Obama Health Care Reform Bill Delayed

So President Obama's bill for health care reform has been delayed ... possibly for an extended period of time. Gasp! No! How could that be? He promised health care was one of his top priorities.

Folks, let's be realistic. I don't think for a minute that health care is not a priority for the Obama administration. I feel confident that he is going to keep it at the top of his agenda, pushing and demanding progress.

However, we need to remember that we have a government comprising three distinct branches that are there for a reason. The checks and balances are cumbersome but key to the success of our democracy.

And of course, we have a legislature sharply divided into two political parties, each with their own agenda, so even something as critical as health care reform is going to take time. Period. We can expect nothing else.

Consider the battle for parity. For more than 13 years, mental health parity – the requirement for health insurance to cover mental illnesses at the same levels as physical illnesses – has been a topic of political discussion when the first Mental Health Parity Act was introduced by the late Senator Paul Wellstone. There have been provisional bills passed, as well as many revisions and iterations of related legislation. Many states have enacted their own laws, but to date there has not been a ratified federal act.

I sincerely hope that some immediate provisions can be reached and agreed upon by all parties so that the many Americans desperately in need of medical assistance can quickly get the help they need. However, a complete overhaul is going to be a slow, painfully wrought process.

~Kimberly

More About Health Care Reform:

• Editorial Shows That Health Reform Can't Pick Sides
• Obama's Healthcare Reform Proposal - Your Chance to Weigh In
• Does Your Healthcare Coverage Color Your Opinion of Universal Healthcare?

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