“Tonight we proved that this government still works for the people,” said President Barack Obama after the Congressional Vote on March 21. (‘Time Magazine’)    

On this day, the Health Care Reform Bill was passed and it is about the size of a Webster’s dictionary. This bill is huge and has gone into such depth that it is incomprehensible to almost everyone. President Obama, on the day before the Health Care Reform vote took place, gave his fellow peers a pep talk, and according to ‘Time Magazine’ news writer, Joe Klein, began his speech with words once spoken by Abraham Lincoln, “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.”     

So what was wrong with the Health Care in the first place, you ask? Well, kind of a lot. Klein said that there was a huge injustice since people who were poor and nonworking received health care without question from Medicare, yet those who were poor and tried to earn some money couldn’t touch any of that unless they had an employer that would provide it to them. Medicare, by the way, is America’s health insurance program for people who are 65 years or older. They do accept people who are younger if they have disabilities, permanent kidney failures or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Medicare helps with the high health care cost, but does not intend to pay for the whole bill nor the cost of a long term care. (www.ssa.gov) So, basically, when you need them, they’re out of the door.                                                                                        Another problem with the current health care is that insurance companies determine who will receive their help and who will be left on the floor with an outstretched hand for help. This is unfair business, and Obama has strived to change that.

“I believe that Obama has the right frame of mind with the way he’s going; he won’t mess up because his policies thus far have worked in small doses and I believe that this [bill] will be just as effective. People don’t see the changes because they want to see immediate response,” said senior Nicholas Patino.      

During the last couple of years, Obama has made, somewhat of an outline of what will be factored into our daily American lives.            

According to Karen Tumulty and Kate Pickert with Alice Park in ‘Time Magazine,’ in 2010, students up to age 26 are eligible to be under their parents’ health plan and as of September 2010, every kid under 17 years of age will have health insurance. Insurance companies can’t reject anyone because of their pre-existing health conditions, such as asthmas or heart disease. There will be no lifetime “caps” (meaning a limit of money the insurance company will spend on an individual) on insurance coverage.

As of September, anyone who wishes to enroll in a health plan can go in a “pool” (a large quantity of people who come together to purchase health insurance at a reduced cost due to the amount of people in that pool). Employers of small businesses can receive tax credits to purchase the insurance for their employees. The government will give small tax credits to help them pay for their employees health insurance. Medicare patients can’t pass over $2,700 for anything medical; if it goes beyond that amount, government will pay $250 more to help pay for medical needs until the costs reach $6,154.

In 2011, all insurance companies are required to spend at least 80% of the premium (the amount of money individuals pay towards the health coverage). In 2013, anyone who is making over $200,000 and family income over $250,000 will pay extra taxes to help cover the health cost. In 2014, all Americans making more than $88,000 have to buy health insurance coverage or get penalized (get charged with money). No one knows the charges as yet.

All insurance companies are prohibited from refusing to sell policies and are limited in their ability to set prices for the insurance policies (like ganging up with each other to set a specific price for a health condition). All businesses that employ more than 50 individuals or employees must provide health coverage. In 2010, any employer who provides $27,500 for a family or $10,200 for a single employee is subjected to pay a penalty of 40% excise tax. In, 2020, the prescription drug coverage gap is eliminated for the prescription drug beneficiaries who are on Medicare.      

So what do people even thinking about it? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it matter? Here’s what some Vipers said (and we have to admit, we heard a lot of “What?” and “Ask someone who knows,”)

 “Health Care Bill is very controversial - on one hand I think most Americans believe that the Health Care system needs to be fixed in the country. We have so many people that die or because they can’t get the adequate health care or they can’t get treatment because it’s not covered by their particular health care,” said Social Studies teacher Mr. Daniel Vinat. “But at the same time I think in the economic times we’re in, a lot of people have concerns about how we’re going to pay for a system where everyone is being required to have some sort of health care and the government is going to have to provide an option for that. And I think a lot of people will have serious concerns about where the money is going to come from to pay for that.”

Another teacher, Mr. Lapworth said, “I think people that have problems in their lives financially should be offered some kind of health insurance or help. Is it a true human right to get health care is a debatable point. It will probably drive up taxes and lead to some maybe federal deficit problems,” said science teacher Mr. Richard Lapworth. “Will they fund abortion with tax payers money, who knows. If you’re an alcoholic, and you get sick later in life, people will get health care for that and yet they maid that decision in their lives and I feel merciful and compassionate to them but should you and I pay higher taxes to help replace an alcoholic’s liver? I don’t think so; the alcoholic should quit drinking, so it opens up a lot of questions about who’s going to pay for what. I appreciate Obama’s desire to try to help out those that need help, but there are a lot of unanswered questions.”