Whether you agree or disagree with the new health care law, the fact is that it's currently in place, and already changing the face of health care as we know it.
Unfortunately, learning the facts about the new health care law can be difficult. Republicans and religious organizations have come out swinging against it, and the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments this month over whether the law is constitutional.
Before you decide what you think about the new law, you need to know what it actually does, and that's where our health care law video comes in handy.
We've got it for you after the jump, and I hope you'll give it a watch. In just five minutes, you'll learn what it does and what it's going to do over the next few years if it remains in effect ... as well as some of the arguments against it.
Then tell me in the comments what you think.
Understand that I'm not advocating for or against the law with this story -- I do believe, though, that too many people are parroting those on both sides without knowing the facts.
I'll be writing more about the law and the arguments against it in the coming days (including the latest challenge to the contraception provision), but in the meantime, if you want to learn more about the new law, here are the links I referenced in the story that will give you some good information:
- Healthcare.gov is the government website explaining the new law. It lays out the provisions in the law, from the government's perspective, in clear, easy-to-understand terms.
- The Kaiser Family Foundation offers a more non-biased look at healthcare reform, also in terms that anyone can understand.
- Professor Miriam Laugesen recommends Health Care Reform, by Jonathan Gruber, which is available at Amazon for $9.83. It's actually written in comic book format and provides an informative, entertaining look at the new law.
In addition, both Professor Laugesen and Anna Benyo with the National Women's Law Center have agreed to take your questions on the new health care law. Want to know how it will affect you? Leave a question in the comments and I'll send it to them. I'll have answers to your questions in an upcoming post.
In the meantime, though, what do you think of the new law?
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Comments 35
We already have state by state free insurance for lower income people, its called medi-cal in california. It comes from the welfare department.
"Free" insurance for all, would cost ALL of us something like 30% more in taxes. I'm sorry, I don't give enough of a damn about other people, to let the government steal my money, give it to overdosed drug addicts, and make my sick child wait in line behind that drug addict simply because they were there first.
Look at Canada, people die in the hospitals waiting area constantly because they go in order of "first come, first serve", not on who's emergency is greater.
Sorry, I don't want to endanger my family simply because some people want "free" insurance.
Honestly I wonder if Canada has a better health care system than America sometimes. My insurance doesn't cover advair or any decent asthma meds, so if I have a severe asthma attack then I am screwed.
the4mutts
It is not true that people die in Canadian hospitals waiting areas because it is first come first serve. I don't know where you got that idea or heard that false information. In Canada if you have a serious illness etc. you will get seen before those with lower level issues. If you are having a heart attack I guarantee you are going to get help before someone with a bloody nose.
A Canadian friend of mine went for years without treatment for a fertility problem because it was not a priorty issue. It wasn't until she came to the US that she was able to do anything about it. Many Canadians as well as other foreigners flock to the US for our superior health care. This will now change..
This problem started long ago and no one was listening then. In the 1940's (and possibly sooner) physicians spoke out on the dire consequences we would face under socialized medicine. My father and grandfather were two of those physicians. Those same concerns still exist, but we didn't heed the warning. Obamacare is socialized medicine. no matter how you look at it. We had a good thing. People came from all over the world to get care...now we travel to Mexico for care. We started slipping down the slope long ago but like the frog that will sit in the pan of water gradually heating to a boil we sat there and let it happen. It's essentially too late to jump out now. ObamaCare must be repealed and the doctors must have a voice. Did you know it's against the law for them to talk about it essentially? You aren't even hearing half the story.
I'm still learning about these laws and trying to make my own informed view of them (thank you for this video by the way) so I have no comment to add to this debate here. But I do have a question for your experts:
When it becomes required for everyone to have health insurance, what will happen to those who are not offered insurance through their work and can't afford insurance out of pocket... and yet don't qualify for Medicaid? Will they be required to buy something they can't afford?
I have several coworkers and friends in this position currently. They already struggle to make ends meat with government aid and go without health care because they simply can't afford it. It seems like that particular part of the law could very detrimental to the many people who are low-income... but not low enough for help.
Look at Canada, people die in the hospitals waiting area constantly because they go in order of "first come, first serve", not on who's emergency is greater.
Maybe you shouldn't spread "facts" about something that you know nothing about. Did you get that line from Faux News or maybe Rush Limbaugh himself? :eyeroll Funny that I know of NOT ONE PERSON who has died in a hospital waiting area and I live here in Canada. I would think that a higher percentage of my friends and family would be gone if your "facts" were true.
A Canadian friend of mine went for years without treatment for a fertility problem because it was not a priorty issue.
I'm sorry, but when were fertility treatments ever considered a priority over other medical conditions? Is it more important than cancer or heart attacks or even childbirth itself?
Here's the lowdown on Universal Health Care:
My husband and I are solidly middle class earners and we pay approximately 37% taxes on earnings. In Canada you pay for your Provincial Medical Services Plan (MSP) which in my Province is $108/month for a family. This pays for all doctor visits, emergencies, hospital visits and a few other things. You then either buy insurance from your employer or a personal plan that covers your extended benefits such as prescriptions (yes, even birth control), dental, naturopaths, physio, chiropractic, etc. This can cost up to approx $300/month but a lot of employers cover half of that cost. I'm lucky enough to work for an employer that covers all of my family's costs (MSP and extended)....it is one of my taxable benefits, meaning I pay tax on it in April.
cont'd...
In my lifetime, I have NEVER paid for a doctor visit, I have never had a bill after leaving a hospital, I have given birth to three children and walked out with a baby and no invoice. I pay a $25 deductible per year on prescriptions. We have never been without a steady, reliable family doctor. We have never waited in an emergency room for more than two hours (symtoms: toddler claims there is a rock in her nose, put there while she was at daycare. diagnosis: rock claim unfounded...parents feel like helicoptering dumbasses) and that is because patients with urgent needs took precedence. When my other baby had RSV and wasn't breathing properly, we were seen immediately. When my husband had chest pains, we were seen immediately.
These lines you're being fed about Universal Health Care are scare tactics and LIES and you need to learn the facts before you pass them around like a garbled message in a game of Telephone.