Current Healthcare Proposal a Go? Polls say no!

June 6, 2009  
Filed under News

Over the summer, plans have been formulating in Washington D.C. involving reform in the national healthcare system. Forty- six million people in the United States currently do not have health insurance. President Obama and Congress want to provide a public option for those people, meaning they can receive insurance coverage from the government for a lesser cost than other offered insurance companies. They are also pushing for these other companies to not reject patients with preexisting conditions.

In June, the Rassmussen Report polls showed that 50 percent of registered Americans approved of this proposal while 45 percent disapproved. The same poll showed that in mid July the approval ratings dropped three points while the percentage of citizens who disapproved went up four points.

Relatively close to when the poles started dropping the Blue Dogs, a group of Democrats who have conservative views when it comes to money, started raising questions on whether or not the government could pay for this plan considering the suffering economy.

In late July, more concerns about the national healthcare reform percolated up from different groups of people across the nation. Senior citizens became nervous when they heard about possible end of life discussions, where doctors will sit down with elderly patients to talk about the end of their life, in one of the plans. Conservatives started to wonder if these proposed reforms would lead the United States into Socialism. They feel like these plans will be giving the government too much control. On the other side, Democrats believe that these reforms do not go against the grain of the American standards.

Going into the August recess, the approval of the plans dropped to 42 percent and the disapproval rose to 53 percent.  President Obama moved the deadline to vote on the reforms from Aug.  15 to Sept. 15 as the opposition continued to rise. Over the break, many senators held town hall meetings in order to listen to the concerns of those in their district.

“I think healthcare is fine as it is and doesn’t need to change,” freshman Jeffrey Doolittle said.

At the meetings, many concerns of this sort were being brought up, along with if there is enough money for the program and if the government can successfully run a healthcare insurance system. Others questioned if the senators had even read the bill. Some fear the government will not take into account their opinions.

“The congress acts independently,” Doolittle said.

Over the month of August, Congress and other pro- healthcare forces have been advertising how the healthcare system will encourage savings.

“I think the healthcare plan will help America be safe because we will be able to go to the doctor more,” sophomore Craig Hendricks said.

The government has disregarded some of the nation’s fears as only rumors. With a deadline quickly approaching, and the government back in session, Washington will be working hard to come up with a healthcare reform system that can be approved by the majority of the senators and representatives.

——
Kali Hinman

Tags:

 Email This Post        Print This Post