Obama's Health Care Plan

Obama is proposing a United States government sponsored health insurance program. While this admirable, I am a bit confused. To level set, like other members of government, I am not the most versed on the multi-hundred page proposal, but I thought the government offered Medicaid as a viable option for free affordable health care.

I have received thousands of emails regarding the lack of coverage by Medicaid and perhaps this is the concern for affordable health care. To gain a better understanding, we need to understand both sides of the story:

What is Medicaid? Medicaid was established in 1965 as part of the Social Security Act Amendment and is funded by both the state and federal government to provide health insurance for the poor. More than 46 million people are enrolled in Medicaid which covers roughly 15% fo non-elderly and almost 20% of all children.

Did you know that Medicaid can pay for private health insurance plans? Yes, most states honor the Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (HIPP). Medicaid recipients leveraging HIPP will have better coverage and a larger network of medical professionals. Find a affordable health care provider by visiting InsureThePoor.com today.

Who qualifies for Medicaid? Medicaid eligibility is determined by the state and has additional dependencies on Supplement Security Income (SSI). Medicaid is managed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly known as HCFA). People living at or below the federal poverty level. Since the federal poverty level varies state to state, please check with your local state government to better understand the poverty in your area.

What is Obama's plan? In short, he would like to cover ALL Americans with affordable health insurance. In addition, he would like to ensure workers are covered between jobs and insurance companies do not reject applicants because of pre-existing conditions. Obama believe that offering a government sponsored affordable health care plan will spur competition in the industry and force the cost down. The full plan can be viewed here (http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/HealthCareFullPlan.pdf).

Obama has very aggressive goals which are under fire from many critics primarily because of costs. Everyone wants to know, who will pay for the coverage? In short, the American people! Nobody knows for certain how much a government run affordable health care system will costs, but experts in the field are confident of one thing … the cost will only add the ever increasing deficit. Regardless of the critics, nobody can deny that doing nothing only means affordable health care becomes a faint memory. Health care costs are on the rise and will become so costly that less and less Americans will be covered.