Health Insurance Cost and Healthcare Reform

With a New Congress and the campaigns for theevery man, woman and child in the nation - would
Whitehouse in '08 in full swing, both progressivesdo nothing to solve problems of disparity in the
and conservatives agree that healthcare reformhealthcare system, or to curtail costs, or solve
especially as it regards affordable medicalother access and delivery issues.
insurance is at the forefront of the minds ofFor any of the current proposed strategies by
most Americans. And while legislatures and punditsthink tanks, health insurance industry professionals,
on both sides of the aisle agree that the time isand political figures to work, compromise is the
now for healthcare reforms, at what pace suchwatchword. And for what is perhaps the first
changes occur is still an issue of wide debate.time in decades there seems to be a concerted
Healthcare reform has been an issue that haseffort and willingness on the parts of the federal
been approached much like the taste of saliva ingovernment, the states, big business, and the
ones mouth, when taken in little tiny dosesinsurance companies to work together to solve
overtime like it usually is, it doesn't bother ussome of these issues. True health reform makes
much at all, in fact we hardly notice it is there -for some storage bedfellows. In theory of course
but no one would like to sit down and drink awho would oppose universal health coverage? No
whole glassful. And many agree that hard-hittingone objects to a healthcare for all model, the
and sweeping changes to our current healthproblem as always comes down to who is going
insurance polices and health delivery system willto pay for it. The conservatives believe that tax
be equally hard to swallow, by consumers as wellbreaks and incentives to business hold the key,
as the healthcare and insurance industries.but as always progressive opponents say such
Incremental steps seem to be the best approachideas only benefit the "healthy and the wealthy".
for all concerned, such as the current push onProgressives embrace the idea of a Medicare for
both the federal and state levels to get costall model, to which conservative opponents still yell
effective health insurance for all children. Good"Limited Choice" and "Socialized Medicine". But if a
first steps all agree. But the real first step to truetrue attempt to find some middle ground is
healthcare and health insurance reform is to get aapproached, as current waves seem to be
handle on just what exactly needs fixing. Certainlyapproaching, perhaps there is hope for a viable
the 47 million Americans without insurance is asolution that could bring real healthcare reform
good part of the problem, but it is not the onlyand truly affordable health benefits to all
problem. Sweeping healthcare reform that couldAmericans within the next 10 years as so many
at the wave of a magic wand suddenly insureclaim to be striving for.