Pomp, Circumstance, and Party Lines

I just watched President Obama sign healthcare reform into law.

I love watching presidents sign bills. The pomp, the circumstance, the way they use multiple pens. It sends thrills down my spine to watch history happen.

My undergraduate degree is in history and political science. One of my favorite subjects was the American constitution, its formation, function, and the intent of its authors. So a day like today really gets my blood flowing. I have had conversations about the nature of our Constitutional Republic, the specific task of our elected officials to govern for us, and the correctives of the democratic process. 

But not once have I discussed my views on the bill itself. This is a dangerous topic. One which will get you labeled and vilified in 60 seconds or less. I have no interest in engaging a hate-filled debate over things most of us (myself included) know only from the loudest propagandists.

As I watched the signing and listened to the President speak about elements of the bill, I heard things I had not heard before today. I am a pretty savvy consumer of news and keep myself fairly informed, but my own knowledge of the bill itself was so limited that I did not know if what the President was saying was true or not.

So I went in search of some good information. Most everything I found was news reports or websites written by proponents or opponents of the bill. I could not find one thing that I could confidently say was written by a relatively unbiased source. So I began looking for consistent pieces; stuff everyone was saying was part of the reform. The following statement is a good summary of what I read on nearly every site and confirmed what the President said this morning:

"Starting this year, health insurance carriers would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions, and from canceling policies because someone gets sick. Parents would be able to keep older kids on their health insurance coverage up to age 26. A new high-risk pool would offer coverage to uninsured people with medical problems until 2014, when the coverage expansion goes into high gear. Major consumer safeguards would also take effect in 2014. Health insurance providers would be prohibited from denying coverage to people with medical problems or charging them more. Health insurance carriers could not charge women more." 

http://healthbill2010.info/index.html

I'm not saying I am an expert or that the above sums up the bill in its entirety. I am confident there will be parts of the bill I don't like and/or which do not benefit me personally. But I like what I saw. I don't know if the bill as a whole will be good for America as a whole or not. I do know that this is not (or at least should not be) a matter of "party lines."

Healthcare is inherently a social issue, not a political one. Healthcare reform in America is intimately linked with issues of wealth and poverty, and the God of all is intimately concerned with such issues.

So in the small space of my personal blog I will say that I support healthcare reform regardless of party lines and that it is my sincerest hope that this historic day will prove the benefit of the many impoverished and working poor among us.