Here at CafeMom, our research has found that moms are very worried about the rising costs of health care and health insurance.
In an effort to address these concerns, President Obama signed health care reform legislation into law in March of 2010. Although the Supreme Court is expected to decide on the validity of this law in June, some provisions of the law already have gone into effect, changing the face of American health care ... and leaving a lot of people very, very confused about what it all means.
That's why later on this week, I'll be talking with Mayra Alvarez. She is the Director of Public Health Policy in the Office of Health Reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and she has the answers (we hope!) to all of your health care reform questions.
Leave your question about the new health care law in the comments of this post and I'll do my best to address it during the interview!
Moms' concern about health care coverage is entirely understandable. Some mothers worry about whether they can afford to take their children to see the doctor. Others worry about the high costs of their prescription medication. Still others can't afford health insurance, and worry about a catastrophic illness or injury.
The new Affordable Care Act is designed to change health care over a four-year period, with the final changes taking place (depending on the Supreme Court ruling) by 2014. If you're looking for the specifics on what is changing, this site is a great resource that explains the changes in an easy-to-understand format.
Proponents of the ACA say it's already making a difference. This from The Maddow Blog:
Much of the Affordable Care Act won't take effect until 2014 -- assuming it survives until then -- but several provisions that have already been implemented are having a positive impact.
The health care law (1) is combating fraud and abuse, which in turns saves Americans quite a bit of money; (2) has brought coverage to 2.5 million young adults; (3) is delivering major savings to seniors on prescription drugs; (4) is giving a boost to small businesses through ACA tax credits; (5) has slowed the growth of Medicare spending; (6) has provided new treatment options for cancer patients; and (7) has offered new coverage protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
But the new law has a large number of detractors as well. Termed 'Obamacare' by Republicans, every GOP presidential candidate has pledged to repeal it if elected to office. Why?
- Critics say it "stifles job creation, increases costs and limits freedom."
- They argue that "it puts government—not doctors and patients—at the center of health care decisions."
- They say that it will reduce the number of doctors and, therefore, the quality of patient care.
- And they say it is already preventing businesses from expanding.
There's certainly a lot here to think about.
So tell me ... what are your thoughts about healthcare reform? What are your questions? What are your biggest concerns?
Image via Rosmary/Flickr
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Comments 49
Dear obama, why did you foist the unconstitutional obamacare on America when the majority of Americans didn't want it? Why do you think it is okay to force Americans to buy a product or service?
Dear obama, why do you think imposing sizable fines on Americans who do not purchase health insurance is a good thing?
Dear obama, how do you explain to Americans your rationale for being the first president to defy a federal judge's court order to cease implementing the "health care reform law"?
Is this defiant behavior something you would encourage in American citizens, including young people and children?
Dear obama, why did you tell Americans in 2009 "If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away."?
But in 2010 you said "if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you're not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And . . . some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge."
Why was the "pledge" violated? Which provisions did you refer to? Who "snuck" them in? (and please don't say "B-B-Bush!)
Dear obama, did you purposely choose the date(s) for the main portions of obamacare to go into effect after the presidential election in November 2012? Or was that just some random thing?
Dear obama, do you care, as we saw with Medicare, that obamacare does not contain clear cost-control mechanisms and, therefore, the result will be spending that exceeds expectations?
Dear obama, could you take a look at the document from the Independent Women's Voice at the link?
It's a short one-pager "Does Obamacare Violate My Constitutional Rights?"
Can you explain how obamacare does not violate my constitutional rights?
http://iwvoices.com/obamacareconstitution.pdf
Dear obama, do you understand that the battles over obamacare aren't just about health care?
That, because of your over-reaching, Americans are upset and concerned about many related issues emanating from the tangled web of obamacare? Issues like state's rights, liberty, Americans' very freedoms?
Dear obama, do you find it hard to sleep at night because of the damage you have wrought with the beast called "obamacare"? Wait, scratch that.
The Congressional Budget Office says that if obamacare goes into full effect it will cause deeper debt.
Many studies show that obamacare will lead to higher medical costs and will cause employers to drop medical insurance for their employees.
Can you explain how any of these results will be good for America?