218 Baby

On Saturday night at around 11pm I jumped off my couch cheering - no I wasn't watching Sportscenter, I was watching CSPAN, and the number of "yes" votes had just hit the 218 mark. In a giant step forward, the House passed Obama's health care bill. Way more exciting, and far more important, than any game on TV.*

This article in the Sunday Times points out some really remarkable things that are in the bill that further help us move toward equality, like gays not being taxed on health care for their partners. Also, calorie postings on chain restaurants from McD's to Ruth's Chris are going nationwide.

Cheers to Anh Cao of Louisiana, the only Republican to vote yes on the bill.

Here are the Democrats who voted no.

Now let's talk about why I support this bill and why I think you should too, and the good and bad reasons to oppose it.

I believe we all deserve to get help when we're sick. As it stands now, you could lose your job today and lose your health care. Maybe you couldn't afford COBRA. Maybe you're employed and your employer won't pay for your health care. You could also be dropped from your health insurance for a preexisting condition -- acne has been cited as one of these conditions in recent history. An accident or serious disease, then, could bankrupt you, even if you're employed and have a savings account.

But enough with the fear marketing. Don't you think it's troubling that we're #1 in so many things, but one of the only (if not the only - fact check?) industrialized nations without universal health care?

The primary argument I hear from people opposing or questioning the bill is money. How will we pay for it? It is projected to cost $1.1 trillion over the next ten years. The thing is, these people, especially our Republican elected officials, have had no trouble authorizing infinite dollars for our two wars or bailing out big business. Health care is not a "want," like a new stadium (which we get without eyes blinking every year*), it's a necessity. Like national security. Like education. Plus, how much does it cost us when people are not insured and the state has to foot the bill? How about the poor that use the emergency room for primary care, clogging up the system and making it more expensive for everyone else?

Also, I want to point out that the only people I personally know that oppose universal health care are white men who are at the upper end of middle class or higher. Also, my mom. Hmm, same as the people I knew who voted for McCain. Theories?

Here's how the debate is waging on my Facebook page.

But, friends, here's a good reason to oppose the bill that just passed through the House. Did you know that if a woman was receiving subsidies to pay for health care, but paid for an abortion out of pocket, her subsidies could be taken away? How's that for a moral judgment of something that's perfectly legal? Why aren't we penalizing people who make health care more expensive, like smokers or people who don't exercise?

My point, however, is that the bill is not going to be perfect or please everyone, but we need to pass it now and continue to fix it later. It's just too important.

*I will continue to use sports as my prime comparison for people's attention to and involvement in what's going on politically. It's the best one I can think of. For example, if the people who fought crowds, took off work, and stood for hours to go to the Yankees parade last Friday had put in just a fraction of that effort and showed up at the polls last Tuesday, we'd be in a much better place, don't you think?