First of all, I would like to congratulate the people in power for passing the health care reform bill. It is definitely a step towards the right direction, and this is exactly what we have been waiting for. Let me just make one comment for those who are opposed to a health care reform. There are those out there that claim that America does not want this bill, and that these protests are gaining strength. Unfortunately, it is the opposite. Keep in mind that majority of Americans CHOSE the president, and if I remember correctly, it was NOT a marginal victory. We also cleaned up the congress and put the Democrats in power. I am just thankful that those who have been elected to power have made progress towards the needs of the American voters that actually put them there.

Now what? What does this mean for the American people? How long until we actually see these changes in effect? Is it enough to hand out health care to everyone and stop there? Well, I don’t think we can stop here. If I may, I am going to let out a little bit of my fiscal conservative side here, and make a couple comments and introspections…

1) From what I understand, one of the things that will go into effect immediately is that the legislation prohibits insurers right away from excluding from coverage children with pre-existing health conditions. Adults will be included in this provision, but not until later. Bravo for this! I think this is one of the most important provision that I applaud. If we are going to bring kids into the world, I think it is the responsibility of not just the parents but society as a whole to provide these kids with some of the most fundamental needs to survive. Health care for any children, regardless of their pre-existing conditions, should be a given, and the government is definitely going in the right track with that.

Now, I can’t help to think what happens without this piece of legislation. That means that kids who are born into this world with special needs may not be fortunate enough to be born to families that cannot provide what they need. One option might be to give that kid up for adoption, to more affluent parents that would be able to provide these basic needs. The question now is: why would anyone would be willing to adopt a child who will cause them a lot of work and pain? My guess is that affluent parents would want to adopt healthy children rather than children who constantly need care. Another option? Maybe the kid shouldn’t be brought into the world at all. Of course, the best way to go with this option would be to not conceive a kid at all, but who can really predict whether or not you will conceive a perfect healthy baby? Or, there is also the A-word, abortion. God forbid for bringing this up as an option, but quite frankly I will steer away from this because I am not a woman. And just because I do not have a strong stance against abortion does not mean I am a “baby killer”. In fact, in my opinion, women who go through abortion can have serious psychological repercussions. I cannot speak personally for women and what they feel, but I think abortion should really be a last resort in any case. But should it be the case where abortion is not an option at all for our little hypothetical situation, then there is no choice but to keep the kid. But it is interesting that many of those very same people who are so “pro-life” are not really “pro-life” after all once a child is brought into this world. Where does “pro-life” go once life is here? For these kids who are less fortunate than others, where is the support from those who claim that every life is precious? It does not make sense…

2) I think now that we have the beginnings of a great health care in this country, here are some comments that I think would bring us towards some great things. I think we should step back and really think about what it means to have “health care”. For me, caring for your health also means maintaining your health! We should think of more ways to encourage this country to live a healthy lifestyle and focus more energy on preventive health care programs. This means that we should have incentives for those who are taking the initiative to live a healthy lifestyle. The truth of the matter is that it is expensive these days to keep healthy. There is the cost of going to the gym. Organic foods are typically accessible to those who have money. Clean air and neighborhoods are usually signs of money. And these days, physical check-ups are not covered by a lot of insurance. We should be looking for ways to bring the costs of these preventive measures down. Being healthy should no longer be just for the rich. Insurance should encourage us to go to the gym, buy organic foods, go to routine physical check ups, or even as simple as drinking less sugary drinks. The Soda Tax plan, I think, is a good plan to encourage people to be healthier, and the money from this tax should go to the cost of making healthy foods more accessible to public. In the long run, I think this will reduce the health care spending significantly. After all, it is much cheaper to spend money on preventive measures rather than on emergency room services.

I have more comments in mind, but unfortunately, I have to stop for now.