Costs and Benefits

In the editorial “Cost and Benefits” from the New York Times, the unknown author is intending to inform all Americans by discussing how the awaiting bills from the Democrats do an “excellent” job of providing health insurance for uninsured Americans, but also how Congress needs to address the lack of substance “to slow spiraling health care costs”.

I really don’t think anyone can not admit that health care reform is most needed, but I think that the current bill is really lacking. It doesn’t address the issue of escalating costs, as Douglas Elmendorf ("the respected head of the Congressional Budget Office") pointed out, and also relies on employer based coverage which is addressed as a problem in the article by the statement, “American businesses are struggling to provide insurance for their employees.” I believe that us, as citizens, should be able to explore new employment opportunities without having to worry about if the health care the new job supplies is of good quality or even available.

I think that the only way that that could be possible is through a single payer tax plan that covers all legal citizens/residents. Yes, I believe that it’ll be expensive and that all will have to contribute such as the big corporations, small businesses, and individual citizens (and the poor, but I’m not sure how to fit them into this yet). But, I see this as a “get what you give” kind of thing – you get the type of health care that you pay for.