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The saying “at least I have my health” isn’t true for all citizens under the current health care system. There is no point in denying that we need to make changes to the current system. The President, House and Senate are all working to fix the issue; however, their bill, “Affordable Health Care for Americans Act,” is not the fix we are looking for.

The “Affordable Health care for Americans Act” will raise taxes. The bill would also expand Medicaid and would add more taxpayer-funded subsidies. Finally, the bill would allow for a government or public sponsored option, which would be cheaper than the private sector. The private sector would be unable to compete and would go out of business.

The Democrats have a good idea in the fact that they are trying to provide every American with affordable health insurance. The Democrats health care reform sets up a “cookie cutter” outline for what is an “acceptable health care plan.”

In the House’s plan, 96 percent of Americans would have health insurance. To have a majority of Americans covered, businesses would be forced to provide coverage. Section 412 mandates that employers cover a minimum premium of 72.5 percent of individual coverage and 65 percent of family coverage. If the House’s bill goes through, many people who already have insurance through their jobs would actually be at risk to lose their coverage.

Businesses are strapped for cash as it is. If they are required to pay more on health insurance, it could mean layoffs. We already have a 10.2 percent unemployment rate, and we don’t need to continue raising it.

Making sure that every American has sufficient coverage sounds like a noble goal. The government plans to set up an outline of what every basic plan should cover. This should allow every person to receive medical attention. However, many people choose to have less coverage than the bill would allow. Americans don’t want to pay for coverage that would cover more than they need. If the government mandate creates an option that has more coverage, the private companies would be forced to charge more.

The government also plans to fine those who don’t have coverage. The fine could be cheaper than having coverage. If people aren’t able to choose their own coverage and don’t like how much they have to pay for coverage they don’t need, many people would choose not to be covered. They could save money by dropping their insurance all together.

The House’s bill is estimated to cost $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. We are in a recession — how can we afford to spend more money and in such large amounts? Health care costs will be paid for by more taxes. The government will charge a new income tax on single people who make more than $500,000 a year, and married couples who make $1 million. In addition, those who refuse to buy insurance will be charged a fine, which will be used to help pay for the bill. Once again, the Obama administration is asking Americans to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for a program that is only benefitting a few.

Both the House and the Senate plan to expand Medicaid. By expanding Medicaid the taxpayers will be paying for more people’s insurance. The plan to expand Medicaid would let people who are 100 to 150 percent at or below the poverty line to be eligible for Medicaid. If Medicaid is expanded, approximately 21 percent of the United States population would be on Medicaid, according to The Heritage Foundation.

The expansion of Medicare  would increase taxes. It is unfair to keep asking hard working taxpayers to pay for more and more. Medicare  is also one of the government’s lowest performing programs. It does not make sense to try and expand an already failing program.

If the government produces a public option, it could demolish the private sector. The government or public option would be able to have lower costs than the private insurance companies, because it only has to raise taxes to pay for itself. The private sector has to raise costs to pay for its needs. It doesn’t make sense for people to pay for the same coverage twice. People would be more likely to go to the public option because it would save them money. Private companies would not be able to keep up with what the government would be able to provide, and we could end up with socialized medicine.

“I will be the first to admit that it is irresponsible to just say no to the current health legislation without offering commonsense alternatives that will actually bring down the cost of health care, said Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho’s second district. “For these reasons, I support measures to make health care more affordable and accessible without further drowning our nation in debt.”