My Problems with the Affordable Care Act aka #Obamacare

So, I had an email exchange with my mom discussing the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare. Personally, I don't like the official name for the act as it functions like the name of the Patriot Act did. "What do you mean, you don't want to vote for the 'Affordable Care Act'?? Don't you want people to be able to afford health care?? You horrible monster!"

Regardless, my mom had some good points but ultimately I think there are a lot of things we simply aren't discussing about the entire issue of health care. I addressed these things in my email reply. I also addressed her understandable confusion regarding the government shutdown. Here is what I sent her:

Thanks for your thoughts, Mom. I agree with most of them and you're right, Obamacare does help a lot of people get healthcare.

However, I feel that a few things are being overlooked:

1) it's not that I don't want to pay anything for health care. It's that all I want to pay for is health care. Not pharmaceutical company profits, not for treatments instead of cures, and definitely not for health insurance company executives' yachts and multiple homes. I believe that there is something deeply immoral about making lots of money of off sick people.

2) you assume that health insurance companies want to pay for your health care. They don't. They are all "for profit" companies and thus MUST put profits first (that's the law, I believe). So, the medicine and procedures you need them to pay for will be scrutinized by insurance company employees. If insurance companies paid for what ever the doctor or you wanted done, I'd feel much better about the health insurance industry.

3) our country could do a national health system, like the UK's. We tax American citizens for loads of things--why not tax just a bit more for health care the way we already tax for social security or any number of other things? Imagine how much money small businesses would save by not having to pay for their employee's health care anymore.

Ultimately, my biggest problem with Obamacare is the mandate. I haven't seen one compelling argument for why every American should be *forced* to have health *insurance*. The best argument I've heard is that it's because if I get into a car accident, get medical care and don't pay for it, the hospital has to spread the cost of my care across everyone else's bill in order to stay profitable. To that, I say: "So, if a hospital can't stay profitable, but is clearly providing an important service, then shouldn't we all be taxed so it can stay open and continue providing those important services?"

Not every problem in the world can be solved by a corporation. We seem to not know this as a country.

As for this stupid government shut down thing? It seems to me like the Republicans throwing a hissy fit. Remember when the government shut down during the Clinton years? It was for a couple of days and we barely noticed. In the great scheme of things, it's no big deal. It's not like Al Qaeda is waiting to attack.

To me, America is about freedom and, to me, freedom is about choice. Not giving Americans a choice regarding how we treat our own bodies is positively unAmerican, to me. This mandate is a tax on life, itself.

Health Buzz: Health Care Bill Is Constitutional, Judge Rules - US News and World Report

Health Buzz: Health Care Bill Is Constitutional, Judge Rules - US News and World Report

What the hell is this??

From the above linked article (emboldened by me):

At issue was whether Congress could require Americans to purchase a commercial product like health insurance under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, the New York Times reports. Since the decision not to purchase health insurance would affect interstate commerce, U.S. District Judge George Steeh ruled, Congress can lawfully require the purchase.

Say, WHAT? Why am *I* responsible for affecting interstate commerce by NOT doing something?  This seriously makes no sense.  By not smoking, aren’t I affecting interstate commerce?  Since I don’t smoke, there is less demand for cigarettes which means interstate commerce slows, right?

I read the NYT article linked to above and that doesn’t do much to make the judge’s decision more logical.

Essentially, he’s pulling from his ass this idea that if I choose to not get insurance, I’m going to stick those who do with the bill.  I don’t see how that works.

I am morally against the health insurance industry.  I think an industry that makes money off of others’ suffering is wrong. I want a public option and will refuse to pay for health care through an insurance company if I can help it.

This is nothing short of corporatism.

#WTFObama: Indirect Ban Limits Abortions by Women in High-Risk Insurance Pools

Gotta love this kind of shit—the USG decides it’s OK to allow insurance companies the ability to deny certain people with certain types of pre-existing conditions.  For a black man, Obama really doesn’t seem to get how economics and race work.

stephanieleroy:

Obama bans abortion for women in high-risk insurance pools

welcometomanhood:

goodreasonnews:

whyinthehell:

“We need you to act immediately to undo a disturbing decision from the Obama administration. Remember all the hard work you and other ACLU activists did to defeat Rep. Stupak’s draconian abortion coverage ban during the health care debate?

Well now, the White House has decided to voluntarily impose the ban for all women in the newly-created high risk insurance pools. What is disappointing is that there is nothing in the law that requires the Obama administration to impose this broad and highly restrictive abortion ban. It doesn’t allow states to choose to cover abortion and it doesn’t even give women the option to buy abortion coverage using their own money.”

Ask President Obama WHY his administration is restricting coverage for vulnerable women.

So, once again, it’s OK to kill people in other countries to protect our freedom, in general, but killing unborn babies is NOT OK in order to protect our individual freedom.

Face-palm.