What Health Care Reform Means for Me

Today, was just like any other day. I got up, I went to work, I exercised, etc. However it is not just another normal day. Today 32 million people who were not insured, now have hope of becoming insured. This is amazing! As a public health professional it is not hard to guess why I would be an advocate of health care reform. I don't hide the fact that I think health care is a necessity, that everyone should have access to primary care and appropriate tertiary care (though I will not define what that means here). It has been a long year fraught with political tension, fear and misinformation. Fortunately, while misinformation may never die, in the end fear lost.

Through my schooling and work I have learned a lot about how health care works in America, why it is so expensive and what might be done to "fix" it. I am not naive enough to think that this reform bill is a cure-all, however it is a good step in the right direction. Now that it's done-although it hardly done with actual implementation and crazy lawsuits all ready being file- I hope that other measures to decrease health care costs will be implemented. There have great examples, one is close to my heart as it come from IHC in my home state.

I am a huge advocate of structural and policy change, but one thing that is lost in all the political debate is what health care reform means for me. I am not talking about the New York Times calculator that requires my income, marital and insurance status in order spit out how I am affected. I am talking about what personal reforms do I need make in order to help myself, my family and my community be healthier? True health is not just the absence of illness. I'll leave you to decide what health means for you, but I hope it has something to do with connecting with and helping others whether it is codified in law or not.