much good may end up harming the Republican party in November. Remember, Republicans initially opposed Medicare in 1965, but it ended up being one of the best bills ever passed.
Come on Republicans, I understand you don't believe in social reform, but trying to kill over passing a health care bill that one day might save YOUR life is a little too much.