How You're Affected

It seems like the most discussed issue in recent months has been the debate on the health care bill. Now that is has been passed, even more debate has arisen. As a college freshman, political jargon isn’t exactly what I like to keep up on, but after reading more into this bill and people discussing how much of a toll this bill could have on our nation's future, I felt like it was my obligation to try and figure out how this would affect not only my family and I, but the United States and generations to come.

I came across an article and graphic from the New York Times that displays how this reform is going to affect different demographics , taking into consideration if you are insured or not. Some of the different factors that are looked at with insured individuals include:

· If you own your own insurance

· If you are insured by your employer

· If you are insured by Medicare

· If you are insured by Medicaid

This graphic also shows details of how the overhaul of the reform will affect uninsured individuals and different programs they will be eligible for. Some of these programs include:

· A new high-risk insurance pool

· Medicaid

· New exchanges (purchase of private insurance)

· Penalties for not obtaining necessary insurance

This graphic and article proved to be very useful for me and the position that I am in. Though I am still under my parent’s insurance, I was able to see how they could be potentially affected by all of this because of the demographic they fall into. Granted the information was laid out very nicely, confusion still ensued for me. Though it displayed a broad spectrum of how Americans could potentially be affected, it did not show many specifics or exactly how we could be affected.

Another graphic I discovered on the Washington Post served very beneficial to me, being someone who is not all too familiar with the bill. I was able to insert basic information regarding my parents insurance, household income and marital status to see how the family would be immediately affected, and affected in the future. According to this graphic, my family will not be affected or will not be forced to pay any additional taxes. As for how accurate this information will prove to be; only time will tell.

Both graphics were useful to me in gaining a better grasp on the new health care bill, but I am still a bit concerned as to how it’s going to affect the nation as a whole. I’ve done a fair amount of research over the past couple of days on the health care reform, and I feel as though I am still in the dark about a lot of issues. I’m looking for something very specific, some way I can figure out exactly how this bill is going to affect the nation. The likelihood of something like this existing, not promising, but any insight or feedback on the oh so confusing health care bill will be valued and taken to heart. Thank you!