Healthcare: a skeptic's guide

Since Sunday night's healthcare vote, we've put up two pro-healthcare reform pieces on this site (by Mad Dr and Pearls N the Hood).  This isn't because our site has any specific stance, it's because we have two writers who happen to feel passionately on the subject, and happen to be pro-reform.  But if you look around the feminist blogosphere, most feminist bloggers and tweeters seem to be taking a "pro" stand (with the exception of arguing reproductive rights shouldn't have been thrown under the bus for us to get there).  On twitter Sunday night into Monday, there was tons of breath-holding (as the final votes were counted) and cheering (once the bill tipped over the threshold) going on among the feminist groups we follow.  Reading all this, you might start to feel that feminism comes as a package deal, complete with liberal political beliefs.  I'm writing this because I don't believe that to be the case, and I don't want our readers who don't share this "belief package" to feel alienated if they don't, either.

There are many reasons one might feel skeptical, or at least less-than euphoric, about the recent healthcare legislation, and none of them make you any less of a feminist.  Let me lay out the spectrum of healthcare skepticism, both for us skeptics and for those who don't get where we're coming from.  You might be skeptical of the healthcare legislation because:

Health Care Reform Passed the House of Representatives (again)… Now what?

Image Credit: ThomasThomas

Last night, the House Democrats voted to pass the Senate’s comprehensive health care reform bill. In the end the vote was 219-212. The vote, as expected, was pretty much along party lines. The Republicans all voted Nay and all Yea votes were from Democrats. However, 34 Democrats went against their party and voted Nay. Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo put together a spreadsheet looking at how their districts and political ambitions may have affected their vote. The chart showed that 26 of the Representatives came from districts that voted for McCain in 2008.

The House then voted by a similar margin, 220-211, to pass a companion bill making several changes to Senate bill that were needed to gain enough support from the Democrats.

What Is Next?

Healthcare Reform? Yes, we can!

The pundits said health care was dead. I almost believed them, but at zero-hour President Obama stepped in and took the reins, making it possible for our representatives to pass historic legislation that will start to reform the way health care is accessed and delivered in the US over the next few years. The health care reform bill passed with 219 Democratic votes and not a single Republican vote. This legislation is the most revolutionary health care legislation to pass since Medicare started, and the Republicans didn't want any part of it. Even after we were forced to suffer 6+ hrs of political theater dubbed a "health care summit" last month, where President Obama begged GOP leaders to give him any response other than "No.", they still wanted nothing to do with it. To be completely fair, neither did 39 conservative Democrats. But, despite the naysayers, I believe in this bill and I hope you do too. I don't believe in this bill because I think it is perfect. It is far from it. My ideal health care reform is a single payer system—perhaps, Medicare for all. This bill still leaves some 10-15 million folks who may want/need health insurance out. I don't believe in this bill because it is in accordance with my particular moral values. In my opinion, abortion is a private and individual issue. I won't pretend to understand what someone considering abortion for any reason is going through and I won't judge their values. I don't believe in this bill because it's comprehensive, because really, it's mostly a health insurance reform bill, and there are many other facets to the US health care delivery system untouched by this bill. However, it is crucial that we take steps towards fixing our expensive, broken, and unjust system. It is undeniable that skyrocketing health care costs are unsustainable. I believe in this bill because each and every step we can take to ensure and insure the health and wealth of our country, the better off society will be. And the provisions in this bill, which is now set to become law, are a big leap toward making that possible. I believe in this bill because, as Speaker Pelosi said, "all politics is personal." And health care is deeply personal. And this bill reaches Americans on a personal level. This bill does what is right for the American people. Here are some highlights, (see chart below for more details):

Obama Takes Reigns on Health Care (Sigh of Relief)

Here he comes to save the day....In preparation for the showdown with the GOP Thursday, President Obama finally did what I know I’ve been waiting on for so long now—he showed us his hand and defined “Obamacare” for the people. I can’t believe it had to come to this. We are down to the wire. I mean, I was panicking. It seemed to me like health care reform was dead. All signs pointed to failure: President Obama barely mentioned it in the State of the Union, the Dems lost the supermajority to Scott Brown, other Dems dropped out like flies..I just didn’t know if it could be done. But The President’s Proposal sends a big signal that we are not giving up on change, reform, and maybe even a bipartisan effort. Read on for a breakdown of the what I found to be the highlights of the President's Proposal and how they compare to the House and Senate bills. President Obama and company seem to have built a bridge between the House and Senate efforts and even added some stronger provisions to ensure accountability of insurance companies and protect consumers from some of their most ridiculous policies.

Healthcare Can't Wait

Tonight President Obama will remind us all that the nation is in a state of crisis. He’ll probably do it in an eloquent, reassuring, hope-inspiring way (at least, I hope), but that’s the general message. The Union isn’t so much united as floundering in a sea of crisis that erupted on Wall Street and usurped Main Street. The conservatives say that Obama’s agenda is too broad. That he overcommitted and overpromised and we should all feel let down or lied to. They want him to back off on healthcare and focus on the economy and how to create new jobs in America. Well, for a president in a time of multiple crises, he’s going to have to have multiple foci. And I’m glad that he has maintained that healthcare is and must be a priority.

It's the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Here are three interesting links:

Jezebel: Ready for Primetime: TV dramas tackle unplanned pregnancy
NYMag: The Abortion Distortion: Just how pro-choice is America, really?
Joan Malin (of Planned Parenthood): Abortion is Healthcare

Please share your own links, as well as your thoughts on what Roe means to you, women, and society.  I know I'm opening up to this by introducing a controversial topic, but please keep it clean and polite. 

What does Scott Brown's win mean for you?

Scott Brown's victory over once-believed shoo-in Martha Coakley for Ted Kennedy's senate seat surely has many implications, but it may or may not affect whether the health care legislation is passed.  The Democrats have a couple options to pass the bill (Times Online has a good analysis), which would not force them to face the filibuster, and their new inability to override.

Firstly, they could pass the Senate bill exactly as-is, meaning the same version of the bill would have been passed by both the House and the Senate, and send the bill directly to President Obama.  Some are reluctant to do this because they have reservations about the Senate version of the bill. 

Closure of Atlanta's charity dialysis clinic leaves some with

As an Atlanta resident, I've been hearing about the closure of our public hospital's dialysis clinics for months on the news. As we approach the deadline for services, however, the situation has been making national news. Grady's outpatient dialysis center has run at a large financial loss to the city for years and primarily serves illegal immigrants with no healthcare alternatives. To ease transition for existing patients, Grady has been paying relocation fees (back to Mexico) as well as offering services through a private contractor to bridge the gap. The primary criticism of this is that these patients will not be able to receive similar care in Mexico, and some have already had to cut back on treatments due to cost, a poor decision in more advanced cases of kidney disease.