I’m growing tired of the health care debate. Perhaps you are, too. I’m tired of it for two main reasons:

1. As with so many issues, many people fear and oppose the current reform bill without understanding it, often based on false information. Some say it allows the government to take over our health care system, which is not the case. Some oppose it simply because they are Republicans and blindly oppose anything supported by the Democrats, which is a cop-out. If you actually understand the bill and have specific, grounded objections to it, I can respect your position. You might be right. But lemminglike rejection or acceptance of any proposal based on party affiliation or unfounded assumptions does not serve anyone well.
2. They still haven’t reformed health care. A bill might pass sometime soon, but it hasn’t happened yet, and the problems with our health care system go on.

The Dallas Morning News wrote a nice summary of Obama’s latest proposal. It’s toward the bottom of the page.

In my view, although it doesn’t solve every problem and is extremely expensive, I like Obama’s plan because it helps address some of the biggest problems with our current system:

• When you start a new policy due to a job change or other reason, insurance companies can deny you coverage for a preexisting condition, such as cancer or even pregnancy. That should be criminal.
• At least 30 million people are uninsured, including millions of children, due largely to the high cost of coverage. We have friends who don’t have insurance and have to pay out-of-pocket for any health expenses. We hope they never get into a car wreck, get sick, or get pregnant unexpectedly because it might destroy them financially.
• There are limited ways to get decent insurance coverage: work for a large company or organization, serve in the military, live long enough to get Medicare, pay ridiculous amounts of money for it, or serve in Congress. Jenny and I are blessed with great insurance through Southwest. My parents, on the other hand, are self-employed. Their premiums and deductible are huge, but their coverage is lousy. People who choose to work for themselves or for small businesses should have access to good coverage at an affordable price. People shouldn’t be afraid to go to the doctor when they are sick or injured.

I believe everyone deserves quality health care.

If you trust them (don’t laugh, it’s worth a look), the White House put together a webpage that tries to explain the Obama proposal’s impact on you based on your situation. The bill will have little impact on me and Jenny, but I believe it will help some of you.

If the Republicans can work up a plan that will fix health care, I’d love to hear it. I hate all political parties and have no particular affiliation with the Democrats, despite my support for Obama. But I haven’t seen a comprehensive counter-proposal from the Republicans, mainly lots of objections instead. I do like their goal of limiting medical malpractice liability as a way to cut health-care costs. Let’s put the best ideas together from all sides and get this thing done.