THE U.S. HEALTHCARE REFORMS BILL – A HISTORIC LANDMARK

Though he had been facing a plummeting popularity amongst his countrymen and though he had not been able to carry the entire political spectrum of US along with him, President Barack Obama had achieved what he had set out to during his election campaign. He could get the US Health Reforms Bill passed by the houses of American Parliament. This is a great achievement! He had succeeded where many high profile Presidents of the past had failed. The most significant aspect of the bill is that more than 32 million poor Americans, who were not part of the health insurance coverage, either due to their incapability to pay the hefty insurance premiums or not able to comply with the conditions laid out by the American insurance companies; will now come into the coverage, thru subsidy of the state. Additionally, children will get covered for health insurance with their parents until the age of 26 years. There are many more provisions in the bill, but suffice to say that this is a landmark decision.

It had always baffled the world on how American health system came to be this complicated. As the most developed nation of the world, one expected health for all for American, without it is being completely dictated by agenda centric Insurance companies. There are very good examples of better health policy for citizen in United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries. The fact is that in the US, money swallowed health. Being a cruel capital economy, money came to control things such as health, social welfare etc. And then, there has not been any escape from the ‘chakravyuh’ created by the money power, despite the best try by well meaning leaders of the past. This is where the efforts of President Obama must get lauded. He knew that things were not going the way he planned. He had so much of opposition from his own party Senators – more than thirty of them!- The entire Republicans stood against the bill. (He thought he could convince many of them but failed). The usual tactics of bringing fear and racialism into the public was adopted by the opposition. Historic events such as “Tea Party’ etc was organised y the opposition to defeat the bill. In spite all strong opposition, President Barack Obama carried the bill through, yes, with some cuts here and some chopping there. A significant achievement indeed!

As one watches the United States of America From a distance, one cannot but feel uncomfortable of the fact on how thoughtless had been the US citizens. It looks like a majority of them had lost the ability to think rationally and had gone under the impact of emotions created purposely by politicians who only stood for commercial establishments with strong money and muscle power. The power of discrimination had left the Americans totally, lest how could the nation not look at the merit of the bill and help passing it in unison than being a deeply divided nation?

One feels that long ago, the Americans had lost the sense of objectivity. As a very self centred nation, subsequent to 9/11, the emotion of fear played a significant part in average American’s life. Emotion indeed takes away objectivity. Lately, even the sense of fairness had deserted them. They had started going into the cocoon than opening up to understand the reality around them. So long as they stay put in the cocoon, there is no escape. In the meantime, nations that have a sense of reality and that try to progress through the challenges of facing reality, will come into the forefront. What we see in China and India is this progress through the sense of reality.

The fact is very simple, if you don’t understand what it is, there is no way you can take up the challenge related to it. It is time the Americans realized this….