Health Insurance Articles
Republicans Rally Their Side Of Health Care Debate
2009-10-10
As the debate over health care reform continues, Republicans are rallying support for their side. Both parties are appealing to the medical profession to give credibility to their views.
In a pep rally at the White House on Monday 150 doctors, dressed in white lab coats, participated to champion President Obama's plan. During the rally, the President encouraged the doctors to more actively campaign for reform. Republicans responded with suspicion. Some are claiming that the gathering gave the impression that more doctors are for the Democrats' health care coverage plan than actually are. Republican doctors, including Georgia Representative Phil Gingrey are standing up to voice their own opinions.
Gingrey claimed that GOP House doctors who had wanted to meet with the President to discuss health care never received a response from the White House. Waving his own white lab coat in the air as he stood on the House floor, Gingrey said, "If these voices are not enough to get his attention, my white coat will."
Republicans are focusing their opposition around the cost to individual Americans. The heath care coverage debate hinges on the desire, expressed by both parties, to increase the quality of health insurance coverage, while lowering costs. Senator Olympia Snow, a Republican from Maine, said, "First and foremost, we have an obligation to show we achieved the goal of affordability, which is what this legislation is all about." However, most Republicans say that President Obama's plan will result in a tax increase for many Americans. Specifically, Republicans are focusing on a provision in the bill that would penalize Americans who opt not to purchase a health care plan. Currently, the proposed penalty would begin at $200 per year in 2014 and would increase up to $750 per adult in the household by 2017. The maximum penalty for a family would be $1,500 per year. Republicans claim that because the bill would force individuals and families who would not otherwise purchase health care, to either purchase a plan or pay the penalty, it would amount to a tax increase.
Democrats have called for two changes to the bill in an attempt to ease some of these concerns. The first is intended to assist those who might be near the cutoff line for Medicaid, but earn just a little too much to qualify. The second would exclude many from the mandate to buy health insurance and would reduce the penalties to others who refuse to do so in spite of the mandate. However, Republicans are maintaining their stand that the legislation would still increase the burden of many middle or low-income families who cannot afford health insurance coverage.
