Maria Kernychny, Editor
As President Barack Obama’s first year passes its halfway point, many of his new policies and plans are still in the works. One of multiple is the new health care plan reform, a current headline on channels such as CNN and NBC, that has become a hot topic, but one that not many adults or teens seem to know many details about.
“I’ve heard about it from random places, like the TV and my parents, but I have no idea what his plan is,” senior Katelyn Alderman said.
In simpler terms, Obama’s goal is to get health care for everybody in the country. The government plan is for those who are unable to receive health care from private companies.
“The concern is that people are not able to get [health care] sometimes. If you lose your job and have a problem, you can’t get it because you don’t qualify. And, sometimes, you just can’t afford it,” Dr. Timothy Wall, of Pediatric Health Associates, said.
According to Wall, with more people insured, better health is guaranteed. People will be able to afford medication because of lower costs, and government will control treatments, which would make them cheaper.
“The child with diabetes who doesn’t have insurance and can’t get insulin suddenly will be able to,” Wall said.
Though the plan has many upsides, with it come the difficult questions that have kept it as just a proposal and one big debate. The downsides come in on a more economic level. Economically, the plan is so expensive that the budget will be very hard, if not impossible, to sustain.
Also, if passed, Wall said he is worried that doctors will be receiving big pay cuts. This will cause longer waiting lines for surgeries, and stricter criteria on who can receive them. If these big changes occur, they’ll not only be affecting adults, but teenagers as well.
“I think a lot of things Obama’s doing are for the good of everyone, but it’s weird to see how the government is now included in [teenagers’] lives, too,” senior Anasteja Shamble said.
Wall said that Congress passing this reform means teenagers may receive a ripple effect of having a harder time finding a job. Employers might have to pay higher taxes for people that are younger and want short-term or part-time jobs, because of higher health insurance costs. Obama’s health care plan reform is a big issue circulating in the politics world, that teenagers may wish to keep tabs on–for the sake of their own health.