This is an article in response to the “Health care or the Church” article that was in The Panther in the March 24 edition.
Firstly, let’s talk about the bill itself, this bill in its proper name is called H.R. 4872 – The American Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Here are the metrics of the bill. The total cost of this bill is $940 billion over 10 years which approximately equals $94 billion a year over 10 years. This bill will insure 32 million Americans who are uninsured and there are provisions established by the plan that would allow self employed small business owners the choice of opting for the insurance exchange program with the state government while using federal credits. The plan would also allow a family of four that is at the national poverty level of $22,050 and earning between 100 to 400 percent of the national poverty level the ability to purchase their own insurance with a government subsidy as long as they are not on Medicaid or Medicare.
How will the American citizens be taxed? It is simple. A 3.8 percent tax will be levied on households that make $250,000 per year, as well as a 40 percent excise tax on corporations that offer the Cadillac high-end insurance plans worth over $27,500 for families and approximately $10,200 for individuals.
The fine situation is not as complex as it has been stated in some news sources. The individual mandate states that in 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions and provisions for low-income families and individuals. Moreover technically, there is no employer mandate. Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance.
Now let’s talk about the education component of this legislation. About half of the undergraduate students in the United States and at Prairie View receive federal student aid and about 8.5 million students in the Unites States attend college with the help of Pell Grants and Federal SEOG Grants. Under this bill, private banks can no longer act as middlemen in federal student loans. The government would use the savings to boost Pell Grants and make it easier for student loan repayment. More importantly, borrowers could see lower interest rates in the future and perhaps gain higher approval rates on student loans.
Now that the metric of this bill has been discussed it surely does not sound like this will be the spawn of Satan. Nor does this bill spell out taxation to oblivion. What this bill does is truly provide for the general welfare of the American people. It embodies the true intentions of the preamble to the Constitution and for that matter the Constitution itself. This country is a 308 million man empire that operates at approximately 130 million American workers.
With the current technology transfers that we are experiencing it is safe to say that our $16 trillion economy must have the most educated, the most scientifically and mathematically advanced population, and we must have the healthiest population to become productive and remain a brilliant and resilient economy.
It must be stated for the record that unhealthy people are not productive and in these changing times it is our civic duty to ensure that our country’s skilled and unskilled laborers have the brain power, physical and mental attributes to promote and foster economic growth for the future. I would suggest reading “The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman. This book analyses globalization on an empirical level.
Lastly, to use the church as a form of demagoguery is in itself nonsense. The LORD is a GOD of love. The LORD does not just require our attendance at church on the Sabbath for worship, or require that we tithe 10 percent of our earnings, the LORD also requires us to extend charity. Charity which means love is the selfless giving to the church and its multitudes of people around the world. I find our current national leaders’ actions to be exceptional and in my opinion outstanding in the eyes of this society.
This health care debate has nothing to do with the church, but it has a lot to do with the common thread of our people.
Titus R. Pierce