“ObamaCare” and the End of the World As We Know It

Chicken Little (2005 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I hadn’t even seen the news about the Supreme Court ruling before I had one of the funniest things I’ve seen pop up on my Facebook feed:

Ha ha…..whoever wrote this is a genius. Very, very true.

There are many things I don’t understand in this world, but the number one thing may very well be that people are so willing to panic before even knowing if there is a problem.

Here is the thing: I have ultra liberal friends who think the passage of the healthcare bill is the best thing to come out of Washington since Abe Lincoln. I have ultra conservative friends who think that if you look at the nearest hillside you’ll spot Nero fiddling….but what we should recognize is that both sides are most likely wrong.

I think we can all agree that the healthcare system in this country needs fixing, and the expense involved is only one of the issues. Unfortunately, the complexity and size of the problem makes reform extraordinarily difficult, and let’s face it, any plan for change is going to be met with a lot of resistance. There is no way healthcare reform is going to make things better for everyone, the point is to make the system sustainable and accessible for as many people as possible, and leaving the system “as-is” is not going to be an option for much longer. So the question on the table right now is this: Is “ObamaCare” the best fix?……….Well, who knows????? How about we give it a chance to work first and then decide?

I have my reservations to be sure, and there are things I’ll be watching as this bill gets put into effect. I’m especially concerned about what the insurance companies are going to do with this sudden windfall of clients. I wonder how healthcare services are going to be charged once there is no need to bump up prices to recover income that was lost due to clients with no insurance. In an ideal world prices for services and insurance premiums would go down, but I recognize that we live in a more Enron type of world so I’m not holding my breath that companies are going to do the right thing.

Neither am I panicking. I don’t think this is the beginning of the end of Western society. I don’t think this is going to ruin my life or put me in the poorhouse. I do think a great deal of good can come out of this for many families in the US who will now have free or low cost insurance available to them. I know people who have children with chronic illnesses who no longer have to worry about what will happen when their kids reach adulthood and need insurance to cover their treatment costs. Those are good things.

So, I ask everyone reading this blog to take a deep breath and even if you think this is a terrible piece of legislation sit back for just a little while and see what happens. Maybe it will be better than you think. If not, then it’s time to lobby and advocate for another overhaul……. And if you are an ObamaCare supporter please look at what happens over the coming months and years and acknowledge the flaws in the plan (because there will be some) and be willing to change them. Time will tell.

I’m not willing to be a Pollyanna or a Chicken Little. If you feel the same, please like, follow, comment on, and/or share my blog. Thanks everyone for your support, great comments and blogging ideas.