Optimist the
Vol. 98, No. 45
Taking It To The World
PAGE 5 1 section, 8 pages
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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BREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENT SPECIAL REPORT
The
Health Care Crusade The bill President Obama signed Tuesday has Democrats rejoicing and Republicans up in arms. No one denies the weight of the 2,700-page colossus, but the consequences are still unclear.
What’s it going to cost? Who’s going to pay for it? The health care plan, which will take effect in 2013 at the earliest, is estimated to cost $940 billion during the next decade, according to MSNBC. This money will come from U.S. taxpayers. However, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill’s higher taxes will narrow the federal budget deficit by an estimated $138 billion. An excise tax will likely be placed on sugar-sweetened drinks, tobacco, beer and wine. Tanning salon users will also experience a 10-percent increase in services as part of the “sin taxes,” according to U.S. News and World Report. These excise taxes are intended to discourage the population’s use of the products or services and therefore increase national health standards as health care reform stabilizes. Opponents of a tax increase – the majority of the American public – argue a tax increase will lead to a deficit increase as more loans are taken out and payments are delayed.
Is any part of the bill not related to health care? An attachment to the health care bill that attempts to reform current student loan processes will change the way college students receive loans. The new bill eliminates a $60 billion government subsidy to private lenders, according to United Press. If the Senate passes the amendments, the bill will create a federal lending program that the Congressional Budget Office estimates could save $61 billion during the next decade.
What do doctors think of the plan?
Rep. Ted Poe (’72) speaks at a protest in Washington this weekend.
The public’s feelings toward the health care bill are mixed – and doctors are no exception. The Huffington Post reported the AARP and the American Medical Association have both publicly supported the bill, but when it comes to individual doctors, the results are about 50-50. Doctors who support the bill are focusing on better patient care. The Springfield News Sun reported Dr. Sally Abbott, president of Clark County Medical Society, as saying the new bill will encourage people to seek care as soon as they are feeling sick instead of waiting until it is too late to do anything. Doctors opposed to the bill are mainly concerned about the increase of insurance costs for patients. According to the www.
HEALTH CARE 101
Politicians and media are tossing around a lot of health care jargon, and it can get confusing. We’ve compiled a crash course to help students navigate this stormy but crucial issue.
The Democrats utilized a process called reconciliation to pass the health care bill. Reconciliation allowed the House to vote on a jointly amended Senate bill, and it requires only a simple majority, 51 votes, instead of the regular 60 votes in the Senate. House rules also require parameters to be set for each vote, including how much time will be allocated for debate and what amendments will be allowed. The House implemented what is called a “self-executing rule”; when the House passed the reconciliation rules, it deemed, or assumed, the Senate bill passed. This allowed President Obama to sign the bill into law without a recorded Senate vote on the original bill. The Senate will still debate and vote on the “fixes” to the bill, but the hardest part is over.
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JOZIE SANDS Contributing Photographer
statesman.com, the bill puts a cap on the total amount of money available for the Medicare program, and doctors already struggle with patient bills going partially or completely unpaid. Premiums are also predicted to go up because insurance companies will have to cover more people. However, some opponents argue that because the bill prevents private insurers from raising premiums too high, eventually they will be unable to compete with the government, which will leave the federal government in charge of all personal health care. see page 4
Elective abortion: Any abortion case not involving rape, low-income people, including children, elderly, disabled and those eligible to receive federally assisted incest or danger to the life of the mother. income, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), acExecutive order: An order issued by the president that cording to www.ssa.gov. instructs executive agencies or clarifies a law passed by Congress. Although constitutionally, executive orders carry Medicare: A health insurance program managed by the same weight as law, the Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government for people 65 or older, younger presidents cannot use executive orders to create new than 65 with certain disabilities and people of any age laws. Congress can overturn an executive order by passing with permanent kidney failure, according to www. contradictory legislation or by refusing to provide money to medicare.gov. Recipients must be U.S. residents for fund the order. at least five years. Excise tax: An indirect tax that sellers must pay to the Premium: The amount of money paid each month by an government. Sellers then roll the tax into the price of the individual or an employer for health insurance. product so buyers actually end up paying for it. Public Option: The term being used for the proposed Hyde Amendment: A provision, not a law, that can be government-run insurance system. Theoretically, a attached to a bill. The amendment bars federal money public option would be similar to the Medicare system from being spent on abortions, regardless of circum- already offered to older adults. Individuals would pay stance. It only applies to funds allocated to the Department directly into a national insurance system that would of Health and Human Services by the annual appropria- then provide coverage in the same way a private intions bill. The Stupak–Pitts Amendment is similar but only surance provider would. prohibits funding for elective abortions. Medicaid: Federal and state health insurance plan for
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INSIDE: Key players in health care reform, page 4
Online
CELEBRITY SCANDALS abound and their seemingly luxurious lives make it difficult to empathize; but should we hold them to a higher moral standard? Page 6
THE ’CATS STRUGGLED through their Spring Break series, but finished strong at home, winning three of four games against the Eastern New Mexico greyhounds. Page 8
LOUDandCLEAR
VIDEO
Are you in favor of the health care bill? a. Yes, it’s what Americans want and need. b. No, it will only damage the country. c. I’m just trying to figure out what it means. Spring Training
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