House pushes health system overhaul

The House of Representatives began work on a health care reform package that sponsors say would cover 95% of Americans. It's about time. There is no reason that getting affordable health care should be a luxury in the United States.

Almost 46 million Americans are going without health insurance, according to CNN, and 25 million others are "underinsured." That must change and President Barack Obama is on track to make huge improvements in the nation's health care system.

As we get older, we understand the importance of this issue with a lot more clarity.

AMA doesn't like Obama health plan

I just got an email from the American Medical Association that says the organization opposes President Obama's health blame, claming it would "socialize 17% of the national economy by eliminating private sector ‘competition’ to the huge proposed federal cradle-to-grave healthcare program."

The AMA apparently thinks the current system is just fine. Doctors have always been out of touch with the real world and this is just more evidence.

Dr. Nancy Nielsen, the AMA's president, said her group has "major concerns about government control over health care decisions.” The president, by the way, is scheduled to make a speech to the AMA on Monday.

Nielsen told the Associated Press that the AMA supports “affordable, high-quality health insurance,” and believes that it can be achieved by reforming the private insurance market. But the AMA does not want a government-run "cradle-to-grave" health system.

U.S. Senate to consider sweeping health care legislation

The U.S. Senate next week is scheduled to begin considering a massive bill that would make foundational changs in the nation's health care system. The office of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy released the 651-page bill this week, and proponents and opponents of health care reform are already picking it apart.

But it's time to change the broken health care system. Congress must act now. Those with health problems know all too well how lives can be changed by the cost of care, not to mention the health issues themselves.

News reports say the changes include revamping the way health insurance works, with insurabce carriers having to deal with new rules. Here's the good part: Insurance companies would have to cover Americans with health issues. As we know, the current system allows insurers to duck coverage of people with health problems, or charge an arm and a leg for limited coverage.

That's just plain wrong.

Kennedy's office said there would be proposals that would help disabled seniors and healthy young adults. Taxpayers, businesses and individuals would share in the cost of adding coverage of 50 million uninsured Americans.

There would be a new long-term care insurance program that would provide modest assistance at an affordable premium to help disabled people keep living in their own homes.

Watch this space for more details of the proposal.