March 2011: Health Care

This month we want to talk a little about health care.  And in particular, the new health care law that Congress passed in 2009, called the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act.  There are so many facets to the issue of health care – and even this specific legislation – but we want to start a conversation with you about some of these issues.

Sometimes we look at complicated issues like this and give up too quickly – but we want to encourage you to really engage with us on this topic.  And that can be as simple as discussing the best way to “do” health care – things like recognizing that we need strive to be healthy. Preventable diseases cost Americans billions of dollars each year.

So check out the info we have and let us know how you’re getting involved with this issue.

Did You Know

Many of the provisions of the health care law won’t take effect until 2014, but some will. The provisions we’ve listed below refer to elements of the law that have already taken effect, unless otherwise noted.

• Starting in 2014, every single American must purchase a health insurance plan or pay the government a $695 annual fine.  Persons who cannot afford regular health insurance may choose from their state’s pool of insurance plans that will be subsidized by the federal government.
• Some members of Congress believe that the health care law will help expand insurance coverage to the 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured.
• Employers with more than 50 employees will be forced to provide health insurance to each worker or pay a fine of $2,000 per worker.
• The law bans health plans from denying coverage to children under 19 who have pre-existing health conditions.  In 2014, that rule will apply to all persons.
• Undocumented immigrants will not be allowed to buy health insurance in the state exchanges.
• Children may stay on their parents’ health care insurance until they are age 26, instead of being taken off when they graduate from high school or college.
• Abortion plans may be subsidized under the new, low-cost health care plans that will be provided in each state’s “pool” of insurance providers.  States may “opt out” of offering health insurance plans that cover abortion.

Dig Deeper

• Does the health care bill really fund abortions?
• How can my state opt-out of funding abortions in the 2014 state-based insurance exchanges?
• Read more about the impact of Obamacare.

Get Involved

• Be healthy – having health insurance is great, but not needing to use it often is even better.  Eat well, get plenty of exercise, and you’ll be far better off than a majority of Americans.  Experts say that a majority of health care costs are swallowed up by preventable illnesses.  It’s never too late to start.
• Be consistent – do you believe in the sanctity of human life?  Read and think through legislation like this from the standpoint of a sanctity ethic.  Is providing “low cost” health insurance to 32 million Americans worth the lives of untold numbers of preborn babies? If not, how many abortions are worth the price of having low-cost health care? Remember, the more the government subsidizes abortion, the more abortion is available and the more women choose one.  That doesn’t move anywhere toward making abortion “rare.”
• Volunteer – your time at a local hospital or perhaps a nursing home.  You’ll see firsthand the pros and cons of our health care system.  You also may see some of the consequences of not living a healthy, long-term lifestyle.  Not everyone who is sick can avoid their health problems, many illnesses can be avoided by proper diet and nutrition.