Health Care Reform; Government Intrusion or Necessity for Life?

Now that the US House of Representatives has passed America's Health Choices Act of 2009, and as the Senate takes up debate on the Affordable Health Care for America Act in the Senate, which are better known as the Health Care Reform Act, the battle lines have been drawn between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate as each group takes up its banner in defense of or opposition to this historic bill. Because of the complexity of the issue, the disinformation spread by opponents and defenders alike, and the rumors that have nothing to do with the bill many Americans are beginning to ask themselves, "Does health care reform really matter?"

Health care reform needed for the uninsured

Los Angeles Times reporter Karen Kaplan recently filed a story based on a 2002 through 2006 study of over 600,000 patients who visited trauma centers for emergency treatment. The study, which was published by the Archives of Surgery in 2009, shows conclusively that trauma patients without medical insurance were 80% more likely to die than patients with private medical insurance who were treated for same or similar symptoms. Because there are laws that require emergency rooms to care for all patients regardless of their ability to pay for services many ER doctors were surprised by the findings, but were unable to explain the reasons for the huge difference in mortality rates. Whatever the reason, it is apparent that if you have insurance you will probably live, if you don't have insurance, you probably won't survive the ER.

Health care reform may reduce infant mortality

Another disturbing statistic reveals that the United States has the second highest infant mortality rate among all developed nations. According to the State of the World's Mothers report prepared and issued each year by Save the Children Federation only Latvia has a higher infant mortality rate than the U. S. The study also shows that minorities in the U.S., who are less likely to have access to affordable health insurance, have an even higher rate of infant mortality than the population as a whole.

Anne Tinker, director of Save the Children's Saving Newborn Lives initiative, stated in a recent CNN report, "some nations ranked high (with lower child mortality rates) in part because they offer free health services for pregnant women and babies, while the United States suffers from disparities in access to health care". The 2009 State of the World's Mothers report "concluded that political will was more important than national wealth" when it was discovered that some nations such as Mexico and Vietnam that do not have the great wealth of countries like the U.S. fare better than others.

Health care reform needed for all Americans

These problems are getting worse instead of improving. In a news release, the Center for Studying Health System Change reported that the number of Americans who delayed seeking care or faced other problems in accessing medical care has increased from one in seven to one in five. The study, released in 2008, revealed the staggering number of "about 59 million people reporting access problems" and delayed getting or did not receive needed medical care.

Despite the unsubstantiated claims of opponents to the Health Care Reform Act the evidence of hard facts and indisputable statistics indicate the untenable state of health care affordability and delivery in the United States. Study after study reveals the "haves" receive adequate or better health care and the "have-nots" continue to suffer. The only real question remaining is, "Do we have the political will to change the system for the benefit of all?"

Sources
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-trauma-uninsured17-2009nov17,0,4308260.story?track=rss

http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/144/11/1006

http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/state-of-the-worlds-mothers-report/full-report.html?WT.mc_id=0509_sowm_b

http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/994/