Those who are proclaiming that passage of the health care bill is the end of the American Republic or the first step on the road to fascism need to turn off Glenn Beck and take a look at what the new law actually does and does not do. The reform is not a "government takeover" of the health care system; the vast majority of Americans will continue to be covered by private insurance. The only people who will see their taxes go up even slightly are those earning more than $200,000 a year. The individual mandate will affect only the small number of people who can afford insurance but choose not to purchase it. The people most affected will be those in the middle class who currently cannot afford insurance but earn too much to qualify for Medi-caid. Under the new law, they will receive subsidies to purchase insurance from private insurers. People with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and asthma will no longer face discrimination from insurers. All Americans will benefit from new regulations that prevent insurance companies from dropping people who become sick, or imposing annual spending caps that drive people into bankruptcy when catastrophe strikes. In short, only a small number of people are adversely affected by the new law. Everyone receives new and important protections, and millions will be benefiting by it tremendously. Butler County should be proud that Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-3rd, was able to see through the overheated and misinformed rhetoric of the health care bill's opponents and do the right thing for her constituents.
Anthony Resnick Toluca Lake, Calif. Formerly of Butler
