by Cory Parks
As most of you know, I do not agree with the Pelosi Health Care Bill. With that, there is something within the bill that I do somewhat agree with. Please do not misinterpret this rant based solely on the previous comment above.
I do see a good thing within this bill. I agree with the language that states that young people will be covered under their parents’ coverage up to their 27th birthday. If you don’t already know, I have been suffering from a reoccurring shoulder injury since 2005. Because of not having health care (due to the fact that I am no longer enrolled in school and because I am above the age of 18) I have probably incurred thousands of dollars in hospital bills in which I will have to pay out of pocket: debt that I owe.
If I had health insurance, I would not have this acquired debt. If I had health insurance, I could probably get my shoulder fixed. That said, I do see a problem and here’s where I am torn. Although it would be nice to have health insurance, I also realize that with the Pelosi Bill, I would not be sitting here writing this. I would have the same amount of debt if not more and would be sitting in jail. In the Pelosi Bill there is language that says that those who do not purchase the government run health care will be punished by up to five years in prison or a fine of upwards to 250,000 dollars, and if not paid you will be fined again up to 25,000 dollars and another year in prison. Because I cannot purchase the government run health care and pay the fines, I would sit in jail for God knows when while more debt accumulates.
Another problem with this small part of the bill that I somewhat agree (kids on their parents’ health insurance for a longer period of time) is that there’s no incentive for those young people to grow up and take on the responsibilities of being an adult. To my knowledge in order for you to be covered under your parents’ coverage, you must be enrolled in school and still living under your parents’ roof. Now if I’m not mistaken, don’t the majority of kids who go to college only go for two or four years, thus at the age of 24-25 they would be graduating and therefore be out of school? Under this bill, kids will still be covered for another two to three years after graduation, therefore will still be living and sponging off of their parents for another two to three years, and for those who graduated from a two year college, that means another four or five.
Although I sort of agree with having your kids still being covered under their parent’s coverage, due to my condition, it also puts a burden on their parents. Because I have a reoccurring condition, I don’t think that it should be my parents’ responsibility to take care of my situation, nor should it be yours, the American people’s responsibility to take care of my situation for me. This health care bill mandates that.
So while it would be nice, that one small thing is a part of a greater whole that is catastrophic to the well-being of this country. It doesn’t work in other countries, so what makes Dems think it will work here?
The last point I would like to make is that because of my preexisting condition, the government would be able to pick-and-choose whether or not I’ll receive treatment. Because my history of re-injuring my shoulder, they can say because you keep injuring yourself, I don’t think that the surgery or treatment will be efficient. So here’s some Motrin, take this and it won’t hurt so bad. Does that sound right? I think not. Those who support this bill promote discrimination of preexisting conditions, even though the Dems say that this bill does nothing of the sort.
It’s called control….
ecotim Says:
… (which, BTW, I think is Obama’s real desire. Not to fix anything but to keep breaking it to destroy us). …
BINGO.
I agree with you, Cory. Twenty-seven is too old for parents (and other payers in their health insurance) to be footing the bill, unless the “child” in question is disabled. In that case, there are state-run programs of assistance.
I’ve paid into a couple insurances (including my current one) that cost my employers a lot of money, partially because it covered dependent children to age 25. I don’t know how the national plan will work, but they didn’t need to live under the same roof as their parents. I especially resented it when I was 23, working full-time, and eating rice for two meals a day. My boss had two children who were what we called “perpetual students”, and they were covered in our insurance plan. Only one of them got a degree (after the coverage ran out).
Like you, I think that 27 would just increase the length of adolescence.
holy crap I love reading your written pieces, Cory. VERY excellent stuff, man. You definitely pulled some things from your dad’s playbook, and your own perspective was great. well done. I could totally hear him through many of your words. love it
also, hopefully you’ll find a solid remedy to your shoulder as your dad periodically mentions it. I feel for ya on that, and hope for the best for your condition.
Keep up the good work at CNS and we look forward to more of your perspective
The biggest thing that bites my ass is that when I turned 65, I had no choice but to take Medicare. I have an excellent Health Care Package from my Employer, for which I worked 36 years. My Family Plan cost me $155/mo. My Children are grown & are employees of the same Employer under the their own Family Insurance Plan. My Employee health Plan became my secondary Insurer & Medicare my primary, at a cost to me of $92 for me & $92 for my bride. I am now paying $339/mo. for Insurance coverage where before, I was paying $155 with the same benefits. I now pay $192 (went up) for something I don’t need or really want. That Insurance would benefit someone unemployed & with a family far better than it does me. If the Congress had not gotten greedy & had left Medicare out of the General Fund, where they couldn’t get their sticky fingers on it, it would have probably been self sustaining. That said, we all know about Congress & their super-sticky fingers.
This is hard subject to address without knowing all of the facts. I have found that most pre-existing conditions are considered by the insurance companies to be true if the condition was treated within the last 6 to 12 months. I do not have much room to talk because I have a heart condition that would probably kill me if I had to wait 12 months for treatment.
But, I have plenty of pains (some that put me on crutches) that I could survive if I had to wait for coverage.
As to the covering people until 27, I don’t know if I could agree to that. I paid for all of those school years. I paid for the insurance in school. If my kid decided to drop insurance after school, then I say it is up to the kid to pick up the slack.
I am one of the old timers, I attended a couple of years of college, but I worked and picked up my own insurance and everything else I needed to start my family.
What everyone seems to ignore about health care problem is how to handle the poor in a way that will not bankrupt to whole country (which, BTW, I think is Obama’s real desire. Not to fix anything but to keep breaking it to destroy us). The simplest answer to health clincs paid by the liberal’s who think that everyone should have health care.
Put your money were your mouth is! instead of spending your money on getting liberal idiots elected, actually send it on the very programs you want in this country.
If the government would get out of what they should not be in, and give our money back, then we could support plenty of socail programs.
Hey encourage kids to go to medical school by paying for them and making a condition that they work in a free clinic for a set amount of years. They would have not school debt, and the poor get the help they need.
Holywood, get up and take the moeny we give you (well you not me I do not go to movies anymore) and suppor these clinics.
Problem solved,
I have lived with certain pains waiting for when I got a good job and could afford the coverage. Now I am 50-50 on my health. Unfortunately some of my conditions will never be covered, so I deal with the pain day by day. Would I have wanted the whole country to pay so I could have been better? No because most of my pain was from my being stupid. I did the act so I put up with the pain.