The Journalist

Obama Health Care Address

President Obama’s recent decision to make health care compulsory for the majority of Americans had created quite fervor in Washington and around the country. Republican lawmakers, unanimously opposed to the plan, claim that the bill is too expensive and endows the government with too much control. Will Obama’s health care plan level the playing field and make health care more affordable for the average, middle class American, or will the plan allow Big Brother to have control over one more aspect of the American people? What about those religious sectors like the Order of Mennonites and the Amish who believe that it is the responsibility of their community and church to care for the sick and will not seek medical care assistance outside of their communities? Would these people be forced to go against their religious beliefs and ideals because a government that they don’t recognize as an authority said that they must?

The current version of the bill in the Senate imposes a $95 fine on those who do not obtain health coverage by 2014. The fine would be increased to $750 for those who do not obtain insurance by 2016. Without a doubt, the current health care is flawed and there is a vast majority of Americans who fall in the gaping crevasse between subsidized health care and those lucky enough to have health insurance through their employer. Modification of the current American health care system is far overdue, and Obama should be lauded for his ambitious and unwavering efforts to extend health care to the majority of Americans, but the civil liberties of the American people must be protected and preserved above all else.