Government-Mandated Health Insurance – Could It Be Any Simpler?

The proposal:  Everyone must purchase health insurance.  The government will help offset insurance costs for those who cannot afford it.  Insurance companies will not deny anyone coverage or increase premiums based on an individuals’ health status.

Could it be any simpler?  Such a system would not only provide health care coverage for every American, it would do so in a way that does not jeopardize the quality of care received.  Because insurance and health care would remain privatized, Americans would not have to suffer through long waits for inadequate care – a fate that has riddled international universal health care systems with hassles and hold-ups.

Yes, Americans would have to make one concession:  Everybody would have to purchase insurance or suffer a tax penalty.  This keeps premiums low for everyone, and is the key selling point to get the insurance industry on board.  Some say that this type of system will only work to keep insurance executives employed.  Yes… and so what?  If they’re giving Americans – and especially pregnant women – what we want and what we need, they should be able to keep their jobs.  It’s funny how people will complain about universal health care coverage, yet sit idle while Congress passes a stimulus bill that, among other things, will spend half a million dollars on a fruit fly facility, millions for land acquisition, and many more millions for infrastructure updates.

Universal health care is not socialism – it is people taking care of people.  That principle has nothing to do with economic systems, social classes or geography.  Every one of us depends on someone else for survival, from the baby suckling from her mother’s breast to the CEO cashing in on consumer spending.  Classes might be divided; but our country – and humanity – is united.

The proposed universal health care system is simple, and provides for everyone.  Under it, disadvantaged pregnant women would no longer have to suffer the indignity and stress of begging for maternity services and fair and equal treatment.  All pregnant women would have access to proper prenatal care, and all children would receive proper medical care.

Taxes that cover Medicaid, Medicare and a slew of other federal, state and local health care assistance programs would no longer be necessary, not to mention the taxes that currently assist hospitals in covering the costs of government-mandated emergency services for the uninsured and unable to pay.  These are taxes we’re already paying.

Some have said that universal health care would cost $1.5 trillion, which might be true.  What they’re leaving out of the argument is that Medicare spending alone is expected to exceed that mark within the next 20 years.  By consolidating all of our health into one program, we can reduce redundancies, increase efficiencies and provide much-needed high-quality health care for everyone – including pregnant women – while still saving money.

Or, are we being set up???? I want your thoughts?

Crisis Pregnancies On The Rise… Really?

Officials nationwide have reported an increase in assistance requests for so-called “crisis” pregnancies – unplanned pregnancies that leave many women wondering how they will afford prenatal care, delivery and beyond.

I don’t like the term “crisis pregnancy.”  The term is entirely inappropriate.  A pregnancy does not become a crisis on its own, through conception only.  The crisis is dependent on socioeconomic factors.

The recent increase is not because pregnancy in and of itself has become more difficult.  It’s because the socioeconomic factors that must be weighed during the decision-making process have destabilized.  When pregnant women are laid off, out of work, have lost insurance, cannot get insurance or are otherwise disadvantaged, pregnancies become crises.

It is the impact of a “crisis economy” that has increased.  It makes it more difficult for women to make sound decisions based on their beliefs; for example, women who would not otherwise abort are doing so in order to afford to care for their older children.

When money dictates life – and death – our country does indeed have a crisis to overcome.  But it is not a pregnancy crisis.  It is an economic crisis.  It is a crisis of inequality, of disenfranchisement, of money, career and home.  Pregnancy is only a crisis when care is inaccessible and unaffordable.

These crises cannot be solved at the family level – they’re solved by government and community.  Righting the wrongs faced by pregnant women will take enormous effort, and individual women can’t do it all alone.  Legislative and policy changes must be instituted to turn crises into opportunities.

Please, don’t label your pregnancy a crisis.  If you feel that your pregnancy is a crisis, ask yourself whether you’re a victim of socioeconomic disadvantages.  Before you make decisions that could ruin your finances – or decisions that you might regret for the rest of your life – consult with qualified, unbiased experts to fully understand your options for affording pregnancy and child care.