Healthcare Reform

President Obama is really pushing for health care reform. It is fair to say that his health care reform plan is most likely the largest domestic policy on his plate.

There are many problems in our healthcare system that must be addressed.  First of all, cost must come down, not only for the consumer, but for physicians and hospitals.  Malpractice insurance is at an all time high, causing doctors and hospitals to be very picky about who they treat.  Second of all, people must be better educated about general health.  For anyone who has a cold or a scraped arm, it does not benefit anyone when that person goes to the emergency room to seek treatment.  General health education is a way to prevent people from going to the emergency room for minor issues.  Finally, in order to effectively deal with the healthcare situation, I believe it is important to take care of and look after healthcare providers and hospitals.  There is a reason why there are so many physicians in this country who are from other countries.  My father, who is from India, is a physician in Chicago.  This country provides a great salary and attracts the best doctors from around the world.  These world class doctors in turn attract patients from around the world that want to be treated in America.  There is a reason for all of this and I believe that if doctors are not looked after, there will be dire consequences.  Universal healthcare will undoubtedly bring doctor salaries down, and there would be no reason for physicians from other nations (best minds) to come and practice in America.  President Obama is not shy about telling us that every other industrialized nation has some sort of a public healthcare system and that it only makes sense that we do as well, yet despite all of these other nations with public healthcare, there are still so many of their citizens coming to America and seeking treatment.  

I believe that we should decrease the overhead for physicians and hospitals.  This along with new regulatory measures for healthcare insurers will bring prices down for the public.  As I have said before, our nation is great because our government does not control large institutions, such as banks or healthcare.  Yet, in the midst of an economic meltdown, our government controls the financial institutions, manipulates the stock market, and is now trying to publicize healthcare, which would greatly hinder progress and ingenuity in the healthcare field.  We must not force this issue and rush through it.  It is something that must take time and careful thought because we only get one chance to get it right.