Myths and facts of the health care bill

Regardless of where the public may or may not stand on the issue of health reform; new, sweeping legislation was approved by the House of Representatives.  This was the last step before the bill could be finalized and fixed by the signature of President Barack Obama succeeded by a final debate in the Senate. 

Since the August recess—already past the original deadline—Americans representing both sides of the partisan debate filled the air with rattled sabers and passionate cries to action.  Many voices, both familiar and unknown, sounded opinions that were not always based upon fact, but false statements and misguided hearsay.  This occurred in every part of the country, and among citizens who still do not understand the realities of this landmark document.

Neither side of the debate seemed to accurately depict the true facts of the then-proposed legislation.  Even today, those that are considered informed citizens can only cite portions of the bill.  Many changes were made in order to appease and convince segments of the population that voices were being heard and this bill was written on their behalf.

A look at some of the myths as stated by both sides may help clear up a few misconceptions regarding the 2,000 page long document:

“Keep your government hands off my Medicare!”  This statement was made last August at one of many infamous town hall meetings that took place across the country.  Citizens assailed congressmen, Republican and Democrat alike, and shared sentiments such as this.  Congressman Robert Inglis (R-SC) had to explain to a Simpsonville, SC man that Medicare is indeed a government run program.  Perhaps most surprising—or not—was that the man accused the congressman of lying.

Many prominent conservatives have lambasted “Obamacare” as placing the United States on the slippery road toward socialism.  Are there socialist principles presented in the bill?  Perhaps; however, but government influence in the American healthcare system has gradually increased since the last sweeping healthcare overhaul occurred during the time Lyndon B. Johnson was president. 

The most recent example prior to this bill was the passage of the Health Information Privacy Protection Act (HIPPA).  The goal of this bill was to prevent sharing medical records and health information to non-caregivers. 

“Passage of healthcare will lower your insurance premiums and save Medicare.”  This is only a partial truth.  Statements like this have represented a misunderstanding among supporters of healthcare reform.  Supporters and writers of the bill have stated that insurance premiums will be lower that they would be without the bill’s passage.  The same principle applies to the statement regarding Medicare.  Medicare funding is still endangered, but this legislation merely slows any possible demise.

“Passage of this trillion-dollar legislation will put the nation further in debt.”  According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will cost about $920 billion and over the next ten years will lower the national debt by $120 billion.

So what does the bill say and what will it actually accomplish?  Unlike past health care overhaul attempts, doctors and pharmaceutical companies were not the target of this bill.  The target has been the insurance industry.  In fact, the American Medical Association (AMA) and several pharmaceutical companies announced their support.  

Insurance companies can no longer drop coverage for a customer who has become ill because the treatment is too expensive for insurance to cover.  A person can no longer be denied coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.  And children may stay on with their parents’ insurance until the age of 26.

The original goal was to complete the task by the August congressional recess.  That was pushed back to Thanksgiving.  Finally, both houses of congress approved separate versions of the bill by Christmas Eve when the bill was barely approved by the Senate, without filibuster, with 60 Democrats in favor, 39 Republicans opposed, and 1 Republican abstention.

Democrats began to display concern when senior Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) was in the hospital for several weeks.  After the first of the year, healthcare proponent Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) passed away due to complication of cancer.  A special runoff election and several political missteps made by the Democratic nominee lead to the election of Senator Scott Brown (R-MA).  This took away the “filibuster proof” majority of 60 away from the Democrats.

The house reconvened and worked with Democratic senators to amend, reconcile, and merge the two versions of their bills.  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), decided against a piece-mill approach that would have allowed individual portions of the bill to voted upon, and subsequently rejected or passed.  Instead the senate engaged a legislative maneuver that required only 51 votes to fix the bill.

Almost three months since the Senate approved its version of healthcare and insurance reform, the House of Representatives approved the healthcare overhaul.  Democrats (including President Obama) have seen a modest jump in approval numbers between three and five percent while the Republicans figures have soured slightly going down between five and seven percent. 

It is too early to tell whether this will play a major role in November as midterm elections roll around.  But Barack Obama has witnessed what could have been a disaster for his young presidency become an example of his tenacity, resolve, and patience to accomplish his agenda.