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As members of Congress, on a summer break known as “recess,” hold town hall meetings with their constituents to discuss health insurance reform, some are facing boisterous protesters who are opposed to their efforts.
One angry man confronted Democratic Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter at a health reform town hall about the senator’s support for health insurance reform.
"One day, God's gonna stand before you, and he's gonna judge you and the rest of your damn cronies up on the Hill -- and then you will get your just desserts," the man yelled
Health insurance reform is President Obama’s big issue
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Americans without health insurance are often unable to pay for regular visits to the doctor, resulting in more serious long-term conditions. |
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Many presidents have tried to push reform of America’s health care system. Unlike many industrialized countries, many residents of the United States do not have health insurance. This means that they cannot go to a doctor or pay for medicine without paying for the entire cost – something that many Americans cannot afford.
Aside from that issue, Americans spend about $2 trillion a year on health care but the country is ranked 37th by the World Health Organization in terms of care provided.
Two major problems with the American health care system, reform proponents argue, is that private health insurance companies, hospitals and doctors don’t have the right incentives to spend people's health care money effectively and that health insurance companies are allowed to deny care to people who need it.
President Obama’s plan is to work with Congress to make some major changes to how health insurance is purchased so that more Americans are guaranteed coverage and that the overall cost of health care goes down.
Critics of President Obama, mostly Republicans, say that while reform may be needed, Democrats want government to take control of the health care system. Fringe critics have said that President Obama wants to allow the government to decide whether elderly people live or die, which is an untrue claim.
Town halls show deep anger at government involvement
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President Obama takes questions on health care at a town hall in North Carolina. |
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Opponents of government reform of the health insurance system have flooded town hall events that were designed to allow people to ask questions of their elected representatives. While some town halls have been peaceful, others have been disrupted by opponents of reform who shout slogans and questions.
President Obama has hosted several town halls, all of which were peaceful even though he was asked a few questions critical of his reform efforts.
Some opponents were particularly upset at a possible provision in a health insurance reform bills under consideration is a government insurance option for people who can’t get private insurance. The possibility of a government-run health insurance plan for anyone -- similar to Medicare for the elderly and disabled and Medicaid for the poor – is controversial.
Mark Pauly, health care economist for the University of Pennsylvania, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that debate over the so-called public option has energized opponents on the far right.
"I do think the strong advocacy of a public option by the left wing has done the most to help out the right-wing extremists. By pushing for that so aggressively and explicitly, that has scared everybody in the middle," he said.
Future for reform uncertain
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As leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Chuck Grassley are key players in the effort to pay for health care reform. |
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The most controversial aspect of reform is the idea of government-run insurance, known as the "public plan" or "public option." According to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 47 percent of those surveyed oppose the public plan while 43 percent support it.
A June Washington Post/ABC poll, have found that most Americans support some sort of health insurance reform. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll in June found that 6 in 10 Americans said getting health care reform was “more important than ever.”
While the town hall demonstrations represent a vocal minority of Americans, the outcome of the President’s reform initiative is far from certain.
After Congress returns from its August vacation, bargaining during the fall will determine what type of insurance reform is passed, if any.
While certain aspects of health care reform are controversial, the public seems to support the idea of reform of the health care insurance industry in some way but aren’t sure that Congress will do a good job with enacting reform.
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I think we've been witnessing violence for years, whether in reality through the media or through video games, and I don't think that's a first-hand effect.
