Post 1 Health care

In the Wall Street Journal article, House Panel Starts Health-Care Bill Review, discuses a bill that is currently being reviewed in the House. The bill proposes a public run health care option that would compete with privately owned health care providers. Plus it calls for an expansion of Medicaid, a surtax on families making over 350,000 dollars to cover this expansion, and the cost of subsidies for the uninsured. Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on their views over the issue of government spending and of public health care. The Democrats feel as though this bill will decrease health care costs, while protecting many Americans that are currently uninsured. Republicans on the other hand believe this bill will destroy employer-sponsored insurance and leave many more people uninsured, while costing the government large amounts of money. This however is not the important issue to me. The bill also includes a move to expand employee tax benefits to same-sex, non-spouse partners. This bill is estimated to cost the government 4 billion dollars over the next ten years. I think this aspect of the bill is very important and controversial in today society. If this bill passes than same-sex couples will have gained one of the same rights traditional marriages have always received. Thus this issue is extremely relevant and should be closely followed by informed citizens.