This week Congress is in the final leg of passing health care reform, and politicians are gathering as many votes to save their egos and careers, Democratic Representative Mike Ross (D-AR), explained how “Americans are Confused About Reform.”
Congressman Ross noted that many of the people he represents “are rightfully skeptical of promises made in Washington, D.C.” This skepticism grew when Washington proposed to overhaul the health care system last year and take about $1 trillion to do so.” As a result of this proposal, many of Mr. Ross’s constituents “suspicious that Washington would again fail to deliver on the promises it was making.”
Part of the suspicion comes from the fact that “the health care reform process has been a never-ending odyssey of misunderstandings, miscalculations and misinterpretations.” Consequently, such an ongoing display of smoke and mirrors keeps “Americans confused, scared, angry or all of the above.” Despite these feelings, Americans understand “that our health care system is broken on a fundamental level and needs change.”
At the same time, many like Mr. Ross note that being in a capitalistic society means that every business seeks to make a profit. In a capitalistic society, the universal principle of every business is profit. The difficulty with this principle in healthcare is that sometimes these profits come “at the expense of the lives and health of countless Americans.” As a result, Mr. Ross proposed the following recommendations:
· insurance industry reforms;
· containing costs; and
· affordability
Mr. Ross asserted that the health insurance industry needs to be reformed so that pre-existing conditions are not prohibited; companies cannot cancel your coverage when you get sick; and there are no caps on the total amount companies will pay for your health care expenses over a lifetime.
He also recognized the need to contain costs, something that “no proposal on Capitol Hill goes far enough” to do. There needs to be significant steps to root out waste, fraud and abuse, and he asserts that America needs historic investments in preventive medicine, such as physical education in schools and early detection programs.
Lastly, Mr. Ross recommends that “we cannot and should not move from our current employer-based health care system, which is uniquely American. Instead, we must build on what we have, which most Americans like, and make it better.”
He asserted that the health care system needs to “be more affordable for employers and more portable for employees.” Mr. Ross further added that health care reform must protect small businesses, which are the backbone of the American economy. In order to provide such protection, he “opposes employer mandates and supports a “marketplace” that allows small businesses and the self-employed to come together as one big group, having greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage.” He acknowledged that because “large companies and government employees, including Members of Congress, have access to affordable insurance” this way, so should every American.
In the end, Mr. Ross believes that Congress needs to legislate from the middle, and by using common sense. We hope other Members of Congress heed is words and we also “look forward to that day on Capitol Hill.”