Shakespeare’s famous opening phrase of a soliloquy from the play “Hamlet” “To be, or not to be, that is the question” seems quite apropos for the opening soliloquy of the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010.
The majority of people in Utah are conservative in thought and practice. They ardently believe in less government intervention and less taxes in their lives. A rugged individualism work ethic has produced economic prosperity in the past, but are we at a crossroads in our effort to manage medical-care costs for our families?
Unfortunately, ignorance remains the leading cause for emotional reactions to issues that affect our daily lives. I have always believed that Utahns exceed the norm when it comes to discriminating fact from fiction or truth from untruth. That is why I am placing my faith in the hands of the independent thinkers to thoroughly investigate the facts about the Affordable Care Act, or what euphemistically is known as “Obama Care.”
Essentially, the Affordable Care Act claims to hold insurance companies accountable, lowers health care costs, gives Americans more control of their health-care choices, and improves their quality of care. But does it really do all of these things that it claims to provide?
Let us investigate some of the prominent concerns:
(1) “The Affordable Care Act will use my tax dollars to fund abortions!” The answer is that health insurance reform legislation maintains the status quo of no federal funding for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman is endangered.
(2) “The Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional!” The answer is that legal experts and federal judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans agree that the act is constitutional.
(3) “The act does nothing to reduce the costs of health care!” The answer is that the Congressional Budget Office found that health-insurance reform will reduce the national deficit by $210 billion in this decade and more than $1 trillion over the following 10 years. A family of four would save as much as $ 2,000 on their premiums in 2014 compared to what they would have paid without reform.
If you are in disagreement with the above information, I encourage you to investigate on your own by using your computer and going to www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform or any other web site that proclaims to be a fact-finding entity.
Lastly, staunch Democrats and Republicans will probably vote their party lines in November, but it will be the small number of independent voters that will ultimately determine the congressional and presidential outcomes for the next four years.
To care, or not to care, that is the question!