With 46.3 million uninsured Americans and 25 million under-insured Americans in 2008, the reasons to support a public health care option is to my mind obvious. We can say "Leave no man behind" when it comes to our military and "Leave no child behind" when it comes to our education, but when it comes to our lives on our own soil we look for excuses to leave 23% of our population behind. Although I think most of my readers support health care reform, this is my place to voice opinion. So here it is: Too many people are looking to give themselves an excuse that allows them to avoid supporting a solution. The most common excuse of late is: It's expensive. Even President Obama has stated he won't sign a bill that adds to the deficit.
Here's a reason that the cost is justified: A Public Option is required in order to boost our economy.
*58% of small business did not give raises in the last year because of rising health care costs;
*30% of large companies will lay people off this year to pay for health care;
*49% of American foreclosures are due to personal health care debt (here's a personal account of one such case).
If individuals need to choose between wracking up personal debt and survival, than our economy will continue to tank. If the US government takes the risk and increases the deficit for the sake of public health they free the publics ability to spend, thus increasing their own revenue. Had the government done so years ago -- there may have been no bail-out of the banks, a more sustainable housing market, a higher average income, a lower unemployment rate -- a stronger economy. How much worse can it get?
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