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Now That Obama Is Inaugurated
His victory, which came as no surprise given that opinion polls favoured him during much of the campaign period, was expected to usher in a new dawn for most American’s, especially those from the middle and lower classes. Thus, as the election drew closer more emphasis was placed on economy and health care than on Iraq war and security, which his opponent had hoped would conveniently be the focus, bringing out his experience as a war veteran and in the field of foreign policy. The focus on health care, in particular, became more pronounced in the last days of the campaign as each candidate tried to sell his idea of the type of system American’s, already battered by dwindling economic fortunes with many losing their jobs and health insurance coverage, would desire. Campaign healthcare proposals That Mr Obama’s argument for a government-controlled regime that would widen coverage at a cheaper rate prevailed over Senator McCain’s laissez-faire position for market forces determining the prices of health care coverage also did not come as a surprise. Nor was it a major issue, given that what most American’s wanted was something to help solidify their decision to vote out the Republicans, and perhaps, whatever was left of the then incumbent President George W Bush. Even as a sizeable proportion of the electorate was not sure whether an Obama presidency was the best decision, the country was quite united in its belief that anything other than a continuation of the Republican leadership, as symbolised by Mr Bush, was very desirable. Obama’s health care proposal, as such, was worth giving a chance. Expanded health insurance coverage Last week, a boost to his campaign promise came from the Nancy Pelosi-led House of Representatives when they voted overwhelmingly in support of expanding government-funded health insurance to cover an additional four million children. The lack of health coverage for a growing number of American children has been of major concern, as those from poorer backgrounds, as opposed to their more fortunate mates from richer homes, were continuously excluded. With the new legislation, if approved by the senate too, the number of those currently excluded would be significantly cut down. And President Obama, last week, urged the Senate to act fast to enable him sign the bill into law as soon as he was sworn in. Recall that this was one area in which his predecessor Mr Bush failed the American public as he vetoed a similar bill. Meanwhile he was hugely investing in prosecuting the Iraq war. Speaker Pelosi, responding to opponents of the current bill who argued there’s no money to fund the scheme, said: “Forty days in Iraq equals over 10 million children in America insured for one year. We certainly can afford to do that.” Funding such project, no doubt, requires a serious financial commitment. With America’s ailing economy still defying every prescription so far administered one would wonder where the money would come from. But it is understood that tobacco taxes would be increased to pay for the programme, under the State Children’s Health Insurance Programme (SCHIP), to be jointly run by the federal and state governments. In the meantime, as President Obama assumes office, it’s hoped that he will keep to his words and make life better for the people that massively endorsed his dream. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Musa has more articles pertaining to health insurance and other insurance related articles. |
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