Health-care reform not immune to flaws

By Rodrigo Flores     3/25/10 7:00pm

On Tuesday, with the strokes of 22 different pens, President Obama signed into action the Senate's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act in tow. In an era characterized by issues with global implications that can only be solved by the concerted efforts of the world's governments, the passage of this legislation has demonstrated the ill effects of a breakdown of consensus within government, with the winning Democrats resorting to forcing through their desired changes, and the opposing Republicans steadfastly declaring that they will continue to "just say no." The conservative voter base has been whipped into a blind rage by political pundits; liberals seem able only to wring their hands and hope for the best.

The political theater that has resulted from this partisan extremism paints a grim situation for the future of policymaking in the United States. Education, immigration, climate change, foreign policy and many other issues will need to be addressed in the near future; all will bring about heated debate at the dinner table, in TV studios and on the floor of Congress. Solutions will not be brought about by endlessly deregulating the markets; what is needed is intelligent, balanced legislation to ensure the well-being of the people while preserving the economic driving forces of capitalism. If the majority party must shove every bill down the other side's throat, doing serious damage to their intended goals in the process, there is little hope for resolving these big issues.

The health care reform bill, has the potential to help millions. Fewer people will show up at emergency rooms to receive obligatory treatment, and then saddle the hospital with the bill when they walk away, unable to pay. The end of coverage denial and cancellation due to preexisting conditions that may be unknown to the insured, coupled with the increase in the total number of people covered, will result in better quality of life, as people will no longer have to live with the prospect of suddenly losing insurance or not being able to get it at all. Mandatory coverage of preventative care will nip health problems in the bud before they worsen and require expensive drugs and surgeries. It will be good for doctors, who will receive more patients, and for insurers and drug companies, who will get more customers.

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The changes will also almost certainly raise costs for consumers. In order to make up for the profits lost by having to insure less-than-healthy customers, insurers will raise premiums. Big Pharma will continue to battle makers of generic drugs for health-care dollars, passing the costs onto the insurance companies, the government and ultimately, the American people. Doctors, who will not receive the tort law reform they so desired will continue to specialize instead of practicing primary care, further reducing a patient's possibility of getting balanced care, no matter who's footing the bill. Slightly increased taxation and cost cutting will be hard-pressed to mitigate these effects. The looming budget deficit and rising public debt cloud the future. For now, health care will still primarily be about money, not health.

The current health-care system is broken, and is dragging the rest of the country down with it. I'm happy to see that change is being attempted, instead of waiting to let the situation hopefully fix itself. Ideally, the PPACA will successfully improve the health conditions in the United States, while maintaining the integrity of the private sector and keeping costs in check. This is important: This nation stands poised to prove that its particular brand of democratic socialism actually works. The symptoms are clear; a diagnosis has been made. Let's hope that next time, the second opinion, the one that preserves the balance, is actually there.

Rodrigo Flores is a Martel College senior.

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