Honors History Blog #1

The most important Health Care legislation issue in history, from my point of view, is the debate on the privatized health care or 'Laissez-faire' (hands off) corporate health care system vs. public health care. Privatized health care has some issues with how it is run; it is easily manipulative in its clients.

The privatized health care was a form of Anti-Federal means, since the federal government had a healthcare system that allowed for private companies to deny coverage to people. Health insurance companies have certain goals to reach economically, and without government regulation, they can cancel coverage to people with "pre-conceived conditions... a medical condition that existed before someone applies for or enrolls in a new health insurance policy" [1]. Insurance companies use many factors for pre-conceived conditions, and they can even use ethnicity as a factor (Here is a link to an educational slideshow showing the ethnical effects on health: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/REHealthcare/player.html).

 

"Insurance companies and health plans are concerned about their financial bottom line – it’s in their best interest, therefore, to exclude people with a pre-existing condition" [2].

 While the government's job is to protect the people, the Anti-federal system in place leaves many people vulnerable to life without health insurance. This is why the matter is so serious, it affects a huge portion of health care involving numerous people. The federal government has had a recent health care bill proposal, a public health care system. In the news the Republican side fights for private healthcare while the Democrats fight for public healthcare. Healthcare has affected people from the past, affects us in the present, and will affect people in the future. This debate between Federalists and Anti-federalists in health care is playing an essential role in American society and history.

Sites used:
[1] http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
[2] http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/healthinsurancebasics/a/preexisting_conditions_overview.htm