Will the Senate Follow Suit?
The health care reform legislation that was approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday has attached high hopes to a very large price tag-the bill would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years and reduce the federal deficit by $104 billion.
Senator Joe Lieberman, an Independent Democrat from Connecticut, was quoted as saying, "I believe the debt can break America and send us into a recession that's worse than the one we're fighting our way out of today."
Clearly such a statement resonates with each and every American who has struggled through the current economic hardships. But doesn't every American also deserve access to health care?
Congressional Democrats say that by expanding Medicaid eligibility, the bill would extend coverage to 36 million US residents currently without insurance. The bill also promises to establish a national health insurance exchange, where individuals could purchase private coverage or a public health insurance plan.
PTs work through insurance-related issues every day in the hallways of hospitals and in the gyms of outpatient clinics. What do you believe the Senate should do?