Looking Back At Health Insurance And Health Care In 2008
That there has been an elevated level of interest in health care and health insurance across the country should come as no surprise. So it could be expected that 2008 brought an unusually large amount of legislation activity to the issues, clearly led on by public persuasion.
Health benefits occurred across the food spectrum, as dark chocolate finally got its day. It was determined that dark chocolate does contribute to better blood circulation, as well as lowering blood pressure. And in May, McDonald’s decided to stop the use of oils containing trans fats in U.S. and Canada restaurants. Eating french fries won’t quite be the same. And more regarding trans fats, the state of California became the first state in the nation to ban the use of trans fats in restaurants.
State legislators were busy on the health care front. After aggressively promoting comprehehensive health care reform, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation that would have established a state-run universal health care program, citing excess stress on the state’s coffers. In Hawaii, Governor Linda Lingle cut the state’s children’s health care program, because of budget concerns. And in Massachusetts, legislators were forced to raise premiums for the state’s comprehensive health program. Meanwhile in Florida, Governor Charlie Crist was able to get a law passed that will offer affordable insurance coverage for 3.8 million Floridians not currently covered.
During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Barack Obama committed to making health care reform one of his top priorities. As the President-elect, he moved swiftly in that direction, naming former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle as his choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Daschle has long considered health care to be of greatest importance. U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy relinquished his seat on the Senate Judiciary committee in order to work on a comprehensive health care plan, stating that, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
The health insurance industry agreed that so long as there is a universal health care mandate in place, they would not deny coverage to any person with pre-existing conditions. And lawmakers also passed a bill that will prohibit genetic information from being used to deny health insurance coverage. So 2008 did bring a host of new health care issues to the fore. And 2009 promises to bring even more, as the issue continues to grow in importance for Americans.
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