Old news is old. But yeah, the bill got passed yesterday. Now I want to celebrate but the thing is I actually have no idea what the bill looks like. It got ripped off so much by the Republicans that I lost track. Could someone from the US or anyone who follows it more thoroughly than I do please enlighten me (and my fellow ignoramuses) what the bill brings for the US citizens in it's current form? Is it comparable to the universal healthcare that we are used to here in Europe?
First of all, it hasn't been completely passed yet. There are two elected institutions working on this, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Reps narrowly passed a bill last month. It included a public option and language against abortion. It would cover most Americans, but not all. The Senate passed their own version of the bill recently. It is more conservative than the Rep bill and doesn't include a public option. It covers 30-32 million uninsured Americans, a lower number than the Rep bill, and has less anti-abortion language. Americans would be required to purchase health insurance, but it will be heavily discounted for most Americans, and there will be a special marketplace which will (hopefully) use competition to keep prices down. One reason Americans will be required to buy health insurance is so the healthy can cover costs for the sick. Whether that's fair or not depends on your politics and sense of empathy. The two versions of the bill must be reconciled in January or February, then the reconciled bill must pass the House of Representatives and the Senate again. Most likely, the reconciled bill will be similar to the Senate bill, since that would be easier to pass both institutions. Assuming that happens, President Barack Obama will sign the bill into law. Where in Europe?
Where in europe? Well I don't know of Europian country that does not have universal healthcare of some sort. Britain, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland all have socialised healtchare. I am fine with the US version being slightly off the European model given the unrational fear of anything with the word social in it. As long as people always get treatment instead of filling out paper work and as long as people don't end up in debt for the rest of their lives I am fine with it.
Just to make it clear to those lost in this discussion, the universal healthcare reform towards a 'centralised' stance means healthcare - fees incurred as a result of consulting doctors, etc are subsidised by the Government, in this case, the Democrats. This results in a lower cost associated with medical expenses for the general population, while this may lead to lower salaries for those aiming for a medicinal career in US. As for congress, like most 'bicameral' political system, two parties or more (Government + Republican/Greens/Labour,etc) must agree on the particular bill or initiative before actual IMPLEMENTATION can occur. If either party disagrees, the bill will forever stay in limbo or possibly be 'rejected', allowing the Republican to trigger a double dissolution if certain conditions are met. (the dissolution is based on the assumption that the US is similar to Australia )
