The vote to repeal the health care law passed in the house with a vote of 245-189. Two house democrats voted with all the republicans to repeal the bill signed into law last March. I am glad that the government is doing something to fix the health care system. While I support some parts of the bill for instance, the one that extends coverage to children up to age 26 and the one that prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to those with pre-existing condition, I wish they could get rid of the part that will force people to buy insurance. They need to come up with a better method to fund the system.
Yes, the law has in place provisions that will exempt some people from facing the penalty for not carrier health insurance, but the criteria use for the exemption is flawed. The federal poverty level is not a good way to measure whether someone will be able to afford insurance. Some of the people who are uninsured earn above the federal poverty level can barely keep their head above water because of enormous college and credit card debt, and none of this is taken into account when deciding who to penalize.
According to covertheuninsured.org 78.5% of the uninsured have some or no high school education, and I am certain if we take a more in-depth look into these figures we will see that these people make up a great percentage of those earning at or under the federal poverty level. Most of them will qualify for Medicaid as per the new law, but as income does not raise with inflation, they will likely stay in the program indefinitely, just like they do in the government temporary assistance for needy family programs, which will result in increase cost to the deficit not decrease.
It is also ridiculous to forces those who can afford to and want to pay out-of-pocket for there medical costs, to buy insurance.
http://covertheuninsured.org/content/quick-facts-uninsured
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