In defense of the current health care system we hear the refrain that America has the best health care in the world. Fear is spread that shortages and rationing will occur, and that a government health care system will be too expensive.

The ACA is perhaps the last chance that we have to preserve our private health care system. The important question needs to be asked, can we keep costs under control in a health care for profit system? Shareholders expect and demand ever increasing profits.

A second key question needs to be asked, and that is does our current system deliver when it comes to health for every day Americans?
We have every reason to believe that our doctors are among the best but why then are our health statistics so miserable?

A key measurement on our way of life and health is our life expectancy. Our current statistics indicate that the overall life expectancy in America is 79 years old, with men averaging 76 and women averaging 81. We lag behind many countries. Japan, Switzerland , France and the Scandinavia lead the USA, by quite a bit, with our women’s ranking being around 35th.

We rank 41st in the world in infant mortality.

These statistics are hard to take; after all we have been told for years that our health care system is the best in the world.

Will Obamacare create rationing? Let’s face it more people being insured and going to the doctor will create a lot of stress on the system. But with this stress comes opportunity. The opportunity will be on the jobs front, where new doctors will be needed, as well as new nurses, x-ray techs, and a whole slew of jobs for all of the other doctor and hospital related needs that come with proper health care delivery.

For those citizens who are impoverished, giving them a chance to have insurance will offer them the chance to go to a doctor for a yearly exam which will save lives and extend our life expectancy, due to preventative care and yearly visits.

Companies will make more money by having millions of people being insured with their company.

Infant mortality will be reduced by having mothers see their doctor more during their pregnancy.

The American consumer will be the winner with the ACA, if health insurance costs are reduced.

Currently Americans for a family of four at a given age pay considerably more than do our European counterparts. We will have more take home pay if our costs are reduced. Several years ago the World Health Organization listed the average European costs for a family of four as being $2400 per year while during that same survey the average costs for that same family of four in the USA was nearly $8000.

I am tired of the American consumer being a sucker. Just imagine what we could do if our costs for health insurance were like our European allies.

By fewer people going to the emergency room, taxpayers will not be on the hook for paying for those emergency expenses for those who have no health insurance. We require everyone to have auto insurance because of the costs to all of us for uninsured motorists. The same should hold true for those who do not have health insurance.

Increased uses of technology can reduce costs. Some day a microchip inserted in your wrist may save your life. That microchip may have your medical history, and if you are unconscious and unable to respond they would know your medical history better and thereby perhaps save your life.

Anyone uninsured is a burden upon all of us. The argument that the amount of uninsured is less than we are told is a bogus argument for not requiring people to be insured.

As an American I am outraged by the statistics indicating that we live shorter lives and have more children die at birth than a whole lot of countries. My competitive nature wants us to compete and do better. Improving our diet and seeing our doctor more will help us live, and enjoy a life worth living.

Let us refuse to accept the status quo and move forward. Let us hope that the ACA will work as Social Security and Medicare have worked. Our seniors live a better life due to Social Security and Medicare. Let us do ourselves a collective favor and take a wait and see attitude. Let us demand that Congress give the ACA a chance to improve our quality of life.

Good health is a right and not a privilege.