2 Pros and Cons of the Health Care Reform

Health care reform is among the most highly controversial topics in society today. Whether you're satisfied with your health care, hate your health care, or have never given a thought to your health care coverage, the information overload may have prompted you to take a closer look at your health care plan and perhaps ponder what you would change and what you'd hate to have taken away.

Of course, those choices aren't necessarily in your hands, as the recently passed health care reform legislation have etched public preferences - as seen through the eyes of politicians - into law, at least for the time being. Depending on who you talk to, the health care reform laws fall somewhere between the greatest and the worst government actions in recent memory. The reform regulations provide something different for everyone, so the only way to truly assess the value of the reform's effects on you are to research and judge for yourself.

One of the primary complaints of the health care reform legislation is that it is unconstitutional - obviously a pretty big concern. Specifically, critics claim that the individual mandate, a provision requiring uninsured Americans to buy government-approved healthcare, violates the freedoms provided by the Constitution. According to George Mason School of Law professor Ilya Somin, giving the authority to force decisions on individuals could lead to "unlimited congressional power to mandate personal behavior." This would be a troubling trend to promote, as limiting government power over individuals is a cornerstone of the American Constitution.

Another apparent flaw in the health care reform legislation is that despite its claims to reduce the federal deficit, it may actually expand it. One NewYork Times editorial noted that the purported savings were merely "fantasy," because the Congressional Budget Office has to take
the predictions of all legislation on its face, so whatever the drafters say will be the benefit is what the office declares as well. Unfortunately, once the "gimmicks" are stripped out, the legislation stands to "raise, not lower, federal deficits, by $562 billion."

Other criticisms of the bill include the burdens it will place on businesses who need to provide insurance coverage for employees, as well as the fact that some of ti will be funded by a government takeover of student loans, which will end up costing students more money in the long run.

But surely, there must be some benefits? Proponents of the reforms say yes, there are many. In an editorial written to explain the legislation, Barack Obama noted that getting the government involved in healthcare coverage was not an attempt to strip away freedoms but rather to protect consumers from discriminatory practices that have become all too common. A major priority of the legislation was prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage due to medical history or dropping coverage when consumers became sick.

Additionally, the health care reform legislation takes into account young people struggling to find jobs in this economy. With hiring at a low point, graduates possessing very little experience and few connections are having trouble staying afloat, and paying for health insurance is an added expense that can be hard to fund. For this reason, the health care legislation offers coverage to children under their parents' plans until age 26.

Also, the health care reform may help control costs and shift the power in the insurer-insured relationship by giving individuals more choice and promoting increased investment in medical technology and prevention treatment rather than filling the pockets of insurance company officials.

Lastly, the health care reform is taking into account the fact that it's not just the very poor who need assistance paying for medical coverage. The reform legislation expands affordable coverage and benefits to a larger proportion of Americans who need financial and medical assistance.