In recent years, healthcare has become a hot topic in America. A main concern for many Americans is how accessible we, as a nation, should make healthcare. Many Democrats argue that healthcare costs have risen to astronomical rates and further government intervention is needed to secure healthcare for all individuals. On the other hand, Republicans believe that healthcare is a privilege and should only be allocated to those who can afford it. This battle of ideology has led to drastic healthcare reform in the past 10 years. The current administration looks to roll back and repeal some of the changes brought on by the previous administration.

Dylan’s presentation opened with an article released by the Congressional Budget Office. The article is titled, How Repealing Portions of the Affordable Care Act Would Affect Health Insurance Coverage and Premiums. From the article, we learn of the new changes coming to healthcare. For example, there is no longer an individual or employer mandate penalty. The CBO found that the new bill causes rates to rise and for less people to be insured. According to the CBO rates will raise because health insurers are forced to accept any applicant but at the same time not everyone is forced to apply. This will lead to the system being overburdened with sick people and not enough healthy people to balance it out.

This lead to some students in the class suggesting that deregulating the insurance companies would result in a stabilization of rates. Such students argued that any government intervention causes inefficiencies and a misallocation of money. Other students argued that as a first world country we cannot allow our citizens to go uninsured and leave their health up to chance. They said that all people should have a right to health insurance and for those who cannot afford it should be helped. Honestly, I do not agree with either position wholly. I believe that every American should be insured, but not in the current system. For every man, woman, and child to have health insurance the federal government would have to consolidate the health insurance industry. The American health incurrence industry is to large and to wealthy to be regulated by congress. They have too much say on Capitol Hill and do not have the public’s interests in mind. In no other country is the health insurance industry as large as it is in America. If we were to ever have universal health insurance it would have to be state operated. The problem with this is that Americans don’t really trust to leave something like that up to the government. Therefore, universal healthcare will never work in America.

At the end of the day healthcare reform is very complicated and has no answer. I think this is due to the fact that it deals with human lives. After some point it becomes a question of morality. Do we as a society value our fellow man to the extent of treating his or hers health issues?