A Homeless Man's View on the Health Care Legislation

The Obama health care bill will mandate all to have health care. This sounds good to me as an uninsured resident of Lancaster, Calif. However, I am confused as to just exactly where I fit into the puzzle. I am unemployed and relying on the state of California through general relief, which provides me with slightly less than $400 a month in cash and food stamps.

Because I am unemployed and receive such little money, I live in a tent in the middle of a field. I already have the stress of being unemployed and homeless, essentially trespassing on someone else's land to have a place to sleep. I don't need yet another stress in my life.

Page 59 makes reference to the federal government having access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer. I am confused by this. How can the government step in and gain access to my bank account? And does electronic funds transfer mean they will put money into my account or take it out? I don't know if I like the government knowing what I have in my bank account.

According to page 42, the government can mandate an order for end-of-life treatment. So now the government is in charge of deciding who will die and when? I'm thinking the government is getting themselves into areas I believe they should not be in. So, if you are going to cost the government too much to keep yourself alive, they will put you down? I fear for my father who is 73 years old. Will the government deem him too old and order an end-of-life treatment? And to make matters worse, the government will decide what level of treatment you get during this end-of-life treatment? That's on page 430 of this massive bill.

As someone diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, page 494 really gets me ticked off. The government will be over mental health services. They will be defining and rationing those services. Does that mean the seriously mentally ill will be receiving end-of-life treatments?

The part of the bill that really takes the cake for me is page 298. If you are seen by a doctor and that results in a readmission, the doctor is fined. While it might not seem as though it would affect me, as I am not a doctor, it can. What if I come back with the same issue and instead of readmitting me, the doctor to prevent a fine simply turns me away?

After all, I'm unemployed and have bipolar disorder. I have already had to deal with doctors telling me everything is in my head.

I believe the health care bill will simply make it more likely for people to not seek medical treatment, in the fear that they might be turned away, or even worse, presented with an end-of-life treatment. I guess I just need to sit back and wait for my National ID Healthcard to arrive at my mailing address, since page 58 says every person will be issued one.

Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2300451/posts