Barack Obama's Blueprint for Change: Health Care

I started with Barack Obama's Blueprint for Change.

The first thing that struck me about the blueprint is the request that we think over the policies inside and get in touch with the Obama staff to relay our thoughts and suggestions. What a marvelous invitation! And it's totally in line with Obama's promise to put government back in the hands of the people. From there, the blueprint goes right into Ethics then on to Health Care.

Part 2 - Obama on Health Care

Barack Obama is concerned that 47 million Americans lack health care; health insurance premiums have risen four times faster than worker pay during the past six years; and we don't spend enough on prevention or public health care which leads to skyrocketing costs for treatment after the fact.

To address these issues, Obama is going to make a new national health plan available to all Americans which will include the self employed and small business owners. The plan will be affordable and have comparable features to the plan that is offered to members of Congress. Let's take a look at some of the features of the plan.

Guaranteed Eligibility - no one can be turned away because of illness or pre-existing conditions.

What this means to the average citizen is that the days of being eligible for health insurance only if you are in top shape will be gone. If you are uninsured and coughing up a lung when you enroll in this new health plan, the insurer will not be able to turn you away. You'll get the coverage you need and the treatment necessary to put the lung back where it's supposed to be.

Comprehensive Benefits - all essential medical services will be covered including preventative, maternity and mental health care.

This provision means that if you are reasonably healthy, but may have something on the verge of going wrong, you'll be able to have a doctor correct the issue before it becomes a full blown debilitating problem. And you'll no longer have to pay for these benefits with the healthy arm and leg you have left.

Subsidies - individuals and families will receive an income related federal subsidy to buy into the plan or choose a private one if they do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance.

This is for the people who work their butts off, but still have to live check to check because of their low wages. They won't be turned away because those low wages are just a tad too high to qualify for Medicaid or other low income programs. These folks will get additional funds based on their income to help them afford this health care program.

Portability and Choice - participants can easily change jobs without endangering their coverage.

This is another good component of the Obama Health Care Plan. We will finally be able to change jobs without worrying about our coverage lapsing. No more probationary period waiting. No more expensive COBRA plans. Your health insurance will remain the same even if your job does not. How's that for a cool feature?

Admittedly, there are a lot of benefits for the individual. However, the Obama Health Care Plan does not leave out American businesses.

Employer Reimbursement for Catastrophic Illnesses

The plan will reimburse employers for a portion of any catastrophic costs they incur on behalf of their employees above a set threshold. All the employer has to do to receive this benefit is show how the savings are used to lower the cost of their employees' premiums. Sounds like a win-win on both sides to me.

Other features of the plan designed to lower costs include proven disease management programs, coordination of medical information across physicians so it's readily accessible, strengthening laws to prevent carriers from overcharging for malpractice insurance and investing in information technology systems to standardize patient records.

On the prescription side on Obama's health care plan, he's going to allow us to buy medications from other countries if the price is lower than what we can get here. Additionally, he's going to increase the use of generic drugs in Medicare and other similar programs to lower costs to the consumer. Last, but not least, He's going to stop big pharmaceutical companies from keeping generic drugs off the market in an effort to boost their profits.

I don't know about you, but this is the plan for me. I'm really tired of living one medical crisis away from complete financial ruin. How about you?

All of these promises have significant work that needs to be done before they're realized. And that's why Obama is always saying that this election is not about him, it is about us. It's kinda hard to have government by the people if the people don't bother to show up.

Now is our chance to get our country back on track and regain our stature of role model instead of laughingstock in the eyes the global community. Obama is going to give us that opportunity. It's time for us to take it.

My fellow Americans - please remember that the world is watching.