Health Care and the Economy

It's health care week--finally this week health care is going to be decided one way or the other.  Yes, they've been saying that for months, but this week it may actually be a reality.  Why'd it take so long?  It's not just because of gridlock in Washington, it's because the whole health care debate wasn't sold so well. 

Though there is a health care crisis in this country (Republicans admit that much) it never seemed like such a pressing concern when compared to the overall economy.  Why was President Obama even thinking about health care when unemployment was rising and the credit industry isn't behaving all that much better than before the crisis?  It seemed so...secondary. 

Though Obama did try to link health care and the economy, it just seemed too once-removed from our real pressing problems - and too complicated by half.  How could a health care bill that costs billions of dollars ever help a country that's already deep in debt?  There's that, and when one side is talking about "death panels," replying with, "It will help the economy" isn't quite an effective answer.

The Washington Independent puts it well:

"The trouble facing Democrats as they continue to push for health care reform is that, in a country of roughly 300 million people, almost 260 million already have health insurance, and of those who don't, a vast majority likely won't face any medical emergencies this year. Contrast that with those without jobs, who feel the pain of their condition each and every day."

Though rising health care costs are a huge burden to families, this hasn't been enough to convince people that health care is a front-burner issue.  People without jobs think more about getting a job to pay the rent than to get health benefits. However, if a large percentage of your paycheck is going to health care, this can cut into your income and spending, which can affect economic growth throughout the country.  The Independent goes on,

"In 2009, Americans spent roughly $2.5 trillion on health care, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — a figure representing 17.3 percent of the nation's economy, up from 16.2 percent the year before. And things are projected to get much worse. CMS economists project that health spending will jump to $4.5 trillion in 2019, representing 19 percent of the economy."

All that money funneled to one industry isn't good for those businesses that need the revenue.  Argue all you want about how health care legislation is addressed, but the status quo is not really an option.  Mandating that people buy insurance doesn't seem like the greatest idea since sliced bread (or even unsliced bread), but it's gotten to the point where it's "do something now, fix it later" which isn't ideal, but neither is the current health care system.

How does the current situation with health care affect you?  Do you support reforming the system?  Tell us in the comments!