The 2010 Health Care Reform Should be Repealed

REBUTTAL 2a. A Case for the Reliability of the CBOIt it is a apparent that the majority of Con's arguments are centered around the discrediting of the CBO. I'd like to set the record straight on that.In 1999 the CBO launched an internal investigation to review how it's forecasts have matched up with reality. The results show that since 1976 they have never been off by more than 6% and is usually never off by more than 2% [1].Secondly, the CBO's prediction on the health care reform legislation is backed up by other non-partisan sources. Including, but not limited to, The Joint Committee on Taxation [2,3] and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [4]. Pro's source used for his claims against the CBO is a single person, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, someone who works close with Republican politicians [5].I'd like to see where Holtz-Eakin pulls out the idea that the Medicare savings are unrealistic. By what standard? The laws are in the legislation to save the money. Why exactly won't they work? You have the burden of proof here.I'll be dropping the arguments on government run healthcare since they are irrelevant to the subject of this debate. I would be happy to debate Pro on it in another debate if he wishes.ARGUMENTSEven though it is unnecessary for my burden in this debate, I like to be thorough. Here are some arguments of my own.a. Beneficial for Small BusinessesAccording to the Council of Economic Advisers [6]:"The U.S. health care system imposes a heavy "tax" on small businesses and their employees. Due to high broker fees, fixed administrative costs, and adverse selection, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more per worker than large firms for the same health insurance policy. Some of these higher costs are passed on to small firm employees in the form of lower wages, and some eat into the profits of small businesses that could otherwise be used for research and development and for much-needed investments. This implicit tax disadvantages small firms in both the market for the best workers and the market for their products.Because of their higher health care costs, small businesses are far less likely to provide health insurance for their workers than larger businesses. Only 49 percent of firms with 3 to 9 workers and 78 percent of firms with 10 to 24 workers offered any type of health insurance to their employees in 2008. In contrast, 99 percent of firms with more than 200 workers offered health insurance. Consistent with this pattern, 29 percent of non-elderly adult workers at firms with fewer than 25 employees were uninsured in 2007. In that same year, just 10 percent of workers in firms with 500 or more employees were uninsured. Workers at small firms that do offer health insurance also tend to have less generous plans than workers at large firms.The fraction of small firms offering health insurance has been declining in recent years. From 2002 to 2008, the fraction of firms with 3 to 9 employees offering health insurance to their workers declined from 58 to 49 percent."and"Small businesses that meet certain criteria would be able to purchase health insurance through an "insurance exchange" – allowing them to choose among a multitude of plans that would provide better coverage at lower costs than they could find in the current small group market.Many small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees would receive a small business tax credit to alleviate their disproportionately higher costs and encourage coverage. The tax credit would be targeted to those firms with employees whose average wages fall below a certain threshold.The current reform options include financial incentives for medium- and large-sized firms to provide health insurance coverage through so-called "pay-or-play" provisions. Firms with payrolls or employment levels below a certain threshold, which would include the vast majority of small businesses, would be exempt from the pay-or-play provisions.The creation of an insurance exchange would also provide better and lower-cost options for workers in small businesses that do not offer health insurance. Low-income individuals and families would receive sliding scale subsidies to help them purchase insurance. Additionally, health insurers would not be allowed to screen potential enrollees for pre-existing conditions.The proposed reforms could help spur entrepreneurial activity by increasing the incentives for talented Americans to launch their own companies, and could increase the pool of workers willing to work at small firms. Further, successful reform would reduce the phenomenon of "job lock," in which workers are reluctant to leave a job with employer-sponsored health insurance out of fear that they will not be able to find affordable coverage. Small firms that are unable to provide health insurance for their employees bear the greatest cost of this phenomenon.Reductions in absenteeism and improvements in worker productivity resulting from better health outcomes because of expanded coverage would particularly benefit small businesses." b. Lives Will Be SavedThe primary goal of the legislation is to insure as many people as possible. Studies show that about 45,000 people die every year in the United States due to being uninsured [7]. So, let us assume for a second that Pro is correct about the economics of the plan. We still must ask ourselves what price we would put on a human life, or thousands of them. It is a hard task to set such a price and argue for it's justifiably.c. The Patient's Bill of RightsThe health care includes a measure known as the patient's bill of rights, something which will greatly increase patient satisfaction.Some rights that it establishes are[8]:.Stop insurance companies from limiting the care you need..Remove insurance company barriers between you and your doctor. .Reviewing Insurers’ Premium Increases..Getting the Most from Your Premium Dollars..Keeping Young Adults Covered. .Providing Affordable Coverage to Americans without Insurance due to Pre-existing ConditionsFor an explanation of all these please visit the source. SOURCES1. https://www.cbo.gov...2. http://www.cbo.gov...3. http://www.jct.gov...4. http://www.cbpp.org...5. http://en.wikipedia.org...6. http://www.whitehouse.gov...7. http://www.cbsnews.com...8. http://www.healthcare.gov...