Health is Wealth...sounds cliche but, it's really not.  We know that to be healthy is either a "gift" or a "purchase."  If you are lucky enough to be blessed with good health, you are a lucky one!  If you are not healthy, it's going to cost. And, today in the US, 46 million people have no health insurance.

The issue of healthcare availability and affordability has become and will continue to be a major issue for both the American people and the American individual.  The President and the Congress has been negotiating and debating the right course for reform over the past year and a review of this process is available below. 

On March 9, 2010, the Financial Times wrote, "US entitlement spending is forecast to account for the entire US budget by the middle of the century.  Of this, Medicare is by far the largest item.  Under the bill, a new Medicare commission, known as the Independent Payments Advisory Board, would have the power to impose steep annual cuts in Medicare payments against forecast healthcare inflation."

On November 8, 2009, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R.3962 narrowly passed The House of Representatives by a vote of 220-215 but whether the bill becomes law is not certain.  

On November 21st, the Senate voted to proceed to debate their version of health care legislation by a vote of 60-39 on a $848 billion 10 year plan with the biggest changes to US healthcare system since Medicare Insurance was created in 1965.  The vote simply gets the debate started after the Thanksgiving recess.  If the Senate passes its legislation, the House and Senate bills would become one document and would be voted on again.  

After the House vote earlier in November, The Republican National Committee released a statement and said:

"Today with help from their liberal House allies, President Obama and Nancy Pelosi finally got what they have been creating behind closed doors these past months--a government run health care experiment that will increase families' health care costs, increase the deficit, increase taxes on small businesses and the middle class, and cut Medicare."

After the Senate vote November 21st, Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman stated that the vote "brings us one step closer to ending insurance company abuses, reigning in spirling health care costs, providing stability and security to those with health insurance and extending quality health insurance to those who lack it."  The White House states the legislation will cost less than $900 billion over 10 years.

President Obama clearly strongly favors legislation and he told lawmakers at the Capitol before the House vote earlier in November that "opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation."  He went on to tell reporters in the White House rose garden,  "This is their moment, this is our moment, to live up to the trust that the American people have placed in us.  Even when it's hard, especially when it's hard, this is our moment to deliver."

On November 18, 2009, the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, announced a Senate Bill which then passed on November 21st by a 60-39 vote that would be the most sweeping overhaul of the health care system in four decades.   Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Bill would cover 94% of Americans or 31 million people and require all Americans to have health insurance. 

On December 15th, 2009 Senators were ready to pass the most extensive overhaul of US healthcare in four decades.  President Obama stated that the overhaul of healthcare, his top domestic priority, is soon to be met including controlling costs, containing the federal budget deficit and expanding coverage.

On December 21st, 2009 Senators voted in the early morning at 1 a.m. on Monday on Healthcare Reform legislation.  The Senate Healthcare Bill passed and Democrats succeeded to cease debate on the $871 billion Bill against opposition from Senate Republicans.  The Senate Democrats in favor are intent on passing legislation before Christmas.  If successful, it will then have to be reconciled with the House Healthcare Reform Bill and signed by President Obama.  If passed, this legislation will not fully go into effect until 2014.

On December 24th, 2009 Christmas Eve, Senators voted at 7 a.m. voted to approve healthcare reform legislation. 

President Obama remarked just after passage, "Ever since Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform in 1912, seven Presidents--Democrats and Republicans alike--have taken up the cause of reform.  Time and time again, such efforts have been blocked by special interest lobbyists who've perpeturated a status quo that works better for the insurance industry than it does for the American people.  But with passage of reform bills in both the House and the Senate, we are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people."

The Senate must work with the House of Representatives to come up with a compromise bill on their two healthcare reform versions.  Democrats want to resolve this before President Obama delivers the State of the Union January 27, 2010. 

On January 19th, 2010, as the voters in Massachusetts went to the polls, a  Republican Scott Brown upset the Democrats and perhaps the entire healthcare reform crafted to date. 

At ABCNews.com, in George's Bottom Line, George Stephanopoulous asked if this could be the "Upset of the Century?" and  wrote: "Will Scott Brown pull it off?  What does it mean for health care and the rest of President Obama's agenda?"  and "Brown's win could hurt Obama's overall agenda, but most importantly, it could derail health care efforts that Democrats have been working on for months now."  Now, only time will tell if the Republicans will be able to forestall healthcare reform which President Obama and the Democrats fought hard to achieve.

On February 25th, 2010, President Obama concluded the Health Summit with Democrats and Republicans in Washington D.C. by stating, 

1.  We agree we need some insurance maret reforms, 2.  Small businesses and those trapped in the individual market where costs are high and often prohibitively high should be allowed to join an exchange to improve their purchasing power, 3.  Purchasing insurance across state lines, details differ, and the question to deal with is whether there should be basic consumer protections for the shoppers rather than a "race to the bottom," and 4.  Medical mapractice, which Democrats have resisted restricting historcially, he said he would like to see if something could be done; however he does disagree on setting "caps" on pain and suffering.  Finally, the President does believe there should be a review of frivolous lawsuits.  Finally, on the most contentious issue, President Obama did say he did not know how the government would bridge the budget  gap on providing coverage to the uninsured.  Obama said he did not believe there would be another Health Summit.

On March 8, 2010, President Obama made remarks on health insurance reform and he said "How many years--how many more years can the federal budget handle the crushing costs of Medicare and Medicaid?  That's the debt you're going to have to pay, young people.  When is the right time for health insurance reform?"  He concluded  by stating, "The United States Congress owes the American people a final, up or down vote on health care."

On March 9th, 2010, the Financial Times ran an article, Obama health bill holds key to elderly care fees which stated, "Mr. Obama's fate aside, many healthcare economists believe there are elements of the 2,700-page healthcare bill that could make the difference between US bankruptcy and solvency in coming decades...US entitlement spending is forecast to account for the entire US budget by the middle of the century.  Of this, Medicare is by far the largest item."

In the last 3 years, health insurance premiums have risen three times...that's times 3 (!) the rate of wage growth. So where does that leave you and your family?  Paying more and more of your income simply to stay healthy if you have health insurance.  And, the aging of the population, or "silver tsunami" is going to, by about 2020, require each person to spend about $1 out of every $5 on healthcare according to the President.  And, President Obama and his Congressional Budget Office believe that dollars devoted to pay for Medicare and Medicaid will be greater in ten years than what the government spends today for EVERYTHING.