Health care reform helps younger generation greatly, but will have to be paid for in the future
This has been a monumental week for the United States.
Months of debate by government officials ended with President Barack Obama’s signature on health care reform Tuesday.
On one hand, it is good to see the U.S. government taking action and making an effort to improve one of the country’s flaws.
But despite the new law’s benefits, there are still some shortcomings that should be addressed.
Giving health care to more people is the best argument in favor of the law.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 46.3 million people in America did not have health insurance in 2008.
That was 15.4 percent of the total population.
The New York Times reported that an estimated 30 million people will be covered by the president’s new plan.
Young adults are now allowed to stay on their parents’ health care plans until the age of 26.
That can be good news for the younger generation, especially for students about to graduate.
Given that most jobs after graduation offer slim benefits packages, the option of staying on a family plan gives young people a little bit of breathing room.
But the health care overhaul doesn’t come for free.
One of the biggest drawbacks is the $940 billion price tag it will take to implement the plan.
Obama said the price of establishing universal health care won’t add to the national deficit.
This means that taxpayers, and more specifically today’s college students, will have to bear the burden of financing health reform.
Such a large amount of money will take years to pay off.
Coupled with the stress of paying student loans and social security, today’s college students will have quite a bit to pay off when they start their careers.
Another consequence of the law is that businesses must now offer health insurance to their employees.
While there must be at least 50 employees before any business has to offer insurance, owners of smaller businesses are no doubt going to struggle with this new stipulation.
It may be enough to shut some down or force layoffs so owners can cuts costs.
Another major flaw in the president’s approach to health care is that people will be required to have health insurance, even if they believe they don’t need it.
The government can now penalize the uninsured with fines and taxes.
It’s unfair to punish those who can’t afford health care or believe they are healthy enough to go without insurance.
The government seems more bullish than a provider in this instance.
Is the new approach to health care for the best?
It will take some time to see.
But at the very least, it’s good to see the U.S. government at work, trying to improve America.
