Mitt
Romney's healthcare heaven
I don't know about you, but I like to get stuff when I spend my
money. When I pay my taxes, I don't want
bombs for somebody else, I want healthcare for me. The Affordable Healthcare Act, known as
"Obamacare," may not be the best solution to our nation's healthcare problem,
but it is a giant step in the right direction, towards universal healthcare.
Starting on August 1st, American women with renewing
healthcare policies will no longer have to pay anything out of pocket for eight
preventative services, including annual check-ups, mammograms, HPV, STD, HIV, and
domestic violence screening and counseling, breastfeeding support and supplies,
and yes, Virginia, contraceptives. According to Senator Barbara Mikulski of
Maryland, "The
top killers of women will now no longer go undetected." This Obamacare
feature will help estimated 47 million American women, including tens of thousands right here in
Fairfield .
Also
on August 1st, the Affordable Healthcare Act required health
insurers to rebate consumers if less than 80% of their premium dollars aren't
spent on actual medical care. As a result, this year insurers will refund an average
of $151 per household.
As women across America rejoiced last Tuesday, Republicans again
called for the repeal of the Affordable Healthcare Act in the Senate while Republicans in the House of Representatives tried to
pass an anti-abortion bill without exceptions for fetal abnormalities or
cases of rape or incest. "The majority
of this House, the conservatives, can think of nothing better to do than
continue to wage a war against women and take our time up with these divisive
issues," explained Michigan Representative, John Conyers.
Meanwhile, half a
world away in Israel, Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney lavished
high praise on that nation's healthcare system stating, "Our health care costs are completely out of control. Do you realize what health care spending is
as a percentage of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in Israel? Eight percent! You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. We spend 18 percent of our GDP on health care.
Ten percentage points more." Missing
from Mitt's assessment was the fact that, even while spending "ten percentage
points more," a significant portion of us Americans still don't have health
insurance or good insurance, while every Israeli does.
However,
Romney may have stumbled upon the key to solving America's healthcare conundrum.
In Israel, all citizens are mandated to
have health insurance, nobody can be turned away because of preexisting
conditions, the industry is heavily regulated by the government to control
costs, and it is funded by a progressive tax. It i s a socialized
healthcare system in every sense of the word, just like those in most other
industrialized nations around the world. So now, after dismantling Obamacare on Day One
of his presidency, all Mitt has to do is sell his new "Romneycare" idea to the
other Republicans. I'm sold.
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