Causecast

by KAREN MURPHY, Contributing Writer

2009 is the year of health care reform. President Obama has said that health reform “cannot wait, must not wait, and will not wait another year.” And it won’t. Yesterday, President Obama met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other key House Democrats to discuss health care reform, and Speaker Pelosi has promised that the House will add it to an already full summer slate.

Here’s what you need to know about health care reform and how it will affect you:

1) President Obama supports making health care affordable. At its current rate of spending, the U.S. is expected to spend $4.3 trillion on health care by the year 2017, or about 20% of the GDP. The average American household income is about $46,000, yet a health care premium for a family of four is almost $13,000, or about 40% of that average family’s after-tax income, making that premium far from affordable. Already have great health insurance? Obama promises it won’t change.

2) We clearly can’t afford NOT to have health care: lack of health care killed an estimated 22,000 adult Americans in 2006 (more than the number of homicides that year), and medical errors kills 98,000 more Americans every year. Obama likely won’t push the counting of uninsured Americans too deeply at first, though, because of the bad taste the comprehensive Clinton plan left in the hearts of skeptical Americans and legislators. (See Obama’s list of simple reform elements.)

3) Universal health care paid for by tax dollars is supported by two-thirds of Americans, as long as it doesn’t limit choice of providers or waiting lists for non-emergency procedures. Among Millennials, that figure skyrockets to 71% in support of universal health care.

4) Many health plans don’t include mental health care, yet a quarter of Americans meet the criteria for having a mental illness. Half of Americans suffering from mental illness in a given year don’t receive treatment (even though spending on mental health increased 65% over the last ten years). In addition, a significant number, 25%, of Millennials experienced depression before the age of 24. More and more people, especially Millennials, are being diagnosed with depression and other mental illnesses.

5) We have a voice. Any reform needs to at baseline address these topics — affordability, accessibility, tax-based universal care, and mental health — but we can make our voices heard. Send a message to President Obama with your ideas for health reform. Get involved with Health Care for America Now and call Congress or join a local group working to enact health care reform for everyone. You can also declare your support for Obama’s three principles for health care reform.

Image from scyza, stock.xchang

Read more Causecast stories about health care! Find out how to get covered with a pre-existing medical condition or read an insider’s look at our ailing health care system by acclaimed surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.