"No one should go broke because they got sick"

"No one should go broke because they got sick," this was a direct quote from President Obama during his speech on health care reform, and it is a statement that continues to resonate even after I close the tab containing the youtube video. There are thousands, if not millions, who have experienced this first hand. A few years ago I went to the emergency room because my hand was infected; I was there for less than an hour, but that visit cost me over a thousand dollars. What is worse is that the ER misdiagnosed me. Luckily I had health insurance through my parent's policy, but imagine if I didn't.

And many don't. Some have no choice, and others have no sense...but the fact of the matter is this: health insurance is IMPORTANT. This was a running theme in Obama's speech, and for those that don't have the time to watch it, let me lay it out for you

This is Obama's proposal
1) it will be ILLEGAL for insurance companies to drop a person who is sick, during their illness
2) it will be ILLEGAL for insurance companies to DENY coverage for those with pre-exisiting medical conditions
3 it will also be ILLEGAL for people and small businesses (who can afford health insurance) to go without health insurance. Obama talks about how the irresponsibility of risk-takers and small businesses looking for a profit can negatively affect the rest of the tax payers.
4) insurance companies will be REQUIRED to cover routine checkups and preventive care.
5) insurance companies will no longer be able to "cap" the amount of coverage their patients receive
6) he will create an insurance exchange that will encourage companies to become competitive. We, as consumers, will be able to bargain with our insurance providers through this exchange. (Don't really know how this one works)
7) he will encourage insurance companies to become competitive by offering the public a NON-PROFIT option for health care. He makes it clear that this will not be mandatory, but rather a low-cost alternative.
8) now this is the important part: the non-profit option will be a self-sufficient entity. They will be government regulated, but NOT government funded.

Overall, I think this speech was excellent and I think this plan WILL work. Insurance companies, like most big business, are bloated and greedy. We need to hold them accountable and stop letting them control our futures. He also addresses the need to reform malpractice suits and promised to "move forward" in that direction.

Obama ends his session with a quote from Ted Kennedy: "[health care} concerns more that material things. What we face is above all else a moral issue." Yes, a moral issue.

When a child is denied a kidney transplant because his parent's health care is insufficient...that is a moral issue

When a waitress is dropped from her insurance during her chemo sessions because she forgot to list "seasonal allergies" under pre-existing conditions on her insurance application...that is a moral issue

When a 50 year old construction worker loses his house right after losing his wife to cancer...that is a moral issue

And if we continue to let this happen, it would be a moral issue.