Healthcare Now

   Reading all the hype about President Obama's plans for a socialized health care plan, I had mixed feelings about whether or not health care was a good idea.
   I recently went to a town hall meeting in Alhambra to learn more. Congressman Adam Schiff of the 29 district anticipated about 300 people to show, but to his surprise over 5,000 concerned citizens from all over Los Angeles and Orange County made the long haul to hear what he had to say.
   Earlier that day, President Obama held his own town hall meeting, which was followed by accusations of being set up. I was confident our meeting would not be the same, but at about 5 p.m., the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, affectionately known as ACORN, and the Service Employees International Union dropped off seven busloads of people in front of the Alhambra Civic Center, handing each person a picket sign, a sandwich, and $20 as they walked off the bus.
   Schiff's panel for the debate consisted of the President of Kaiser Permanente, a health care advocate from caremore.org, and two professors of medicine. Not one economist and not one panelist in opposition to the health care plan. The crowd, however, was a different story. Citizens in opposition to the health care plan outnumbered supporters 3 to 1.
   The people at the town hall were not provided with a microphone; the questions were preselected and were all in favor of health care reform. The meeting was rigged from the very beginning. Outrage ensued among the crowd, and the next day, Schiff paid for it as his approval ratings plummeted.
   All over the country, town hall meetings have been very productive, as citizens have begun to stand up and fight for their rights as Americans. Costs have skyrocketed, and the people will no longer be held responsible for paying it off.
   Organizations like the American Association of Retired Peoples and the American Medical Association that support the reform have lost thousands of members and it has sent a clear message to Washington—no socialized health care.
   Health care is a touchy subject for many, and often times we hear about people filing for bankruptcy just to pay for their chemo. It is a sad story indeed, and I agree that something must be done. However, at what cost? Should all American's be forced to join a government run insurance program, even if they are able to pay their own way and are happy with the coverage they receive?
   The media has reported that there are about 47 million citizens without health insurance in the United States. But recently a breakdown of those 47 million citizens has been published and not covered by most major media networks. Of those people without insurance, only about 12 million people, out of nearly 307 million people in the country, cannot afford health care or are eligible for government programs like Medicare.
   But there is a huge problem with the current government health program. Medicare is broke.
   "Health care [Medicare] spending outpaces real per capita growth by two percent; health care spending will eat up more than 80 percent of the nation's GDP by 2075. If the rate of growth continues, it could mean a 500 percent increase in health care's share of the economy," according to a Rettenmaier and Saving study.
   In the next 65 years, the Medicare Trustees estimate that the unfunded liability will reach $32.4 trillion. Add that to our current national deficit of about $12 trillion, the $1.5 trillion price tag for socialized health care, and the estimate of debt—not overall cost—of Medicare over the next 75 years. Let's see here, that is in the ball park of about $45.9 trillion.
   With the new administration already spending more than the past 11 presidents combined, that number can speak for its self. Keep in mind, that figure is not counting the debts and overall costs of Social Security, welfare, and all the other government spending.
   The president claims he will not sign the bill unless it is fully paid for and doesn't add to the deficit, the Associated Press reports. So, why are we wasting our time?
   Health care reform is a bad idea, for now. Polls suggest that a majority of the country would prefer Washington to focus on our current economic woes and finish what they started with their reckless spending known as the Stimulus Bill. The national unemployment rate is still a record high, and millions are struggling to pay their bills.
   If the recession ended and more people had jobs, more people would have health coverage. The best plan is to create jobs, instead of a complete overhaul of a system that does not need to be overhauled. Make laws that compel employers to provide healthcare coverage to all employees and their families, which most companies already do.
   The problems with health care reform are endless. Yes, there are some perks, but I can think of 1.5 trillion reasons why healthcare reform should be left alone.